Optical Filters » Artifex Engineering

Filters are optical elements with specific spectral transmission characteristics. They are used to modify the properties of a light source or to block unwanted wavelengths of light.

There are two different types of filters, depending on the physical principle exploited during the manufacturing process: absorption filters (colour filters) and dielectric filters.

Selection Guide: How to choose a suitable filter for your application

Physical Principle	Price	Power Handling	Angle Tolerance	Thickness	Dysfunctions	Reflection	RoHS-Conform
Absorption	Low	Heating due to absorption: may break at high power	Wide angle tolerance	Level of blocking depends on thickness. Typ. 2 – 3mm	May fluorescence when blocking UV light	Low	Many types “No” but with “legal” exeption status
Dielectric	High in small volumes. Low to mid in high volumes	Withstand high optical power due to low absorption	Functional spectrum blue shifts with angle	May be very thin eg 0.5mm	None	Low in transmission region. High in blocking region	Yes

Description

Absorption Filters (Colour Filters)

Absorption filters (colour filters) function on the basis of choosing a glass recipe with chromophoric constituents which absorb a specific range of wavelengths. Typically these are long pass edge filters, but some bandpass types with limited functionality are available. Note that this filter type may fluoresce when used for blocking UV light.

Dielectric Filters (Interference Filters)

Dielectric filters (Interference Filters) absorb very little light. The functionality is based on reflection of the unwanted spectral regions based on optical interference within the layer structure of the filter coating. These filters can be manufactured for use in the UV, visible and IR. In order to reduce the number of coating layers – and thus the cost – a combination may be made by dielectric coating a colour (absorption type) glass substrate. This is common for some bandpass filters. The following table gives an overview of the main criteria for deciding between these two physical principles of filters. In addition, there are four basic functional types of filters. These are represented below as symbolic transmission curves as a function of wavelength:

Functional types:

We offer filters cut to any shape. Black anodized aluminium rings may be provided for ease of mounting.

Specifications

Specifications	Absorption Filters	Dielectric Filters
Range of dimensions	1mm – 300mm	1mm – 300mm
Highest available surface figure	λ/4 (DIN: 3/0,5)	λ/4 (DIN: 3/0,5)
Highest available surface quality	40-20 S/D (DIN: 5/2×0,16)	40-20 S/D (DIN: 5/2×0,16)
Highest available tolerance of beam deviation	3” (arcsec)	3” (arcsec)
Blocking	—	OD3 (standard), OD5 (high blocking)