Optical Coatings on Plastics

Abstract

Synthetic organic polymers (plastics) are increasingly used in optics for replacement of the traditionally used glass. This trend is stimulated by the beneficial properties of plastics, namely their high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of manufacture of desired shapes, suitability for mass production, mechanical flexibility when in the form of films, webs or fibers and relatively low cost. Optical plastics have found widespread use in both high-technology and consumer products; the most frequent applications are screens, windows, windshields, ophthalmic lenses, lenses for optical instruments, displays, scanner systems, decorative coatings, flexible mirrors, security devices and optical waveguides