OPTICS VACUUM COATING EQUIPMENT & EXPERTISE
Pictures: VON ARDENNE Corporate Archive, VON ARDENNE Family Archive, shutterstock.com. © All rights reserved. ENGLISH 05/2024

OPTICSVACUUM COATINGEQUIPMENT & EXPERTISE

Highly productive optical coating
through precise & automated processes
with flexible equipment platforms

HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE OPTICAL COATING
THROUGH PRECISE & AUTOMATED PROCESSES
The demand for optical products has increased tremendously inrecent years, especially for precision optics. And recent megatrends will additionally boost market growth such as autonomous driving, the Internet of Things and virtual reality.
An essential prerequisite for these products are high-precision
coatings. They exploit the optical interference properties and
Denser & more stable coatings
for antireflection coatings & optical filtersthus give the precision optics their desired functions.
VON ARDENNE has gained experience in the development andproduction of vacuum coating systems over many decades.

Special CARS process technology

Therefore, our customers benefit from our deep understandingof the physical processes of vacuum coating and the knowledge

for high-quality optical coatingsgained from their use in a wide variety of applications.

We have incorporated this knowledge into the development ofnumerous equipment platforms. This enables our customers toUp to 30% faster production

cover the complete spectrum of requirements: from researchand development to pilot and mass production.

through simultaneous double-sided coating

EQUIPMENT PLATFORMS FOR OPTICAL COATINGS
Flexible, Scalable & Ultra-Precise

OPTA X

VISS

Rotary Disk Coating System

Vertical Coating SystemHigh-precision optical filters

Incidence of light with a high transmittancethrough special multilayer coatings

through optical coating of various substrate formats

Lowest optical losses, preferably no absorption
and scattering, high transmission in the filter

Optical windows allow the passage of light ofcertain wavelengths for opto-electronic sys-

OPTICAL INTERFERENCE FILTERSOPTICAL WINDOWS
passband, deep blocking in the filter stopband,steep, precise filter slopes - these are require-

Highest layer thickness precisiontems. At the same time, they protect them fromdisturbing environmental influences. The shape

Variety of substrates can be coatedments for optical interference filters such asand reproducibility of depositionand size of optical windows are almost arbi-by adapting the equipment to different
geometries

bandpass filters, dichroic filters, beam splitters,
polarizing or notch filters.
The performance of cameras, projectors, telescopes and optical measurement technology is
being improved continuously. This requires
standardized components with improved interference optical coatings.
These multilayer coatings determine the specific component function. They also reflect lightor selectively split it into partial beams. They
block individual wavelengths or act as pass fil-Sophisticated filter depositionon two- & three-dimensional substrates
Suitable for target materials
for all wavelengths from UV to IR

trary. They are often flat glass plates, which are
optimized for maximum transmission in the desired frequency range at least by an antireflective coating (AR) on both sides.
With the OPTA X, we offer you a coating system

Cost & energy savings

that is ideally suited for this application.

through simultaneous double-sided antire-

The system is suitable for a variety of geomet-

flection coating

ric shapes of substrates. In addition, it offers
the possibility of simultaneous and fast antireflection coating of front and back sides and thedeposition of selective interference filters.

ters for a specific light frequency range.

In addition, you can use the OPTA X to deposit

With the OPTA X, we offer you a coating system
for such demanding filter depositions. It en-transparent conductive ITO layers - either as a
top layer or within the mulit-layer stack.

ables you to reliably reproduce the highest
coating requirements even on larger filter sub-Furthermore, the deposited layers are climate
resistant and abrasion resistant.

strates and with larger batch quantities.



Triple Bandpass Filter

Anti-Reflection Coating

Coating Example

Coating ExampleUp to 50 % less manpower required
due to fully automated recipe control, carrier handling & substrate loading

Equipment

Equipment

OPTA X

OPTA X

Rotary Disk Coating

Rotary Disk Coating

SystemSystem

VISS

VISS

Vertical Coating System

Vertical Coating System

Reflection with maximum efficiency

Optics meets Semiconductors

through dielectric alternating layers

Optical interference layers for filter-on-chip CMOS,
hyperspectral sensors & spectral sensing filters

DIELECTRIC MIRRORSOptical mirrors made of dielectric alternatinglayers can be found in various fields of application. These include biomedical applications
such as dental mirrors, material processing forguiding and directing laser beams, as efficientreflectors (Bragg mirrors) in light guides and optical resonators. They are also used in the field

WAFER-LEVEL OPTICS
through special CARS process technology

of AR/VR/XR as partially reflective components
for projection and display applications.

