Abstract: An apparatus for exposing a flat card to sanitizing radiant energy, has an enclosure that has an exposure chamber having a source of sanitizing radiation. A first insert slot and a second insert slot, disposed along an input surface of the enclosure are each configured to accept insertion of the flat card. A transport apparatus defines a first transport path to convey the flat card from the first insert slot, and through the exposure chamber, to emerge from a first output that opens on a first side surface of the enclosure and a second transport path to convey the flat card from the second insert slot, and through the exposure chamber, to emerge from a second output that opens on a second side surface of the enclosure that is opposite the first side surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for exposing an article to radiant energy has a rotating carousel having an article support in a support sector defined between a first energy-blocking feature of the rotating carousel and a second energy-blocking feature of the rotating carousel. An actuator is energizable to rotate the carousel and to revolve the article support along a circular transport path. An enclosure has a stationary hood that defines an enclosed sector of the transport path and an unenclosed sector of the transport path. There is at least a first radiant energy source energizable to direct the radiant exposure energy toward the carousel along the enclosed sector of the transport path.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to thin film optical interference filters. The filters include a substrate and a plurality of alternating material layers deposited on the substrate. When operated at about 45° angle of incidence, the filters exhibit at least one of improved polarization splitting, edge steepness, bandpass bandwidth, and blocking, relative to conventional thin film interference filters.

Abstract: An optical image splitter disposed in the path of image-bearing light along an optical axis has a coated dichroic surface disposed at an angle of 15 degrees or less relative to incident light along the optical axis. The coated dichroic surface has a number of layers of material, the of layers including layers having a first refractive index, nL, and layers having a second refractive index, nH, greater than the first refractive index. The coated surface transmits light of at least a first wavelength range to form a first image at an image plane and reflects light of a second wavelength range to form a second image at the image plane.

Abstract: A method for forming an optical element deposits a first thin film coating to form a first coated surface on a first transparent substrate that is substantially flat, wherein, for incident light at an angle of incidence exceeding 5 degrees, the first multilayer thin film coating transmits a first wavelength band and reflects a second wavelength band. The first coated surface has a first surface form, and further has a second surface opposite the first coated surface with a second surface form. The second surface of the first substrate bonds to a third surface of a second transparent substrate to form the optical element. The third surface has a third surface form prior to bonding and the first coated surface has a fourth surface form after bonding. The difference between the fourth and the third surface forms is less than the difference between the first and third surface forms.

Abstract: A dichroic beamsplitter has a composite prism that has at least first and second prism elements that are coupled together along facing surfaces, wherein the respective facing surfaces of the first and second prism elements are equidistant from each other. The composite prism has a first flat external surface that lies within a first plane, a second flat external surface that lies within a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane, a third flat external surface that lies within a third plane that is parallel to the second plane, and a coated surface internal to the composite prism and having a multilayer thin-film dichroic beamsplitter coating, wherein the coated surface lies within a fourth plane that intersects at least one of the first, second, and third planes at an angle that is less than about 25 degrees.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to thin film notch filters having the basic structure of an interference filter. In some embodiments, the filters according to the present disclosure exhibit at least one notch correlating to a pass band defect. The filters of the present disclosure may exhibit at least one of improved pass band bandwidth, improved edge steepness, narrower notch band FWHM, and lower sensitivity to material mismatch, relative to prior known thin film notch filters based on the basic structure of an interference filter. The present disclosure also relates to methods of making the filters described herein, and the use of these filters in optimal measurement systems.

Abstract: Optical filters and methods of making optical filters are provided. The optical filter can include a first and second stack of layers. The first stack of layers can be configured to provide a cut-on edge for s-polarized radiation incident at a second wavelength value and a cut-off edge for s-polarized radiation incident at a third wavelength value. The second stack of layers can be configured to provide a cut-off edge for s-polarized radiation incident on the second stack of layers at a fourth wavelength value. Further, the fourth wavelength value can lie between the second wavelength value and the third wavelength value. Furthermore, a curve or line of full-width half-maximum (FWHM) values of the optical filter pass-band can define a first derivative with respect to angle-of-incidence values at at least one angle-of-incidence value that is substantially positive or substantially zero.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to thin film optical interference filters. The filters include a substrate and a plurality of alternating material layers deposited on the substrate. When operated at about 45° angle of incidence, the filters exhibit at least one of improved polarization splitting, edge steepness, bandpass bandwidth, and blocking, relative to conventional thin film interference filters.

Abstract: An optical element has layers formed on a substrate, including alternating first and second layers having first and second refractive indices, nL and nH that exhibit a spectral characteristic, providing, for incident light at a predetermined wavelength and directed toward the optical element within a range of angles bounded by first and second incident angles ?1 and ?2, between 0 and 80 degrees and differing by at least 1 degree, substantially linear polarization-averaged attenuation of the incident light energy wherein, for any incident angle ?n between ?1 and ?2, A?n is the corresponding polarization-averaged attenuation, and wherein the polarization-averaged attenuation at A?n at angle ?1 is less than or equal to an optical density value of 0.2 and the polarization-averaged attenuation A?n at angle ?2 exceeds an optical density value of 4.

