Thin Film Optical Coatings: Designed, Deposited & Verified In-House

Kingsview Optical runs one of the most complete optical coating services in the UK from a single precision optics site in Rye, East Sussex. Anti-reflection, mirror, beamsplitter and specialist metal coatings are applied in five vacuum chambers by thermal evaporation, electron-beam deposition or, new for Kingsview, magnetron sputtering, on optics we make or optics you send us. Every design is modelled in Essential Macleod and every batch is measured on a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 1050+.

  • New: magnetron sputtering
  • 5 vacuum coating chambers
  • Customer-supplied optics welcome
  • ISO 9001:2015
  • Prototype to production
Send Your Coating Spec Explore Sputtered Filters We reply to RFQs within one working day.
5 Vacuum coating chambers
3 Deposition methods
2×900mm Production chambers
200–3000nm Spectral verification
Since 1996 UK optics manufacturing

Optical Coatings Available

Evaporated and sputtered coatings are applied to lenses, prisms, windows, mirrors and filters, whether we made the component or you supply it.

Inspecting a vacuum-coated optic under a lamp at Kingsview Optical

Anti-Reflection Coatings

  • Single-layer MgF₂Cost-effective broadband AR for standard applications.
  • Multilayer BBARTypically 425–675nm, or designed to your range.
  • V-coatMinimum reflectance at a single laser or narrowband wavelength.
  • Hard oxide AR (sputtered)Enhanced scratch and environmental resistance.
AR coated windows
Gold and silver mirror coatings on precision optics

Mirror Coatings

  • Protected & enhanced aluminiumBroadband UV to IR reflectance, durable for handling.
  • Protected silverVery high visible and NIR reflectance.
  • Protected goldOptimised for infrared applications.
  • Protected metal on prisms & lensesMirror coatings on non-flat faces using custom tooling.
Optical mirrors
Dielectric coated optic from Kingsview Optical's coating chambers

Dielectric & Beamsplitter Coatings

  • Dielectric mirrorsVery high reflectance at a defined wavelength or band.
  • Partial reflectors & beamsplittersCustom split ratios at your angle of incidence.
  • Polarising coatingsDielectric polarising coatings applied directly to windows and lenses.
  • Custom multilayersDesigned in Essential Macleod to your transmission or reflectance curve.
Deposition methods
Chrome-on-glass graticule patterns coated and patterned in-house

Specialist Coatings

  • Chrome, aluminium & silverFor graticule and reticle production.
  • Masked & selective coatingCoating confined to defined areas of a part.
  • Prisms & non-flat partsCustom tooling for faces other coaters won't take.
  • Hard oxide coatingsSputtered protective layers for exposed optics.
Custom graticules
Now with magnetron sputtering

Three Deposition Methods, Matched to Your Coating

Most coating houses run one process and push every job through it. With evaporation, e-beam and sputtering on one site, each coating goes into the chamber that suits its materials, its durability requirement and its batch size.

Thermal Evaporation

Best for metals & simple AR

Cost-effective for single-layer anti-reflection and metal films, with a protective overcoat where the surface will be handled.

  • MgF₂ AR
  • Aluminium
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Chrome

Electron-Beam Deposition

Best for multilayer dielectrics

Precise, multi-material dielectric stacks at production volume, the workhorse for broadband AR and high-reflectance dielectric mirrors.

  • BBAR
  • V-coat
  • Dielectric mirrors
  • Beamsplitters
New

Magnetron Sputtering

Best for durability & stability

The densest, hardest films we make. Near-bulk layers resist abrasion and hold their spectral performance through humidity and temperature changes.

  • Hard oxide AR
  • Durable dielectrics
  • Interference filters

Not sure which you need? Tell us the environment the optic will work in and we'll recommend the process. See what to send.

Sputtered bandpass filter wafer diced into individual filters at Kingsview Optical
Sputtered bandpass filters, diced from a single coated wafer
Custom optical filters

Need a Filter Rather Than a Coating?

The same sputtering chamber makes custom interference filters, designed to your spectral specification and diced to size in-house. Filter types, what to specify and how we measure them are covered on our custom optical filters page.

  • Bandpass
  • Notch
  • Longpass
  • Shortpass
  • Dichroic
Explore Sputtered Filters
Engineer operating a vacuum optical coating chamber at Kingsview Optical in Rye
One of our vacuum coating chambers at our site in Rye, East Sussex.

Coating Capability

Polishing, coating, dicing and inspection share one site, so a component can move from the polishing line into a chamber without being packed, shipped and re-inspected along the way.

