Many coated optics are built into laser systems to optimize the characteristics of the emitted laser beam. However, losses are produced at each glass surface. Thus, the goal is to reduce the number of optics to a minimum. This not only increases the efficiency of the entire system but reduces its size as well.
The solution to this problem is to produce laser optics that are coated on both the front and the back. From a technical standpoint, this was almost impossible to achieve for a long time in complex coatings: The coating on the second side heated the first coating and often caused it to crack. This problem was more pronounced the more complex the coatings became (i.e., the more layers the first coating had).
Front and Back with Complex Coatings
New technologies available at Laser Components now make it possible to equip the front and back of laser optics with complex coatings. The following combinations are possible examples:
For applications in resonators, it makes sense to use optics with a dichroic coating on the front, for example a coating that is highly reflective for 1064 nm and simultaneously allows the passage of pump light. The back can be highly or partially reflective for the same or another wavelength.
It is also possible to combine a polarization coating on one side and a mirror coating on the other side. It would be conceivable to use a thin-film polarizer at 45° for 1064 nm, the back side of which is also coated for coupling in another laser wavelength.
Polarizers with the Highest Extinction Ratios
Polarization coatings on both sides of an optic are used if the polarization effect has to be increased and the highest extinction ratios are required that could not be achieved otherwise with a coating applied to just one side.
Good to Know
IBS – Unlimited Possibilities
The IBS method makes many things possible: it allows different spectral requirements to be fulfilled with a single coating. The number of layers that can be applied is almost limitless.
Customized to Meet Your Needs
In new products, complex spectral profiles are first simulated and then custom produced. The design possibilities are endless. Let your imagination run free: we will take care of how to best meet your specification needs. For example, what do you think of a dichroic coating that can also guarantee certain reflections of other wavelengths?
