Abstract: A holder (10) for holding a substrate (L) during vacuum coating comprises a base body (12) with a masking portion (14) provided with an opening (16) adapted to receive the substrate. The opening in the masking portion is shaped to correspond to or closely match the shape of the substrate to be held without substantial gaps therebetween. The masking portion is provided with a slot (22) that extends radially outward from an inner edge (18) of the opening. A narrow spring arm of a spring arrangement mounted to the holder is received in the slot and adapted to resiliently bear against an outer edge (E) of the substrate to urge the substrate toward a support area (24) at the inner edge of the opening on a side opposite said slot. Further, a loading/unloading device (60) for loading the substrate into such holder and for unloading it therefrom is proposed.

Abstract: An optical elements holder device for a coating station is provided, including: a sheet carrier having holes and presenting a shape of a dome or a part of a dome; and elastic blocking means fixed to the sheet carrier associated with each hole and including at least three elastic contact portions distributed on a circumference of each hole and configured to block a block piece carrying a lens blank to hold the lens blank in a predetermined position for coating. A coating station for optical elements and a method for coating an optical element in a coating station are also provided.

Abstract: A lens blank is proposed, having a first face, an opposite, second face, and an edge inbetween, the first face possessing a final curvature and being coated, in this order, with an antireflection coating, a top coating, and a temporary grip coating. The antireflection coating has a stack of alternating antireflection layers with an outermost layer, whereas the top coating is selected from a group including hydrophobic, oleophobic and dirt repelling coatings. The temporary grip coating and the outermost layer of the antireflection coating are made from one and the same coating material. In this way the temporary grip coating effectively serves to provide sufficient adhesion to the blocking material on the block piece in the processing steps, and can easily be removed from the processed lens upon deblocking without degrading the repelling properties of the top coating.

Abstract: A lens blank is proposed, having a first face, an opposite, second face, and an edge inbetween, the first face possessing a final curvature and being coated, in this order, with an antireflection coating, a top coating, and a temporary grip coating. The antireflection coating has a stack of alternating antireflection layers with an outermost layer, whereas the top coating is selected from a group including hydrophobic, oleophobic and dirt repelling coatings. The temporary grip coating and the outermost layer of the antireflection coating are made from one and the same coating material. In this way the temporary grip coating effectively serves to provide sufficient adhesion to the blocking material on the block piece in the processing steps, and can easily be removed from the processed lens upon deblocking without degrading the repelling properties of the top coating.