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Reynard Corporation
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San Clemente, CA 92673-6227
United States
Bullseye® Apodizing Coatings
Photonics MarketplaceBullseye® Apodizing Coatings
Bullseye®
Apodizing filters are customizable density gradient filters that change
radially from the center to the outside of the optical component. These
filters are used to eliminate undesirable intensity variations in
optical systems or to modify the wavefront of an optical source.
Bullseye® filters come in two configurations, normal and inverse apodizing:
Normal
The normal Bullseye® apodizing configuration
decreases in density radially from a dark center, where light is
usually at its peak intensity, to the outside edge, where it can become
completely transparent. Normal apodizing filters are used to modify a
Gaussian light source into a 'top-hat' type of output with a flat
wavefront, as can be seen in the animation below. Standard filters,
depending on the product selected, start with a central density between
OD1 and OD5 and change to fully transparent as you move to the outer
edges of the optical component. Custom gradients can also be defined.
Inverse
In the Bullseye® inverse apodizing configuration,
the density increases from the center to the outside edge. Following a
Gaussian distribution from a clear center, the outer edges of the optic
will achieve a density of OD1 to OD5, depending on the product
selected. These filters are used to create a well-defined Gaussian
wavefront, as seen in the animation below, or can be used to eliminate
unwanted intensity variations in an optical system. Custom gradient
functions can be defined.
Custom
Using a proprietary coating technique, customer-specified
distribution functions are realized into a custom Bullseye®
apodizing optical component that accounts for uniformity variations,
substrate type, substrate size, and spectral bandwidth. Custom quotes are available.
Normal Gaussian distribution functions are defined by the following
equations, where 'a' defines the standard deviation or the sharpness of
the edges, and 'x' is the position of the function around the center of
the component:
The transition functions can be defined by
either transmission (T) or by density (D). These functions can range
from a simple linear equation to much more complex algebraic,
exponential, or geometric functions as shown
below:
Examples of Transmission Gradients:
Examples of Density Gradients:
Key features include:
- Density gradients can be customized to suit any application
- The filter can be applied to a number of different substrate types and sizes
- Filters can be designed to be used from the UV to the Far IR
Applications for Bullseye® Apodizing filters are found in diverse industries:
- Astronomy - To reduce high intensity light sources around the featured object.
- Entertainment - To make light distribution uneven for cosmetic applications.
- Imaging - To break up diffraction patterns by the introduction of soft edges.
- Industrial - These filters are used in series with an iris camera to
eliminate detector saturation that occurs in automatic welding
machines.
- Military - To eliminate IR detector saturation in ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles.
- Photography - To create soft edges in photos and reduce areas that are over exposed.
- Scientific - Used as a variable phase plate when the gradient
coating material has the same index of refraction as the substrate.
- Semiconductor - Used in exposing systems to obtain perfect illumination distribution.
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