New Developments in the Field of Antireflective Products for Various Markets

Volker Herrmann

Multilayer Optical Thin Film Coating: Anti reflection and transmission enhancing properties and it's applications and markets

In early 1997 HY-TECH-GLASS, a 100% subsidiary of Glas Trösch Holding AG, was founded. The mission of HY-TECH-GLASS is to develop new products for the architectural and other markets and have impact on the future development of applications in these markets. With it's main focus in the development, design and manufacturing of optical thin film coatings on flat glass, HY-TECH-GLASS uses Magnetron Sputtering Technology to manufacture it's products. One of the first products developed by HY-TECH-GLASS is LUXAR(R) - an anti reflective coated glass with superior characteristics.

In the past, the focus of architects and insulation glass manufacturers was to build products that control the transfer of sunlight into buildings and thermal radiation to the outside to get the maximum of comfort and energy savings possible. After 10 years of many developments the increments of improvement are getting smaller and smaller. That's why architects and architectural companies are looking more and more into new fields that can improve the performance of architectural windows.

One field that has mostly been "untapped" so far - because of the complexity of the required technology - is the reduction of the intrinsic reflection of glass-air surfaces. To improve this situation Antireflective ("AR") Glass for the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum was developed.

Full-Text Article [318 KB]