Bandpass Filters on Plastic

Optical bandpass Filters transmit selective wavelengths of the spectrum while attenuating all other wavelengths. Syntec Optics produces complex optical coatings on plastics. Bandpass filters on the glass are relatively straightforward to produce. However, complications arise when trying to produce this coating design on plastic substrates. First, heat/energy during the coating process is utilized for most coating materials to be dense and durable. Obviously, the temperature during the coating run must be limited with a plastic substrate. Plastics do not have the same rigidity as glass, and optical thin films can have a significant amount of intrinsic stress.

Therefore, certain thin film deposition techniques must be used to reduce and/or balance stresses within the film bandpass filters. One technique that can benefit films’ stress and density is ion-assisted deposition. Plastics also have some attractive properties as well. A plastic substrate can be molded to include a multitude of mounting features instead of trying to mount a glass substrate utilizing additional fixtures. For certain applications, the weight of the glass is excessive. In these cases, plastic substrates are an ideal substitute.

Bandpass filters have a wide range of precision optics applications in commercial and military markets. Some include spectral clinical diagnostics, colorimetry, photometry, astronomy, fluorescence microscopy, spectroscopy, imaging, and chemical analysis demanding spectral isolation.

Get quality optical bandpass filters for a wide range of bandwidths at SyntecOptics.com. We design and manufacture complex bandpass filters involving thin film coating on a plastic substrate.