Acktar Advanced Coatings

Auteurs : Samuel Josephs

Introduction

Acktar is a world leader in light absorbing materials and coatings, that provide solutions for stray light suppression in the UV, VIS, SWIR and MWIR wavelengths.

Available Black Foils and Direct Coated optomechanics are ideal for light trapping applications such as within lens housings, baffles, IR sensors, UV sensors, passive infrared detectors, black bodies, light detectors, UV absorbers, etc. Find our full product lineup here.

In optics and photonics applications, Acktar coatings and foils are able to selectively suppress stray light and significantly increase signal-to-noise ratio, so you get the clearest and most accurate readings and images from your sensors. Acktar coatings and foils also have a high laser damage threshold and can dissipate heat efficiently - perfect for catching a stray laser beam before it can cause damage to you or your system.

Edmund Optics^® Offering

Edmund Optics^® offers Acktar foils in sizes from 1” diameter stickers, up to 50m long rolls. Acktar foils come in many coating options: Metal Velvet, Lambertian Black, Maxi Black, Spectral Black, and Hexa Black. Each coating type is designed with varying reflective performance, with differing ideal spectral ranges so that there is a coating with is ideal for your application.

We also offer direct coated optomechanics products, such as optical pinholes and optical slits for spatial filtering, Hexa-Black coated C-Mount tubes for noise reduction, as well as beam dumps to safely control the beam in your laser system.

Acktar Performance Data

Different Acktar Black Coatings are better suited to specific optical applications depending on the design wavelength of the system or application.

It is also important to understand the typical angle of incidence of the system and the abrasive resistance required for the application when selecting the ideal black coating for the application. Please reference the table below that compares the different types of Acktar Black Coatings.

Foil Type	Metal Velvet™ Extra Diffusive	Lambertian Black™Ultra Diffusive	MaxiBlack™Diffusive Polyimide	Spectral Black™Semi-Specular	Hexa Black™Semi-Specular
Substrate Material	Aluminum	Stainless Steel	Polyimide (Kapton)	Aluminum	Aluminum Honeycomb
KEY FEATURE	Reflectance -1%	High Absorptance at Grazing Angles	Thin Polyimide	Semi Specular Finish	Ultra-high Absorptance at Grazing Angles
Thickness	120µm	100µm	25/50/75µm	130µm	2mm
Appearence	Diffusive	Highly Diffusive	Diffusive	Specular	Diffusive 3D Structure
Typical Spectral Range	EUV-FIR	EUV-FIR	UV-MWIR	VIS-MWIR	EUV-FIR
AOI Range	0-60°	0-80°	0-60°	0-45°	0-88°
Reflectance normal AOI	<1%	<1.5%	<2.5%	<2%	<1.5%
Abrasion Resistance	Light	Moderate to high	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate plus
Self adhesive back	Self adhesive back standard - available without adhesive
Service Temperature
	Without Adhesive: Long term (-)196°C to (+)350°C; short term up to (+)400°C				(-)258°C to (+)250°C
	With Standard Adhesive: Long term (-)40°C to (+)121°C; short term up to (+)177°C
	With Low-Outgassing: Long term (-)50°C to (+)150°C; short term up to (+)260°C

Figure 2: Comparison of Acktar Black foils types.

VISIBLE

NIR

Figure 5: Visual Comparison of Light Blocking Performance of Acktar Black Coatings in IR vs Conventional Black Coating.

Find our full offering of standard Acktar Foils and Direct Coated Optomechanics here. If you have a demanding application, please feel free to reach out to us for custom sizes or substrates.