Galaxy Optics Galaxy Optics
Galaxy Optics Home Galaxy Optics Ordering and Shipping Galaxy Optics Contact Us Galaxy Optics Image Gallery Galaxy Optics Customer Comments

"ARC" REFLECTIVE OPTICAL COATINGS

The Galaxy Optics optical thin film coating system was specifically designed for coating telescope mirrors. The optical coatings have uniform center to edge thickness. The "ARC" process guarantees near 100% oxidation of overcoat refractory materials and extinction coefficients less than 0.01. The ARC coating process produces reflective coatings that are brilliant in their appearance and free of coloration. The coatings are exceptionally durable and well suited for use in the environments associated with observing. Galaxy Optics has fabricated and coated thousands of mirrors. When you choose us for your optical coating needs you can be sure you are getting the absolute best.

How the "ARC" Coating Process Works:

ARC is a trademark of Galaxy Optics and is an acronym for "Activated Reactive Coating". The ARC process operates on the exact same principals as IBAD or "Ion Beam Assisted Deposition". Activated Reactive Coating is the process of ionizing pure oxygen or other reactive or inert gases at very low pressure into high energy plasma. The large increase molecular energy is used to force a chemical reaction to near 100% completion at a lower temperature. The aluminum overcoating process for telescope mirrors requires the use of metal oxide compounds as starting materials. The two most common overcoat compounds for the aluminum layer are silicon monoxide and titanium monoxide. The metal monoxides must be fully oxidized during the coating process to form silicon dioxide the low refractive index material and titanium dioxide the high refractive index material. Chemical reaction equations are: 2SiO + O2 > 2 SiO2 and 2 TiO + O2 > 2 TiO2. If the starting materials are not fully oxidized the coating will have low reflectivity. The best way to obtain 100% oxidation is ARC. ARC has two very important qualities, the high-energy ionized oxygen plasma drives the reaction to completion assuring a completely transparent film with a low extinction coefficient and the increased molecular energy is sufficient to force the SiO2 or TiO2 molecules to form a densely packed micro-crystalline structure that is extremely hard. Depositing thin films of silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and other metal oxides using ARC yields low light scatter coatings. This is the same optical coating technology used in the manufacture of low scatter optics for use in high-energy laser systems.

Standard Galaxy Optics Coatings:

C-1 & C-3 @ 45 AOI : ~ 95% average visual reflectivity, Enhanced Aluminum

C-2 & C-4 @ 45 AOI : ~ 91% average visual reflectivity, Quartz Protected Aluminum

Custom Optical Coatings:

We can produce thin film optical coatings to meet your wavelength specifications from UV to IR. Please contact us for a quote.

Pricing:

C-1 and C-2 Primary Mirror Coatings
Diameter * C-1 C-2
14.5" $ 500 $ 475
16.0" $ 550 $ 525
18.0" $ 700 $ 675
20.0" $ 900 $ 875
22.0" ** $ 1100 $ 1075
24.0" ** $ 1500 $ 1475
* Non-standard mirror diameters add $50.00 for mounting fixture-tooling surcharge. ** Maximum Edge Thickness: 1.6"

C-3 and C-4 : 45 AOI Elliptical Diagonal Mirror Coatings

M.A. Diameter C-3 @ 45 AOI C-4 @ 45 AOI
2.60" $ 150 $ 125
3.10" $ 150 $ 125
3.50" $ 200 $ 175
4.00" $ 250 $ 225
4.50" $ 300 $ 275
5.00" $ 350 $ 325
5.50" $ 375 $ 350
6.00" $ 425 $ 400
6.50" $ 450 $ 425
Notice: N/A

Primary Mirror Coating Removal and Cleaning Service: $100
Diagonal Mirror Coating Removal and Cleaning Service: $50

Galaxy Optics uses a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid and copper sulfate to remove your old coating. This solution safely removes the old coating without affecting the underlying glass or optical figure.

Additional discounts for bulk optical coating orders are available.
Please contact Galaxy Optics for a quote and delivery schedule.

Home ~ Reflective Coating Services ~ Ordering & Shipping
Image Gallery ~ Contact Us ~ Customer Comments

All content and images © 2023 Galaxy Optics
Background Picture: M13 By David Childree