Lambda Physics

[LambdaPhysics]

Hi everyone,
I’d like to briefly introduce myself.
My background is in optical coatings – for many years I worked at an optics institute where I specialized in thin-film deposition for laser and optical components.
After the institute was closed, I had the opportunity to acquire part of the coating lab’s equipment and set up my own small workshop/laboratory. Since then, I’ve been continuing work in this field on a smaller, independent scale.
Over the years, I have also accumulated a number of surplus optical parts – many of them are high-quality components such as Nd:YAG resonator mirrors and other optics that were produced or left over during various projects.
I’d be happy to share information with this community here, and I’m also open to collaborations, custom requests, or exchanges of experience with fellow members.

Kind Regards,
Adrian

[VDX]

Hi Adrian,

... where are you located?

I'm from Germany and actively testing/investigating all sorts of "surface coating" for different applications

Viktor

[LambdaPhysics]

Hi Viktor,

I am located in Europe too, but a little further East (Bucharest - Romania)

[VDX]

... if you're interested in some of my methodes. then you can read into LIFT (Laser Induced Forward Transfer) -- it's essentially precoating a transparent sheet or glass plate with a material (cuould be LIFT-coated too), then evaporate it with a laser through this sheet/plate and let it "coat" a target surface or 3D-structure with either a homogenized sprayor discrete droplets (depending on handling)

[LambdaPhysics]

Very interesting. I had heard something about the process. Now I have researched a bit on the internet. Do you have the equipment needed for manufacturing?

I make optical coatings using the Physcal Vapor Deposition (PVD) method. I have a Leybold Heraeus optical coating machine with an electron gun evaporator.
In general, I make laser mirrors, beam splitters, filters, etc.
Do you think we could find a collaboration formula?

[VDX]

... I'm doing "LIFT" with my fiberlaser or even with a 10W-laserdiode without need for vacuum

Attached some Images with tests for coating thicknes with copper (the raster image, thickness from single nanometers to roghly 50nm) or creating conducting tracks on any sort of surface (paper, plastic, glass, ...).

And here a video from transfering black paint with a fiberlaser or laserdiode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHfhADXzo_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx1rNL9eDcE

Viktor

[LambdaPhysics]

Could be deposited a model of photoresist on chrome-coated glass plates?

[VDX]

... shouldn't be a problem -- I'm trying to "stack" different materials (or multiple slices of same and/or different materials) not only in homogenous layers, but too in specific patterns and geometries ... the results will give something like "3D-Nano-printing" with various materials and with any possible geometry or "fine-structure" ... pretty crazy stuff, but not for "open" discussion for now

[buffo]

Welcome to PhotonLexicon, Adrian! Your background in optical coatings is intriguing; it's a shame you weren't on the forum back when people were searching for custom dichros. Back around 2009 or so, there was a concerted effort to find dichros that would allow you to mix several different red wavelengths together into a single beam. We finally found a company (Semrock) that produced a dichro for mixing 635 nm red with 660 nm red, and with some careful angle-tuning, you could get it to work with 642 nm red too, but it was crazy expensive. I suspect this would have been right up your alley when you were at the optics institute...

Of course, the need for these custom dichros pretty much evaporated once high power red diode modules became available. Although every once in a while you still see posts about someone looking for custom dichros for combining non-standard wavelengths, so I suppose there's still some market there.

Adam

[LambdaPhysics]

Hello Adam,
Thanks for the welcome!
Back around 2009 I was working on various research projects, which spanned several years and I was not up to date with what was in vogue on the laser market (and on the optics market, in general). I also notice now that this market is quite contracted and the parts that are a more success are mirrors for resonant cavities (HR + OC) and broadband HR mirrors. There was also some interest (but not too great) for HR mirrors made with HfO2, for femtosecond lasers (Ti:Sapphire).
Anyway, the future is unpredictable, so you never know when we will witness a relaunch of the field...

Adrian