Manufacture and Testing for Extremely Large Optical Filters
WESTFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Materion Barr Precision Optics & Thin Film Coatings, a Materion
Corporation (NYSE: MTRN) business, announced the impending completion of
an 18-month project that will significantly enhance its capability to
manufacture and test extremely large optical interference filters and
other complex optical coatings. The Large Optics Coating Facility in
Westford, Massachusetts, is uniquely positioned to produce high
performance band pass filters in much larger sizes than are currently
available. The trend in astronomy and associated optical equipment is
different from most markets and is progressing toward larger-sized
optics.
Delivery of the custom-designed and fabricated system is scheduled for
December with operation commissioned for the first quarter of 2013. The
facility will include a high-vacuum deposition system, a metrology set
to test large coated optical elements and a precision wash station to
clean large optical substrates. The installation of the new equipment in
a specially built clean room will allow the precise deposition and
testing of complex interference filters consisting of a few to well over
100 layers on substrates as large as 1.4 meters diameter.
Initial work will concentrate on extending Materion's capability to coat
narrow band pass filters from the Company's present size limit near 60
cm diameter to 75 cm. The second phase of process development will focus
on precision beam splitters up to 100 cm in diameter. Finally, Materion
will develop very high performance mirrors and anti-reflection coatings
for specialized astronomical and space applications in sizes up to 140
cm diagonal/diameter. Materion will provide these high performance
coatings on any currently utilized substrate including glasses,
ceramics, beryllium, composites and crystal materials.
The enhanced capability will allow Materion to meet the requirements of
the astronomical community for several large ground-based telescopes in
development. It will also support very high performance space programs,
worldwide observatories and space hardware contractors as well as
utilize Materion's optical grade beryllium mirror material.
Materion Barr Precision Optics & Thin Film Coatings provide a broad
array of technologies including complex optical filters, filter arrays,
lens coatings and optical thin film component assemblies. Diverse
markets are composed of: commercial, defense, life sciences and medical,
thermal imaging, automotive, and space, science and astronomy
industries. Website: www.materion.com/barroptics.
Materion Corporation is headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. The
Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, supplies highly
engineered advanced enabling materials to global markets. Products
include precious and non-precious specialty metals, inorganic chemicals
and powders, specialty coatings, specialty engineered beryllium alloys,
beryllium and beryllium composites, and engineered clad and plated metal
systems.
Materion Corporation
Investor Contact:
Michael
C. Hasychak, 216-383-6823
mike.hasychak@materion.com
or
Media
Contact:
Thomas A. Mooney, 978-392-3836 (Direct)
867-771-9866
(Mobile)
thomas.mooney@materion.com
or
http://www.materion.com
Mayfield
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Source: Materion Corporation
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