An optical component according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a translucent substrate, one or more intermediate layers stacked on at least one of an incident surface and an exit surface of the substrate, and a surface layer stacked on an outermost layer of the one or more intermediate layers, the surface layer containing diamond-like carbon as a main component. At least one intermediate layer among the one or more intermediate layers contains silicon as a main component, and the intermediate layer containing silicon as a main component has an oxygen content of 10 atomic % or less.

Provided is a chalcogenide glass material having excellent weather resistance and being suitable as an optical element for an infrared sensor. The chalcogenide glass material contains, in terms of % by mole, 20 to 99% Te and has an antireflection film formed thereon.

A coated substrate, includes a coating that includes, starting from the substrate in this order: a) a layer of diamond-like carbon (DLC), b) a metallic, single-ply or multi-ply layer, and c) an oxygen barrier layer, wherein the metallic, single-ply or multi-ply layer contains b1) tin or tin and at least one alloying element for tin, which are present unalloyed and/or alloyed, or b2) magnesium and at least one alloying element for magnesium, which are present unalloyed and/or alloyed. The coated substrate protects the DLC layer, as a result of which said layer can be tempered. The coating has good mechanical stability and good aging stability before heat treatment.

A material including a transparent substrate coated with a stack acting on infrared radiation includes at least one functional layer and at least one upper protective layer deposited above at least a part of the functional layer. The upper protective layer is a hydrogenated carbon layer, within which layer the carbon atoms form carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds and are essentially in an sp.sup.2 hybridization state.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to coated articles including noble metal (e.g., Ag) and polymeric hydrogenated diamond like carbon (DLC) (e.g., a-C:H, a-C:H:O) composite material having antibacterial and photocatalytic properties, and/or methods of making the same. A glass substrate supports a buffer layer, a matrix comprising the noble metal and DLC, a proton-conducting layer that may comprising zirconium oxide in certain example embodiments, and a layer comprising titanium oxide. The layer comprising titanium oxide may be photocatalytic and optionally may further include carbon and/or nitrogen. The proton-conducting layer may facilitate the creation of electron-hole pairs and, in turn, promote the antibacterial properties of the coated article. The morphology of the layer comprising titanium oxide and/or channels formed therein may enable Ag ions produced from matrix to migrate therethrough.

The present invention relates to a transfer-free method for forming a graphene layer, in which a high-quality graphene layer having excellent crystallinity can be easily formed over a large area at low temperature by a transfer-free process so that it can be applied directly to a base substrate, which is used in a transparent electrode, a semiconductor device or the like, without requiring a separate transfer process, and to an electrical device comprising a graphene layer formed by the method. More specifically, the transfer-free method for forming a graphene layer comprises the steps of: depositing a Ti layer having a thickness of 3-20 m on a base substrate by sputtering; and growing graphene on the deposited Ti layer by chemical vapor deposition.

This invention relates to an insulating glass (IG) window unit designed to prevent or reduce bird collisions therewith. The IG window unit includes at least first, second and third substrates (e.g., glass substrates). At least one of the substrates supports an ultraviolet (UV) reflecting coating for reflecting UV radiation so that birds are capable of more easily seeing the window, and wherein at least two of the substrates are laminated to one another via a polymer-based laminating film (e.g., of or including PVB, EVA, or SGP) that may have a high UV absoprtion. The UV reflecting coating is preferably patterned so that it is not provided across the entirety of the IG window unit. By making the window more visible to birds, bird collisions and bird deaths can be reduced. The provision of the laminated substrates in the IG window unit is particularly advantageous for bird collision windows, because it can further reduce bird collisions by providing an increased contrast ratio, improve durability, and improve processing.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicular exterior member that is excellent in strength and cost, and sufficiently ensures a viewing field of sharpness of a thermal image obtained by a far-infrared camera. A vehicular exterior member that includes a light blocking region and is configured to be attached to a vehicle equipped with a far-infrared camera. The vehicular exterior member further includes, in the light blocking region, a far-infrared ray transmitting region having an opening and a far-infrared ray transmitting member disposed in the opening. An average transmittance of far-infrared rays having a wavelength ranging from 8 to 13 ?m of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or larger than 25%. A length of the longest straight line in straight lines connecting any desired two points on a surface on a vehicle exterior side of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or smaller than 80 mm. A diameter of the largest circle in circles formed in a projected shape obtained by projecting the far-infrared ray transmitting member in an optical axis direction of the far-infrared camera is equal to or larger than 12 mm. An average thickness of the far-infrared ray transmitting member is equal to or larger than 1.5 mm.

An optical component according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a translucent substrate, one or more intermediate layers stacked on at least one of an incident surface and an exit surface of the substrate, and a surface layer stacked on an outermost layer of the one or more intermediate layers, the surface layer containing diamond-like carbon as a main component. At least one intermediate layer among the one or more intermediate layers contains silicon as a main component, and the intermediate layer containing silicon as a main component has an oxygen content of 10 atomic % or less.

An optical element that features high transmission and low reflectivity at infrared wavelengths is described. The optical element includes a substrate, an adhesion layer on the substrate, and an anti-reflection coating. Substrates include chalcogenide glasses, InAs, and GaAs. Adhesion layers include Se, ZnSe, Ga.sub.2Se.sub.3, Bi.sub.2Se.sub.3, In.sub.2Se.sub.3, ZnS, Ga.sub.2S.sub.3 and In.sub.2S.sub.3. Anti-reflection coatings include one or more layers of DLC (diamond-like carbon), ZnS, ZnSe, Ge, Si, HfO.sub.2, Bi.sub.2O.sub.3, GdF.sub.3, YbF.sub.3, In.sub.2Se.sub.3, and YF.sub.3. The optical elements show high durability and good adhesion when subjected to thermal shocks, temperature cycling, abrasion, and humidity.