Optical planes have one or two highly polished reference surfaces that are used to determine the flatness of an unknown test or work surface. When the reference planes come in touch with the glass or metal surface being evaluated, interference stripes are created. The stripe pattern reveals the specimen's flatness. They are frequently employed with monochromatic light, which predominantly functions at a single wavelength.
Alfa Chemistry has years of experience customizing optical planes that are specifically tailored to your project's needs. We can assist you if a standard off-the-shelf optical plane falls short of your exact requirements. Single- or double-sided polished optical planes have become our custom optical components with consistency and confidence due to simpler natural geometry. We achieve this by paying close attention to every detail, carefully considering your needs, and creating unique optical planes that meet or surpass your expectations.
Our Customization Capabilities
Alfa Chemistry can custom precise optical flats that are produced specifically for your application out of fused quartz and display glass. These come in single- and double-sided options.
- Single-Sided Optical Flats: This plane is a precision polished plane on one side only. The other side is transparent, but not polished to specification. The polished side of the optical plane can be used to test the flatness of other optical materials or substrates for optical windows.
- Double-Sided Optical Flats: A flat surface that has been precision polished to a known flatness on both sides. Either side of the double-sided optical plane can be used for testing and also as a substrate for windows.
Alfa Chemistry will assist you with your consultation whether it involves varied sizes, flatness, substrates, or added coatings. The manufacturing capabilities shown below are typical, but they are always growing:
| Specification | Measurements |
|---|---|
| Dimension | 10 ~ 600 mm |
| Thickness | ≤ 100mm |
| Thickness Tolerance | ± 0.1 mm |
| Surface Roughness | ≥ 3 Ǻ rms |
| Form Error | up to 1/20 @ 633nm (single or double sided) |
| Scratch/dig | < 60/40 |
We provide a comprehensive selection of optical planar coating choices, such as anti-reflection coatings for laser lines, broadband and multi-band signals, dielectric mirrors with high laser damage resistance, and plasma- or ion-enhanced dielectric coatings with outstanding thermal stability. Additionally, we provide neutral density filters, protected/enhanced silver mirror coatings, and aluminum mirror coatings.
All optical planes are tested on our interferometer to ensure that they meet the required flatness specifications. On request, we also offer interferograms for use as references.
UV Optical Flats
Alfa Chemistry provides a selection of quartz UV-grade bespoke optical planes that operate effectively at 260 nm. These bespoke quartz UV optical planes offer varied stability and surface quality and are available in single-sided optical polish or double-sided optical polish. To compare the flatness of substrates with a flatness that is unknown, they serve as reference surfaces.
We can also use other UV-grade materials, such as UV-grade fused silica, which is excellent when used for transmittances above 85% at 185nm, although still useful at 175nm.
If you need technical advice, please contact our technical team to learn more about our high-quality services.