June 07, 2016
DLC (also known as Hard Carbon or Diamond-Like Coating) coated windows play a critical role for protecting IR cameras surrounded by metal enclosures. As a vertically integrated optics manufacturer, ISP Optics has the ability to fabricate, polish, and coat DLC coated windows, all in-house. For LWIR applications, ISP Optics offers DLC coatings on Germanium (Ge), ZnS and chalcogenide glasses. For MWIR, Silicon (Si) windows with DLC coating are the most sensible option.
In recent months, ISP Optics has seen incredible demand for Ge and Si DLC coated windows. ISP is happy to announce that starting June 6, 2016 Ge and Si windows in 1", 1.5", 2" and 3”diameter will be available from their estore for immediate delivery.
DLC Coatings are designed for the harshest and most demanding environments: whether it’s a tank in the middle of a sand-storm, an aircraft carrier with salt corrosion or a UAV performing reconnaissance in a densely fogged area, the DLC coating will survive any element. For these types of applications, IR optics need to be durable enough to survive while still maintaining high transmission. DLC coatings were made for windows to transmit in these unforgiving environments.
DLC coatings are the toughest coatings available today, and used by many of the top Military Contractors in the US. DLC coatings have severe abrasion resistance per MIL-C-675/ MIL-F-48616/MIL-C-48497C. They can be subjected to salt spray per MIL-STD-810F, without showing any deterioration or performance loss. When paired with a high efficiency AR coating on the back side, the DLC coatings still provide 90% average transmission over the 8-12 um range.
To learn more about our DLC Coated windows, please visit:
