Optical Windows and Flats
G&H deliver high performance optical windows and flats across a wide range of applications in the aerospace and defense, industrial and telecom and life science sectors.
From small precision optical flats for interferometry applications to large optical windows installed in military vehicles, our components are custom designed to deliver performance and value.
Optical windows are a critical component in a variety of applications that require minimal optical impact with maximum mechanical separation between two environments.
Ideally, the window has minimal impact upon the beam transmission properties: does not reflect, absorb, or scatter the beam; does not distort or impact the wavefront; does not bend or deviate the beam path.
The mechanical separation may require thermal, chemical, or environmental tolerance. Careful material selection and coating design are often required to achieve all of the mechanical separation as well as the optical needs.
We design and manufacture our optical windows and flats, by hand, in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Contact us today to discuss how we can design and manufacture precise optical flats and optical windows for you.
Specifications
| Industrial | Defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Coating options | High laser damage threshold | Broadband or V-coat anti-reflection |
| High transmission | Diamond-like coatings for abrasion resistance | |
| Broadband or V-coat anti-reflection | ||
| Substrate materials | Ge, ZnS, ZnSe, common glasses, fused silica, glass ceramics | Ge, ZnS, ZnSe, common glasses, fused silica, glass ceramics |
| Sizes | Typical 3-300 mm | Up to 450 mm |
| Especially optimized for | High energy | Abrasive environments |
| Transmission at high angles | Transmission at high angles | |
| High temperature stability | High long-term stability | |
| Environmental testing | Humidity, sea salt spray, DIN, MIL upon request | Humidity, sea salt spray, DIN, MIL upon request |
| Country of manufacture | USA / UK | USA / UK |
G&H Precision Optics Brochure
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Windows for industrial applications
Optical windows are utilized in lasers, testing chambers, and other systems where the environment on one side may be pressurized, filled with a specific gas, or otherwise need to be chemically separated from the other. The window needs to transmit the photon energy with minimal disruption (highest transmission, lowest absorption and scattering, and minimal polarization or optical path distortion).
Our highest quality optical windows demonstrate very high parallelism, supremely low surface roughness, low transmitted and reflected wavefront errors, and are optically transparent at the operational wavelength range.
The window material is chosen based on environmental factors such as the acidity of the atmosphere, strong vacuums, high pressures, or high temperatures, and the operational wavelength range.
Windows for defense applications
Defense-grade windows from G&H are significantly larger and may be coated with diamond-like coatings to withstand abrasive environments in the desert.
Window thickness is determined by environmental factors: pressure differentials, thermal conditions, and mounting mechanics.
Coatings
From high transmission broadband anti-reflection coatings to V-coats for high energy applications, our extensive coating capabilities for precision optical components deliver performance across the spectrum from the UV to the FIR. Take a closer look at our optical coatings service.
Metrology
We have made a significant investment in metrology equipment to ensure that our customers receive quality, high-performing precision optical components. More details on our metrology capabilities can be found on our metrology page.
Environmental testing
Environmental testing of components and coatings is critical for the assurance of performance in rugged conditions. G&H environmental testing capabilities include MIL-C-675C, MIL-C-48497A, MIL-E-12397, and MIL-M-13508C for endurance against abrasion, adhesion, humidity, temperature, and environmental conditions.
Product enquiry
So we can better understand your requirements, please complete the product enquiry form below.