Compared to metal mirrors, dielectric layer sys-Up to 50% less manpower requiredtems can be designed very application-specific.
Thus, selective, narrow- or broadband behavior

due to fully automated recipe control, car-can be realized with regard to the wavelength.
In addition, dielectric reflectors are angle-rier handling, substrate loading

mirror layers, increased deposition precision,layer quality and reproducibility are required.
For this purpose, VON ARDENNE has developed

Optical in-situ process monitoringfor continuous specification controlucts that have a very small size and a competitive price-performance ratio. Therefore, they

Optical filter layers directly on

have found their way into various markets suchas consumer electronics or the automotive in-e.g. for silicon devices

glass and semiconductor wafers

dustry. Due to the increasing demand for highvolume production, wafer-level optics are becoming the focus of the industry.
With the OPTA X, we offer you a coating systemthat has been specially developed to meet therequirements in the fields of photonics andsensitive.
If you want to functionally improve dielectric

Optical filter layers deposited directly on glassor semiconductor wafers enable optical prod-Smooth optical coatingsof highest quality

wafer level optics.

Optical monitoring oftransmission or reflection
directly on the wafer

For multilayer coating of wafer-based microlens
arrays, semiconductor sensors or filter-on-chip
CMOS, the OPTA X provides you with fully automated, SEMI-compatible wafer handling for integration in semiconductor fabs. In addition tothe OPTA X with special CARS process
technology.

wafers with a diameter of 200 millimeters, theBroadband Mirrors (BBHR)

Narrow-Band Filter

Coating Example

Coating Example

SEMI-compatible wafer handlingfor integration in semiconductor fabs

OPTA X is also suitable for wafer sizes up to300 millimeters.

Equipment

OPTA X
Rotary Disk CoatingSystemVISS
Vertical Coating System

Equipment

OPTA X
Rotary Disk CoatingSystemHighest precision on large optical surfaces

Broadband anti-reflection & Selective Filterswith highest uniformity

through conformal coating on curved substrate surfaces

Are you looking for coating solutions for large
optical surfaces with extremely high require-If you want to apply interference optical broadband antireflection coating or selective filter

LARGE-AREA OPTICSLENSES & OPTICAL DOMESments for applications such as astronomical reflecting telescopes?

Highest reflectivity & resistancecoatings to lens elements, these coatings mustmeet certain specifications for temperature andOur magnetron sputtering technology offers

through magnetron sputtering technology
for metallic coatings & annealing

environmental stability.

you the precision you need.
In professional telescope construction today,
single mirrors with a diameter of more thaneight meters are used. Before coating, these

This presents special challenges, such as uniform filtering along the curved substrate sur-Direct application offilters to lens elementswith concave & convex surfacesface. Other challenges include an antireflection
coating on both sides of the lens surfaces, anmirror optics are polished to an accuracy of 20

Contour-compliant

additional optical filter function, and a climate-Dense coatings for front lenses

nanometers. The subsequent deposition ofhighly reflective aluminum, gold, or silver layers

deposition precision

with high abrasion & weather resistancethanks to dynamic process control

resistant, mechanically stable lens coating withimproved shift behavior of the filter throughmust not worsen this deviation from the ideal
parabolic or hyperbolic shape of the mirror. Thismeans that it must also be coated with an accuracy of a few nanometers.
We at VON ARDENNE have built up the technology and engineering expertise required here
over decades. As a result, we provide large-ar-denser layers.

Coating of large aperture surfacesFor such requirements and VON ARDENNE hasdeveloped a special coating system: the OPTA
X. It is also an alternative to the conventional

Single & double-sided coating

vapor deposition process.

of heavy lenses with a large diameter

through customized special designs

ea and special coating systems precisely forthis purpose.
© RubinObs/NSF/AURA/T. Vučina

Highly Reflective Coatings

Bandpass Filters

Coating Example

Coating Example

Equipment

VISS
Vertical Coating System

Equipment

SKYVA

OPTA X

Teleskopbeschichtungsanlage

Rotary Disk CoatingSystem

OPTA XAPPLICATIONSHIGHLY PRODUCTIVEDOUBLE-SIDED COATINGOPTICAL WINDOWSFOR DEMANDING OPTICAL LAYER SYSTEMSWith the OPTA X, you will get a system for the most de-

manding optical layer systems. This is especially true formultilayer optics with high numbers of alternatinglayers.
The system coats horizontally. The special CARS
process technology is used on the OPTA X for optimum

DIELECTRIC MIRRORS

Highest precision
OPTA X 300

through homogeneous coatings on opticalcomponents

coating. However, other process designs such as Meta

Magnetrons and/or plasma sources can be integrated
onup to five ports per coating side. In-situ measurement

AUTOMOTIVE DISPLAYSMode, reactive or non-reactive sputtering are alsoavailable.
Highest quality

DISPLAYS FOR CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

through clean, low-defect optical coatingstechnology for tracking and correcting the coating
progress is also available for optical monitoring.

