Definition of Optical Windows
As a specialist manufacturer of high-performance optical windows, MOK Optics offers a wide range of window types and materials, each designed to meet specific application requirements. Optical windows are essential components in many optical systems, acting as a protective barrier to isolate different environments while minimizing the impact on the optical path. Their primary function is to ensure the integrity of the optical signal without changing the amplification or introducing distortion.
Types of Optical Windows
Optical windows offered by MOK Optics are designed for high precision and are primarily used to protect sensitive instruments such as electronic sensors and environmental detectors. These windows are designed with flat, parallel surfaces to ensure minimal distortion while their optical properties remain transparent across a range of spectral bands. For visible applications, our windows offer anti-reflection coatings tailored for specific wavelengths, including the UV, VIS, NIR, and SWIR ranges.
Additionally, for infrared (IR) applications, MOK Optics uses materials such as barium fluoride (BaF2), calcium fluoride (CaF2), zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), silicon (Si), and germanium (Ge). For UV applications, fused silica and sapphire are the materials of choice due to their excellent transmission characteristics in the UV spectrum.
UV Fused Silica Windows
Fused Silica optical windows are indispensable in ultraviolet (UV) applications due to their superior transmittance and optical performance. MOK Optics’ UV Fused Silica windows are carefully crafted for high-precision systems, providing excellent UV transmission and low optical losses. These windows are ideal for high-precision optical systems, providing unmatched clarity and durability in demanding environments.
We offer a variety of anti-reflective coating options for our UV Fused Silica windows, ensuring optimal performance across a wide range of wavelengths including UV, visible, near infrared, and short-wave infrared.
K9 High Precision Double-Sided Optical Flats
K9 optical flats are known for their excellent flatness and accuracy. MOK Optics manufactures K9 high-precision double-sided optical flats with surface form errors as low as λ/10 or λ/20. These optical flats are primarily used as standards for flatness testing and other optical component calibration. Due to their high accuracy, they are indispensable in areas such as precision metrology and surface characterization.
The precision of these optical flats makes them ideal for applications where high surface cleanliness and flatness are critical, such as high-end imaging systems, interferometry, and optical surface inspection.
Specialized Optical Windows for Unique Applications
K9 Hemispherical Dome Windows
K9 Hemispherical Dome Windows are designed for applications involving large angle incident light, such as optical sensors and detectors. The hemispherical design allows for a wide range of light transmission angles, providing an effective solution for systems that require protection from environmental factors while maintaining optical clarity over a wide range of angles.
These windows are often used in optical systems such as weather and environmental monitoring instruments, as well as aerospace and defense applications where a large angle field of view is critical.
UV Fused Silica Brewster Windows
Brewster windows are a special type of optical window designed to optimize the polarization of transmitted light. When light is incident at the Brewster angle, the window selectively reflects the S polarization component while almost completely transmitting the P polarization component. This polarization-sensitive behavior is critical to many high-precision optical systems, including laser systems, optical analyzers, and spectroscopy.
MOK Optics offers UV fused silica Brewster windows with high-quality coatings that increase their efficiency in producing linearly polarized light. These windows are widely used in scientific research and industrial applications where precise polarization control is critical to system performance.
Choosing the Right Optical Window
Choosing the right optical window is a critical decision that affects the performance of an optical system. At MOK Optics, we guide our customers through the selection process by considering a variety of factors, including:
Optical wavelength range: Different materials provide optimal performance at different wavelengths. We can learn that fused silica is ideal for UV applications, while BaF2, ZnSe, and Ge are best suited for infrared systems.
Surface flatness and accuracy: For high-precision applications, such as interferometry or high-precision metrology, windows with low surface errors (λ/10 or higher) are critical.
Coating options: Anti-reflection coatings are essential to minimize losses and ensure optimal transmission of specific spectral bands (UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR).
Environmental factors: For systems exposed to harsh environments, windows made from durable materials such as sapphire or silicon have greater resilience and longevity.
Conclusion
Optical windows play a critical role in protecting and enhancing the performance of optical systems, whether in visible, UV, or IR applications. MOK Optics specializes in manufacturing a wide range of optical windows to meet the specific needs of high-precision systems across a wide range of industries. By understanding the characteristics and benefits of different window types and materials, users can make informed decisions to ensure optimal performance, durability, and accuracy of their optical systems.
We Mok Optics offers many types of optical components. If you have any questions about these products, please feel free to contact us.
Email: info@mokoptics.com