Insights
Engineering notes
Senior-level substrate guidance written the way optical engineers argue on RFQ calls. Illustrative band charts are design aids, not lab certificates.
ZnSe Substrates for CO₂ Laser Optics: Absorption, Grade, and Coating Reality
CVD ZnSe at 10.6 µm: grade, AR and thermal lensing.
Germanium for LWIR Thermal Imaging: Why Ge Dominates 8–12 µm Lenses
Index, diamond turning and AR for uncooled imagers.
ZnS Multispectral Windows: When You Need VIS Alignment and IR Performance
Clear vs IR grades and dual-band AR tradeoffs.
Silicon Optics for NIR–MWIR: Cost, Index, and the 1.2 µm Cut-On
Where Si wins — and where it cuts off before LWIR.
Fused Silica: UV–VIS–NIR Performance Without IR Fantasy
When silica is right, and why polish never creates 10 µm transmission.
Chalcogenide Glasses for IR Lenses: Moldability Meets MWIR/LWIR
Molded aspheres vs diamond-turned crystals at volume.
CaF₂ Windows for Broadband Spectroscopy
UV edge to mid-IR without Ge opacity.
Substrate Selection Matrix: VIS to LWIR — When You Need Two Materials
Decision tree for multi-band OEM BOMs.