Optics loaded into planetary tooling inside a vacuum coating chamber
Planetary coating tooling
Disco DAD3221 dicing saw used to dice coated wafers at Kingsview Optical
Disco dicing saw
Prisms being loaded into custom coating jigs
Custom jigs for prisms
Photolithography dark room used for graticule production
Graticule dark room
Straight from polishing Components we make go from polishing to coating on the same site, with no third-party handling.
Dual 900mm chambers Run together for production volumes, from prototype lots upward.
Custom tooling & masking Jigs for prisms, lenses and odd shapes; coating confined to defined areas.
Coated wafers, diced to size Coat a whole wafer, then dice it into parts on our Disco saw for clean, chip-free edges.
Coat, then pattern A dedicated dark room for photolithography. See custom graticules.

Design & Verification

A coating you can't measure is a coating you can't sign off. Designs are modelled before a run and measured after it, against the target curve agreed with you.

Thin film coating design modelled in Essential Macleod software
Every coating is designed in Essential Macleod before it goes into a chamber.
Perkin-Elmer Lambda 1050+ 200–3000nm UV, visible and NIR transmission and reflectance across the full range, not a single-wavelength spot check.
Spectral traces Measured vs Design Traces supplied on request, showing measured performance against the design target.
Witness samples & ISO 9001:2015 Batch Traceability Witness samples retained per run: documented performance for defence, medical and research work.
Your acceptance criteria Measured to Your Spec Checked against the curve or tolerance table you supply, not a generic house specification.

Two Ways to Use Our Coating Service

Most customers use us one of two ways, and many switch between them as a project moves from prototype to production.

CNC lens polishing lines at Kingsview Optical

Coated as Part of Your Component

We make the optic and coat it: one supplier, one purchase order, one set of test data. See our custom optics capability.

  • Lenses
  • Prisms
  • Windows
  • Mirrors
  • Filters
  • Graticules
Filter glass with a selectively applied gold coating

Coating Your Supplied Optics

Send us your substrates for coating only, from a handful of prototypes to production batches.

  • Defence & security
  • Medical & life science
  • Scientific instruments
  • Aerospace
  • Machine vision
  • Research labs

Getting a Quote for Optical Coating

The more of this you can send, the faster and firmer the quote. If you only know what the coating has to do, start there. We'll help turn it into a specification. Specifying a filter? Use the custom optical filters checklist instead.

What to send

  • Wavelength range, or the laser line(s) you're working with
  • Target transmission or reflectance (a spec curve or table is ideal)
  • Coating type, if you know it: AR, mirror, beamsplitter or metal
  • Angle of incidence, cone angle and polarisation, if relevant
  • Substrate material, size and thickness, or ask us to supply it
  • Quantity, and whether it's a one-off or a repeat batch
  • Any durability, environmental or test-data requirements

What happens next

  1. We review the requirementWithin one working day, confirming it's achievable and flagging anything that will drive cost or lead time.
  2. We model it and quoteThe design is modelled in Essential Macleod, so the quote comes with a target curve to measure against.
  3. We coat and verifyCoated in-house and measured on the Lambda 1050+, with spectral traces supplied if you've asked for them.
Start Your Coating RFQ

Optical Coating FAQs

Should my coating be evaporated or sputtered?
Evaporated coatings (thermal or electron-beam) are cost-effective and the right choice for most AR, metal mirror and dielectric mirror work, especially in larger batches. The films are slightly porous, so they can take up moisture and shift a little spectrally. Sputtered films are denser and harder, so choose sputtering when the optic is exposed, cleaned often or needs to hold its performance through changing humidity and temperature.
Which anti-reflection coating do I need: MgF₂, BBAR or a V-coat?
Single-layer MgF₂ is the economical option for general visible use. A multilayer BBAR gives much lower reflectance across a band, typically 425–675nm or a range designed to suit you. A V-coat gives the lowest reflectance at one laser or narrowband wavelength. If the optic is exposed or cleaned often, a sputtered hard oxide AR adds durability. Send the wavelength range and we'll recommend one.
Can you coat optics that we supply?
Yes. The coating service runs as a standalone service for customer-supplied optics as well as part of our own component manufacturing. Tell us the substrate material, size and quantity and we'll confirm tooling and chamber loading.
Do you supply measured spectral data with coated parts?
Every coating is verified on the Lambda 1050+ between 175nm and 3000nm. Spectrophotometer traces showing measured transmission or reflectance against the design can be supplied, and witness samples are retained for traceability.
What quantities can you coat?
From small prototype runs up to production volumes, using our two 900mm chambers together for larger batches.
Do you also make custom optical filters?
Yes: bandpass, notch, longpass, shortpass and dichroic filters are made in our sputtering chamber and diced in-house. See custom optical filters for filter types and what to specify.

Not Sure Which Coating You Need?

Tell us the wavelength, the substrate and what the surface has to do, and we'll recommend a coating and deposition process, and tell you honestly what it will take.

Send Your Coating Spec Optical Design Consultancy
We reply to RFQs within one working day. Defence and security work handled under NDA.