Manufacturers of optical coatings and components

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Filters selectively reject radiation of certain wavelengths and pass other wavelengths.  Energy rejection can be via absorption, reflection or a combination of the two.   In general, dichroic filters block unwanted radiation by reflection, whereas absorptive "colored glass" filters, such as those manufactured by Schott Glass Technologies block light by absorption.

Special applications for dichroic (dielectric) filters are in the area of heat control.  Since dichroic filters exhibit very low absorption in the region for which they are designed, they pass desired energy and block unwanted energy, thereby lowering the output temperature, without suffering from the thermal shock that breaks absorptive filters.  In the jargon of coated optics, cold mirrors reflect short wavelengths and transmit long wavelengths, while hot mirrors transmit short wavelengths and reflect long wavelengths.

Newport Thin Film Laboratory manufactures various types of dichroic and absorptive filters.  Please contact us with your requirements and we will design a filter for your specific application.