The system has an automatic handling system with amodular design. It enables a safe loading of the OPTA X
with different substrates, which are fed through the system in adaptable carriers.
Different module types can be combined depending on
process and productivity requirements. Examples would

WAFER-LEVEL OPTICSSEMICONDUCTORS

Variable product adaptation:
layer systems & component geometry

OPTA X 200

LENSES & OPTICAL DOMES

be multiple magazine locks or pre- and post-treatmentchambers.
In addition to substrates with a diameter of 200 millimeters, the OPTA X is also suitable for substrate sizes up

OPTICAL INTERFERENCE FILTERS

to 300 millimeters.

BASIC FACTS

Subject to change without notice due totechnical improvement.
Substrates
Glass, polymers, metals
Coating area
Up to 200/300 mm
Deposition arrangement
DC, pulsed DC, AC, CARS*,
meta mode, reactive sputtering, RF
Substrate temperature
RT / 300°C
Deposition technology
Magnetron sputtering: planar, rotatable
Transport typeCarrier or robot
System control
Siemens SPS

VISS PLATFORM

APPLICATIONSHIGHLY FLEXIBLE &SCALABLE INLINE SYSTEMSFOR VERTICAL PROCESSES & MEDIUM PRODUCTIVITY
VISS600 VolumeX
The VISS is a modular system for vertical deposition

The system is available either as a single-ended inline
version or as a continuous version for continuous processes. It is well suited to scale up to substrate widths

Scalableloaded and unloaded without touching the front of thesubstrates.

ADVANCED PANELLEVEL PACKAGINGDIELECTRIC MIRRORSLARGE-AREA OPTICSPRINTED CIRCUIT
BOARDS

SEMICONDUCTORS

THIN-FILM
PHOTOVOLTAICS

POWER ELECTRONICSPIEZOELECTRICSENSORS &ACTUATORS

through modular designof up to 600 mm.
Substrates are transported by a carrier system that isvertically tilted by seven degrees. The system can be

LIFT-OFF PROCESSES

processes. It is a very good choice if you want to movefrom laboratory application to production.

OPTICAL WINDOWSVISS600 PilotX

Easily adaptable to your requirements
through flexible configuration options

OPTICALINTERFERENCEFILTERS

Loading without touching
the substrate front side
due to carrier transport

VISS600 LabXBASIC FACTS

Subject to change without notice due totechnical improvement.
SubstratesGlass, polymers, metals …
Coating area
Up to 600 x 2400 mm²
Deposition arrangement
Double-sided, pulsed DC, AC, RF
Substrate temperature range
RT / 200°C / 350°C
Deposition technology
Magnetron sputtering, linearevaporation, pre- and post-treatment …
Transport type
Inline, by carrier or stacker
Loading & unloading
Optional automation by robot
System control
Siemens SPS and WinCC

CLOSE TO YOU!

HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE OPTICAL COATING
THROUGH PRECISE & AUTOMATED PROCESSES

THERE FOR YOU AROUND THE GLOBE
Overview
First-class technology, quality and productivity are the key toyour success and an integral part of our plants.
VON ARDENNE equipment is used in more than 50 countries. WeComprehensive support for your coating systems

have installed over 550 coating lines worldwide and supportphone, personally on site or by remote support.

Worldwide at your side

Gaining knowledge through simulationof layer composition & properties

From the simulation of layer stacks and their functionality, tosample production on a laboratory and pilot scale, to the measurement and evaluation of coating and substrate properties, weare prepared to meet a wide range of requirements. This gives
you the opportunity to test the function of the coating for yourwith local service sites

With a wide range of equipment
In our Technology & Application Center, we work with you andfor you on the next generation of your coating applications.

over their entire service life

them from our local service locations or our headquarters inDresden. For questions or issues of any kind, we assist you by

Sampling & Layer Development

Sampling & qualification of properties
from a single source

product in advance on relevant sample sizes.



Broad product portfolio

Targeted integration of coating steps

so that you get everything from a single sourceinto your value chain[Translate to English Global:] Technology & Application Center Dresden

CONTACTMichael Schneider

VON ARDENNE's claim is to be able to offer our customers worldwide fast and reliable service. We are therefore represented at sevenlocations in Europe, Asia and North America.
In addition to our headquarters in Dresden, Germany, our employees from the subsidiaries in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, the USA
and Vietnam are there for you.

Industry Manager Optics
VON ARDENNE GmbH +49 351 2637 9306

OPTICS VACUUM COATING EQUIPMENT & EXPERTISE
Pictures: VON ARDENNE Corporate Archive, VON ARDENNE Family Archive, shutterstock.com. © All rights reserved. ENGLISH 05/2024

OPTICSVACUUM COATINGEQUIPMENT & EXPERTISE

Highly productive optical coating
through precise & automated processes
with flexible equipment platforms