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Selecting Metallic Mirror Coatings

From Edmund Optics Inc.

Edmund manufactures a wide range of precision parabolic, spherical and flat mirrors in our own facility. These products are offered in a variety of metallic coatings to suit all your application requirements.

Metallic coatings are delicate and, without a protective dielectric coating, require extra care during handling and cleaning. The surface of a bare gold or aluminum coating should never be touched. A dielectric overcoat on a metallic coating allows for handling of the component, improves the durability of the coating and provides protection from oxidation. Isopropyl alcohol or acetone can be used to clean our Protected Aluminum and Protected Gold coatings. Please refer to Cleaning Optics for tips on cleaning coated optics.

Standard protected aluminum is our most popular mirror coating for applications in the visible and near infrared. A half wavelength of Silicon Monoxide (SiO) is used as an overcoat to protect the delicate aluminum. This treatment provides an abrasion-resistant surface while maintaining the performance of aluminum.

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Products & Services
Fresnel Lenses
Fresnel lenses resemble a planoconvex or planoconcave lens that is cut into narrow rings and flattened. If the steps are narrow, the surface of each step is generally made conical and not spherical.
Spherical Lenses
Spherical lenses, also known as singlets, are transparent optical components consisting of one or more pieces of optical glass with surfaces so curved that they serve to converge or diverge the transmitted rays from an object, thus forming a real or virtual image of that object.  This area includes micro spherical lenses as well.
Optical Lenses
Optical lenses are transparent components made from optical-quality materials and curved to converge or diverge transmitted rays from an object. These rays then form a real or virtual image of the object.  This area includes micro lenses.
Circular Variable Filters
Circular Variable Filters Circular variable filters provide linear attenuation of incident light by rotating the filter.
Diffraction Gratings
A diffraction grating uses a substrate with parallel grooves to disperse light into its spectra. Eschelles are included in this area.
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