Abstract: An optical element has layers formed on a substrate, including alternating first and second layers having first and second refractive indices, nL and nH that exhibit a spectral characteristic, providing, for incident light at a predetermined wavelength and directed toward the optical element within a range of angles bounded by first and second incident angles ?1 and ?2, between 0 and 80 degrees and differing by at least 1 degree, substantially linear polarization-averaged attenuation of the incident light energy wherein, for any incident angle ?n between ?1 and ?2, A?n is the corresponding polarization-averaged attenuation, and wherein the polarization-averaged attenuation at A?n at angle ?1 is less than or equal to an optical density value of 0.2 and the polarization-averaged attenuation A?n at angle ?2 exceeds an optical density value of 4.

Abstract: An optical element has layers formed on a substrate, including alternating first and second layers having first and second refractive indices, nL and nH that exhibit a spectral characteristic, providing, for incident light at a predetermined wavelength and directed toward the optical element within a range of angles bounded by first and second incident angles ?1 and ?2, between 0 and 80 degrees and differing by at least 1 degree, substantially linear polarization-averaged attenuation of the incident light energy wherein, for any incident angle ?n between ?1 and ?2, A?n is the corresponding polarization-averaged attenuation, and wherein the polarization-averaged attenuation at A?n at angle ?1 is less than or equal to an optical density value of 0.2 and the polarization-averaged attenuation A?n at angle ?2 exceeds an optical density value of 4.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to thin film optical interference filters. The filters include a substrate and a plurality of alternating material layers deposited on the substrate. When operated at about 45° angle of incidence, the filters exhibit at least one of improved polarization splitting, edge steepness, bandpass bandwidth, and blocking, relative to conventional thin film interference filters.

Abstract: Optical components and their methods of manufacture are provided, including a first stack of layers configured to exhibit a first stop band for s-polarized radiation and a second stop band for p-polarized radiation incident on the first stack of layers at an oblique angle, a second stack of layers configured to exhibit a third stop band for s-polarized radiation and a fourth stop band for p-polarized radiation incident on the second stack of layers at the oblique angle, where the cut-on wavelength for the first stop band is approximately equal to or larger than the cut-off wavelength for the third stop band. Optical components are further provided to include extended blocking functionality, and to permit stress balancing in thin-film coatings on opposite sides of a substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming an optical element deposits a first thin film coating to form a first coated surface on a first transparent substrate that is substantially flat, wherein, for incident light at an angle of incidence exceeding 5 degrees, the first multilayer thin film coating transmits a first wavelength band and reflects a second wavelength band. The first coated surface has a first surface form, and further has a second surface opposite the first coated surface with a second surface form. The second surface of the first substrate bonds to a third surface of a second transparent substrate to form the optical element. The third surface has a third surface form prior to bonding and the first coated surface has a fourth surface form after bonding. The difference between the fourth and the third surface forms is less than the difference between the first and third surface forms.

Abstract: An optical image splitter disposed in the path of image-bearing light along an optical axis has a coated dichroic surface disposed at an angle of 15 degrees or less relative to incident light along the optical axis. The coated dichroic surface has a number of layers of material, the of layers including layers having a first refractive index, nL, and layers having a second refractive index, nH, greater than the first refractive index. The coated surface transmits light of at least a first wavelength range to form a first image at an image plane and reflects light of a second wavelength range to form a second image at the image plane.

Abstract: A dichroic beamsplitter has a composite prism that has at least first and second prism elements that are coupled together along facing surfaces, wherein the respective facing surfaces of the first and second prism elements are equidistant from each other. The composite prism has a first flat external surface that lies within a first plane, a second flat external surface that lies within a second plane that is perpendicular to the first plane, a third flat external surface that lies within a third plane that is parallel to the second plane, and a coated surface internal to the composite prism and having a multilayer thin-film dichroic beamsplitter coating, wherein the coated surface lies within a fourth plane that intersects at least one of the first, second, and third planes at an angle that is less than about 25 degrees.

Abstract: An optical filter apparatus transmits less than 5% of light within a notch spectral range about a central line wavelength with a notch bandwidth, and transmits more than 90% of light within a transmission spectral range that extends over an adjacent pass band of longer and shorter wavelengths and excludes the notch. The apparatus has a first thin film interference filter and a second thin film interference filter in the path of incident light reflected from the first filter. The first and second thin film interference filters are each treated to transmit light of the notch spectral range and reflect light of the transmission spectral range and each have thin film layers formed on a substrate, including first layers having a first refractive index, and second layers having a higher second refractive index. The notch bandwidth at full width half transmission is less than 5% of the central line wavelength.

Abstract: An optical filter is provided which includes a plurality of hard coating layers of alternating high and low refractive index provided on a substrate and has an associated first transmission band. The filter also includes at least one additional plurality of hard coating layers including high and low refractive index layers and Herpin equivalent layers sandwiched therebetween. The additional plurality of layers has an associated second transmission band that substantially coincides with the first transmission band, but provides additional blocking at wavelengths outside the first transmission band. Relatively wide transmission bands and high blocking over an extended range of wavelengths can be achieved such that the filter is suitable for use in multiphoton fluorescence systems.

Abstract: An optical filter is provided, including a first plurality and second plurality of alternating first and second material layers, where the first plurality of layers is at a first angle to incident light and has a cut-on edge, and the second plurality of layers is at a second angle to the incident light and a cut-off edge; where polarization splitting of the first plurality of layers at the cut-on edge and polarization splitting of the second plurality of layers at the cut-off edge do not exceed approximately 1 percent for any first and second angle between approximately 0 and 40 degrees; and the s-stopband wavelength of the second plurality of layers is approximately less than or equal to the cut-on edge wavelength, which is less than the cut-off edge wavelength, which is approximately less than or equal to the s-stopband wavelength of the first plurality of layers.