Nano-Composite Polymer Optical Coatings

Presented by Tom Faris, Vampire Optical Coatings, Inc.

Traditionally broadband anti-reflection coatings and index matching coatings for use with high performance transparent conductive oxide coated films have been prepared via multi-layer dielectric materials deposited under vacuum. These coatings typically have thicknesses between 850 and 2000 Angstroms, with relatively low production rates and a concomitant high cost.

Advances in nano-particle technology have enabled the development of high refractive index polymer based nano-composite coatings that are processable at normal atmospheric pressures, can be applied, with the required precision at high rates, using conventional wet roll-to-roll coating equipment. These nano-composite based polymer coatings have been used to manufacture 2-layer low reflectance coatings and in combination with thin sputtered metal oxide layers to prepare broadband anti-reflection coatings or as index matching layers to produce high light transmission transparent conductive oxide coated films.

In this paper we will report the development of stable nano-composite coatings, which exhibit high refractive indices that are processable at high rates, with high precision at low costs. In addition, we will show that these new polymer coating materials have been combined with traditional vacuum sputtering methods to produce high light transmission ITO coated films and high performance antireflection coated films.