1. STRAYLIGHT SUPPRESSION

Optical systems, including telescopes, cameras and spectrometers, rely on precise light pathways to function correctly. Straylight is light in an optical system which was not intended in the design. Except being visually unappealing, straylight adds radiometric errors to the optical measurement and reduces the signal to noise ratio of the image. It can impact optical performance, degrade scientific data, compromise efficiency and cause thermal management challenges in space applications. Acktar coatings specialize in eliminating straylight by creating straylight absorbing nanostructures.

2. THE TECHNOLOGY OF ACKTAR COATING

Acktar coating represent a significant advancement in the field of straylight suppression. These coatings are engineered using a proprietary vacuum deposition process creating a uniform high absorptive surface. The Acktar process can produce various types of nanostructures, each specifically designed to function as a straylight trap across different wavelength ranges, from EUV to FIR

Except for Acktar coating’s excellent 99% straylight absorptance, Acktar coatings are renowned for several other impressive properties. Being completely inorganic, Acktar coatings exhibit low outgassing and maintain thermal stability across a broad temperature range, from 4K to 723K, ensuring reliability in extreme conditions. They adhere well to virtually any substrate and are a few microns thick, adding thickness while providing high vibration stability and relatively good abrasion resistance.

Additionally, while Acktar coatings’ surface resistivity is within the dissipative range, the coatings are also available in conductive and nonconductive options. They are also compliant with REACH and RoHS standards, ensuring environmental safety.

3. APPLICATIONS ACROSS INDUSTRIES

The ability of Acktar coatings to minimize straylight and optimize light absorption has positioned them as a critical component in applications requiring the utmost accuracy and reliability.

First of all, being fully space qualified with a vast space heritage, Acktar coatings are highly used in the space industry. In space, Acktar coatings can be found in telescopes, multispectral imagers, sun sensors, spectrometers and star trackers where they absorb straylight originated from our Sun, far away planets and the spacecraft itself, enabling us to study our universe in ways we never had before.

Acktar coatings can also be found in the medical and semiconductor industries. Acktar coatings can be found in endoscopes and fluorescence microscopy, as well as semiconductor equipment.

In the automotive industry, Acktar’s black coatings are used to eliminate straylight in lidar systems, eliminating ghost images and flares created by straylight in steep angle of incidences.

Figure 2: A simulation of an automotive optical system.

Left: with black anodize. Right: With Acktar’s Hexa Black coating

Even in high fashion, Acktar black coatings are used in luxury products to highlight jewlery engravings and provide watches with the expensive look of the blackest black background.

4. CONCLUSION

Acktar coatings mark a major breakthrough in the field of straylight suppression, offering groundbreaking solutions across various industries. Their innovative use of nanostructures to achieve 99% straylight absorptance, combined with excellent thermal stability, low outgassing, and robust adherence to various substrates, sets a new standard in optical performance. These coatings not only enhance the efficiency and accuracy of optical systems in space, medical, semiconductor, and automotive applications but also contribute to aesthetic improvements in high fashion. By providing reliable, environmentally compliant, and versatile black coatings, Acktar continues to revolutionize how we manage and utilize light, ensuring better performance and precision in both scientific and commercial applications.

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