Over the past decade, chalcogenide glass substrates have become a preferred choice for IR optics. They offer many advantages that legacy materials such as germanium, silicon, and others simply cannot match. Because chalcogenide glasses are softer and prone to scratches, a protective layer is critical. A diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating is ideal for its extreme durability to withstand the harshest environmental conditions. However, coating chalcogenides with DLC is a notoriously challenging endeavor plagued by adhesion problems and coating defects. IR expert Ray Pini compares chalcogenides' properties to more traditional substrates to understand their growing popularity and delves into the adhesion challenges they present throughout the coating process. He shares how EMF has successfully produced dependable, long-lasting DLC coatings on chalcogenides at scale, along with top tips to ensure your coating partner has the capabilities and capacity to deliver the precision coating solutions you need. Have questions about DLC on chalcogenides or other substrates…or other coatings? Our team is standing by. Please contact EMF at websales@emf-corp.com or +1-800-456-7070.
The growing demand for lower cost infrared sensors and cameras has focused attention on the need for low cost optics for the long wave and mid-wave infrared region. The thermal properties of chalcogenides provide benefits for optical and optomechanical designers for the athermalization of lens assemblies as compared to Germanium, Zinc Selenide and other more common infrared materials. This investigation reviews typical infrared materials’ thermal performance and the effects of temperature on the optical performance of lens systems manufactured from various optical materials.
The growing demand for short wave infrared (SWIR) sensors and cameras has focused attention on the need for lower cost optics in this infrared region. Traditional low Tg moldable glasses typically stop transmitting in the SWIR region. New low dispersion, moldable glasses have been found that transmit through 3 microns and in combination with Precision Glass Molding (PGM) can bring this enabling technology to SWIR optics.
This investigation reviews the material performance for a potential moldable solution in the SWIR range. Specific attention is given toward glasses that achieve high yields during precision glass molding and are candidates for commercial success.
Precision glass molding has a well-documented effect of a decrease in the index of refraction of the glass during the molding process. This index drop has such significant value that optical designs for molded lenses must take into account the index drop to accurately determine the optical performance of the final lens. Widespread adoption of chalcogenide glasses for molded infrared optics has raised a series of questions as to the behavior of these glasses under molding conditions. This paper will investigate the index of refraction changes in two different chalcogenide glasses and determine if these changes are significant enough for optical designers to consider in their designs.
The development and implementation of wafer level packaging for commercial microbolometers has opened the pathway towards full wafer-based thermal imaging systems. The next challenge in development is moving from discrete element LWIR imaging systems to a wafer based optical system, similar to lens assemblies found in cell phone cameras. This paper will compare a typical high volume thermal imaging design manufactured from discrete lens elements to a similar design optimized for manufacture through a wafer based approach. We will explore both performance and cost tradeoffs as well as review the manufacturability of all designs.
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