Thin Film Coatings

Coatings Designed for System Reliability

What are Thin Film Coating?

Thin film coatings are ultra-thin material layers applied to optical components to enhance performance. They include optical coatings for controlling light reflection, transmission, or filtering, and metallization for adding reflective or conductive metal layers. These coatings improve durability, efficiency, and precision in lenses, mirrors, and sensors.

Thin films play a crucial role in various everyday applications, such as household items and technology devices.

Thin Film Deposition Coating Services

Optical coatings can be the most critical portion of the finished optical component and determine system performance and reliability. We provide coating services for a variety of optical fabrication operations.

Various thin film coating methods, such as reverse coating, gravure coating, and slot-die coating, are used to achieve reliable solutions. Selecting the appropriate method based on factors like coating liquid, film thickness, and production speed is crucial for achieving desired film characteristics. Clear Align has extensive optical coating capabilities, and expertise in producing coatings for advanced applications and harsh environment. We provide a variety of coating options including the UV, Visible, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR portions of the spectrum.

Optical Coating Design for System Reliability

We provide full coating design and verification services in-house. Thin film deposition techniques are crucial in the design and verification of coatings, as they allow for controlled optical and mechanical parameters. The importance of thin film morphology in the design and verification of optical coatings cannot be overstated, as it significantly influences the final properties and performance of the coatings.

We include oxides, metals, and rare earth elements in our designs designed to enhance the transmission, reflection, or polarization properties on your optical components. The performance of an optical coating is dependent on the processing, cleanliness, number of layers, layer thickness, and the refractive index difference between layers. At Clear Align we bring an understanding of optical coating theory, material science and manufacturing methodology. Let us design a coating to meet your program’s needs.

Flawless Results: Advanced Automated Cleaning Systems

Clear Align begins with automated ultrasonic cleaning that provides a meticulously surface for optical coatings.  This process is critical to adhesion and long-term reliability. 

Optical Coatings Inspection

After coating we utilized modernized inspection techniques and equipment and inspect to ANSI, MILSPEC, and ISO 10110 standards. This disciplined process eliminates guesswork for inspectors and offer standardized quality control.

Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings (DLC)

Diamond-like carbon coatings (DLC) ensure system performance in extreme environments. Controlling coating thickness is crucial for the performance characteristics of DLC coatings, affecting transparency, reflectance, and overall quality. The choice of coating material significantly influences these properties, as its viscosity and other characteristics determine the film thickness and uniformity. Clear Align provides DLC to protect infrared optical systems against salt, fog and sand. Our coating offers an impressive precision in addition to high-transmission and are qualified for the most extreme environments. We verify our DLC coating using military and commercial and tests the coating by subjecting them to significant mechanical and chemical stresses. We coat a variety of materials and would be pleased to create a design that meets your individual requirements.

DLC and Hard Coating Highlights

• High Transmission “hard” coating
• Overcoats available for scratch resistance & durability
• Applicable to various substrate materials: Germanium (Ge), Silicon (Si), Zinc selenide (ZnSe), Zinc sulfide (ZnS), Fused Silica (SiO2), Sapphire (Al2O3), etc.
• Common reflective metals: Gold (Au), Silver (Ag), Aluminum (Al), Nickle (Ni), etc

Over three decades of design and fabrication of thin film coating enables us to develop a broad array solutions. we udevelopment of anti-reflective coatings , known for efficiency in achieving uniform coatings on substrates. Ion assist and crystal monitoring allows for the precise control of material deposition by layering one atomic layer at a time, ensuring thorough saturation on the substrate for desired performance. We are able to offer coating services on a wide range of substrate materials and maintain a library of over 30,000 coating fixtures that enable quick-turn programs.

Unique geometries are no problem as we design and fabricate tooling in-house as needed. Our design software enables us to create the best coating solution for your needs. We also offer small run prototyping services and in-house qualification testing to be certain that our coatings are qualifed.

Precision at Scale: Your High-Volume Coating Partner

We specialize in high-volume production with 17 advanced coating chambers and 7 in-house spectrophotometers, ensuring precision and consistency at scale. Our streamlined processes and cutting-edge technology make us your ideal partner for large-scale optical coating and metallization needs, delivering quality and reliability every time.

Deposition Process

The deposition process of thin films involves several critical steps to ensure the desired film characteristics and performance. These steps include:

• Substrate Preparation: The substrate surface is meticulously cleaned and prepared to ensure proper adhesion and uniformity. This step is crucial as any contaminants or irregularities on the substrate can affect the quality and performance of the deposited film.
  Deposition: The target material is deposited onto the substrate using a specific thin film deposition method such as sputtering, evaporation, or chemical vapor deposition. Each method has its advantages and is chosen based on the desired film properties and application requirements.
• Film Growth: During this phase, the deposited material grows into a thin film on the substrate surface. The growth process is influenced by factors such as temperature, pressure, and deposition rate, which are carefully controlled to achieve the desired film thickness and morphology.
• Post-Deposition Processing: After deposition, the thin film may undergo additional processing steps such as annealing, etching, or patterning. These processes can enhance the film’s properties, such as its mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, or optical performance, and are tailored to meet specific application needs.

Coating Methods

Thin film coating methods are essential techniques used to deposit thin films onto a substrate, and selecting the appropriate method based on factors like coating liquid, film thickness, and production speed is crucial. Among the most prominent methods are physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Thin Film Design and Technology

Thin film design and technology involve the use of various advanced techniques to control the properties and performance of thin films. Some of the key techniques include:

• Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD): This technique involves the deposition of thin films one atomic layer at a time, allowing for precise control over film thickness and composition. ALD is widely used in applications requiring ultra-thin, conformal coatings with excellent uniformity and step coverage.
• Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD): This technique utilizes high-energy laser pulses to vaporize the target material and deposit it onto the substrate. PLD offers precise control over the deposition process, making it ideal for creating high-quality thin films with specific properties, such as high purity and uniformity.
• Spin Coating: This technique involves the use of a spinning substrate to deposit thin films. A solution containing the coating material is applied to the center of the substrate, which is then spun at high speed to spread the solution evenly across the surface. Spin coating is commonly used for creating uniform thin films in applications such as photoresists and organic electronics.
• Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): This technique involves the use of chemical reactions to deposit thin films. A gaseous precursor undergoes a chemical reaction on the substrate surface, resulting in the formation of a solid thin film. CVD is highly valued for its ability to produce high-quality films with excellent adhesion and uniformity, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, including semiconductors and protective coatings.

By leveraging these advanced techniques, thin film technology continues to evolve, enabling the development of innovative solutions and enhancing the performance of various devices across multiple industries.

Properties of Thin Films

Mechanical Properties

Thin films have distinct mechanical properties influenced by deposition methods, substrate surface, and thickness. They often exhibit high hardness, strength, and toughness, ideal for applications like protective coatings and MEMS. By adjusting deposition techniques and film thickness, these properties can be precisely tailored for specific industry needs.

Thin Film Applications

Thin films have revolutionized various industries, offering innovative solutions and enhancing the performance of numerous devices. Their applications span across electronics, optics, and energy sectors, showcasing their versatility and importance.