Methods and apparatus for providing spectrally beam-combined fiber-based transmitters and/or receivers for laser communications, LiDAR, and similar devices. A transmitter can include a launch array configured to spatially position each output beam of pulsed lasers, a transform optical component to correct deflection of the output beams of the pulsed lasers from the launch array, and a dispersive optical element to combine beams from the transform optical element and generate a spectrally combined beam. A receiver can include spectral comb filters to spectrally discriminate multi-wavelength detected signals from background illumination.

A coating material (10) for coating an article is described. The coating material (10) comprises a surface (100) having an optical interference coating (110) thereon. The coating material (10) improves protection of the article from incident electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined wavelength. The coating material (10) may retroreflect at least some of the incident electromagnetic radiation, for example towards a source (e.g. a laser) thereof. An article having a coating provided by such a coating material and methods of providing such coating materials are also described.

Provided is an optical filter including first and second reflection layers separated from each other, a dielectric region interposed between the first and second reflection layers and in which two materials of which refractive indexes are different are alternately disposed, and a buffer layer disposed between the dielectric region and at least one of the first and second reflection layers, wherein there are at least two filter regions in which relative volume ratios of the two materials alternately disposed are different.

A coating for a glass substrate is a multilayer coating including at least one silicon layer. The at least one silicon layer has a carbon content gradient over its layer thickness.

Apparatus for depositing germanium and carbon onto one or more substrates comprises a vacuum chamber, at least first and second magnetron sputtering devices and at least one movable mount for supporting the one or more substrates within the vacuum chamber. The first magnetron sputtering device is configured to sputter germanium towards the at least one mount from a first sputtering target comprising germanium, thereby defining a germanium sputtering zone within the vacuum chamber. The second magnetron sputtering device is configured to sputter carbon towards the at least one mount from a second sputtering target comprising carbon, thereby defining a carbon sputtering zone within the vacuum chamber. The at least one mount and the at least first and second magnetron sputtering devices are arranged such that, when each substrate is moved through the germanium sputtering zone on the at least one movable mount, germanium is deposited on the said substrate, and when each substrate is moved through the carbon sputtering zone on the at least one movable mount, carbon is deposited on the said substrate.

An optical filter may reduce the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling light exposure to cells in the human eye in certain wavelengths, such as 480 nm and 590 nm, and a visual spectral response of the human eye. The optical filter may disrupt the isomerization of melanopsin in the human eye reducing the availability of the active isoform, whereas the attenuation of light weighted across the action potential spectrum of the active isoform attenuates the phototransduction cascade leading to photophobic responses. Embodiments of an optical filter are described. In one embodiment an optical filter may be configured to transmit less than a first amount of light in certain wavelengths, and to transmit more than a second amount of light weighted across the visual spectral response. Methods of use and methods of manufacturing optical filters are also described.

Durable and scratch resistant articles including an optical coating with a gradient. An article comprises: a substrate; and an optical coating having a thickness and a first gradient portion. A refractive index of the optical coating varies along a thickness of the optical coating. The difference between the maximum refractive index of the first gradient portion and the minimum refractive index of the first gradient portion is 0.1 or greater. The absolute value of the slope of the refractive index of the first gradient portion is 0.1/nm or less everywhere along the thickness of the first gradient portion. The article exhibits an average single-surface reflectance of 15% to 98% over the wavelength range 400 nm-700 nm. The article also exhibits a maximum hardness in the range from about 10 GPa to about 30 GPa.

An optical element is disclosed. The optical element includes a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers includes a notch filter array that has a plurality of notch filter elements. Each notch filter element is configured to filter out energy within at least one wavelength band of interest. The plurality of layers further includes a polarization-responsive grid array having a plurality of polarization elements and includes a microlens array having a plurality of microlens elements. Each microlens element is configured to image a portion of a scene onto an image plane.

An optical filter may reduce the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling light exposure to cells in the human eye in certain wavelengths, such as 480 nm and 590 nm, and a visual spectral response of the human eye. The optical filter may disrupt the isomerization of melanopsin in the human eye reducing the availability of the active isoform, whereas the attenuation of light weighted across the action potential spectrum of the active isoform attenuates the phototransduction cascade leading to photophobic responses. Embodiments of an optical filter are described. In one embodiment an optical filter may be configured to transmit less than a first amount of light in certain wavelengths, and to transmit more than a second amount of light weighted across the visual spectral response. Methods of use and methods of manufacturing optical filters are also described.

An optical filter may reduce the frequency and/or severity of photophobic responses or for modulating circadian cycles by controlling light exposure to cells in the human eye in certain wavelengths, such as 480 nm and 590 nm, and a visual spectral response of the human eye. The optical filter may disrupt the isomerization of melanopsin in the human eye reducing the availability of the active isoform, whereas the attenuation of light weighted across the action potential spectrum of the active isoform attenuates the phototransduction cascade leading to photophobic responses. Embodiments of an optical filter are described. In one embodiment an optical filter may be configured to transmit less than a first amount of light in certain wavelengths, and to transmit more than a second amount of light weighted across the visual spectral response. Methods of use and methods of manufacturing optical filters are also described.