Optical Coatings Class Series
December 7 & 8, 2022
Hampton Inn Gunbarrel, Boulder, CO
Virtually no modern optical system can operate without optical coatings. An improved understanding of how to design select a coating for a given application as well as process-specific influences on the component performance, can significantly aid in the successful integration of coatings into an overall system design. These two classes offer a range of detail and perspective with the 4-hour course being oriented to non-optical engineers and the 8-hour course emphasizing application and priorities for design and manufacture.

If you register for more than one class, and/or for more than one person, please use the code CPIA%15 to receive a 15% discount on your registrations.

Pricing increases 20% after November 23
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Class 1: Basics of Optical Coatings
Wednesday, December 7, 1:00 - 5:00 pm (4 hours)
What is an optical coating, and why do we need them? Would you like a better understanding of the terminology used by lens designers? This is a great class for non-optical engineers, resources that need to understand, talk, promote the basics of optical coating. This could be technicians, sales, marketing, management, new employees, purchasing and supply chain personnel.

The course will cover examples and applications of optical coatings such as:
  • Communications (filters, lasers)
  • Energy (solar, windows, laser research)
  • Medical
  • Displays
  • Visual light instruments (cameras, binoculars, gun scopes, microscopes, etc.)
  • Sensors
  • AR/VR
  • Satellites
  • Lithography (computer chips)

How optical coatings are formed:
  • Thicknesses and degree of control required
  • Purity of materials
  • Resulting complexity -> significant time and cost
 
Use of optical coatings:
  • Maintaining the coating
  • Factors influencing the performance

Members/Non-Members/Students: $249/$299/$79 Early Bird Pricing
Pricing increases 20% after November 23
Class 2: Applications of Optical Coatings
Thursday, December 8, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (8 hours)
Improve your understanding of how to select and design a coating for a given application as well as process-specific influences on the component performance. Helps with understanding how to effectively integrate coatings into an overall system design.

Fundamental principles of optical coating design
  • Key aspects to successfully specifying an optical coating
  • Optical interference basics (constructive/destructive interference)
  • Optical coating materials (dispersion, refractive indices, material selection)
  • Fundamentals of anti-reflective coatings
  • High-reflective coatings (dielectric, metallic)
  • Polarizer coatings (narrowband, broadband)
  • Limitations on optical coating design (other wavelengths, error analysis)
 
Deposition and characterization of optical coatings
  • Types of deposition processes (evaporation, ion-beam and magnetron sputtering)
  • Substrate fixturing
  • Thin-film uniformity (substrate size, shape, system design)
  • Mechanical stresses
  • Other coating properties (hardness, abrasion resistance, humidity, salt fog, laser damage)
  • Spectral and photometric evaluation of coated substrates (one side vs. total component, substrate material, angle of incidence, f#, specular vs. diffuse)
  • Wavefront measurements of coated parts

Members/Non-Members/Students: $519/$569/$149 Early Bird Pricing
Pricing increases 20% after November 23
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. James Oliver is president of Vacuum Innovations, a small engineering and manufacturing company which produces equipment for precision optical coating deposition.

For over 20 years, he taught optical interference coating design at the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics. During that time, he also served as a scientist at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics working on design, process development, and production of hafnia/silica thin film coatings for high fluence applications including OMEGA, NIF, and other fusion-class lasers.

He specializes in thin-film uniformity modeling, stresses, and system design for large-aperture coating deposition. 
COURSE INFORMATION
Class 1 - 'Basics'
Wednesday, December 7, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

CPIA Members $249 per class
Non-Members $299 per class
Student Members $79 per class
Class 2 - 'Applications'
Thursday, December 8, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

CPIA Members $519 per class
Non-Members $569 per class
Student Members $149 per class
Attendee can take both the first and second class, or just one class.

If you register for more than one class, and/or for more than one person, please use the code CPIA%15 to receive a 15% discount on your registrations.
Pricing increases 20% after November 23
Deadline for registering is noon Tuesday, December 6. More information on the class will be sent after registration. Any questions can be sent to cpia@coloradophotonics.
Interested in learning more about CPIA and Membership?