Technology & Innovation

Surfaces Designed to Control Stray Light in Precision Optical Systems

Acktar develops advanced surface technologies for stray-light suppression in precision optical, electro-optical, and opto-mechanical systems. The focus is not only on reducing reflectance, but on controlling unwanted light while preserving mechanical tolerances, cleanliness, and long-term system stability.

In real hardware, stray light is rarely solved by absorption alone. Surfaces must simultaneously minimize outgassing, reduce contamination risk, respect tight geometries, and remain stable across time and environment. Acktar coatings are engineered to balance these constraints, enabling reliable stray light suppression without introducing secondary effects that compromise system performance.

Technology at the Core of Acktar

At Acktar, technology is not a supporting function – it is the foundation of the company’s work in optical coating technology and surface engineering.

Our approach integrates physics, chemistry, and surface morphology to control how light interacts with real surfaces. Acktar’s ultra-black coatings are created and manufactured in ultra-high vacuum (UHV), where material stability, cleanliness, and process repeatability are inherent requirements rather than post-process considerations. This UHV origin aligns naturally with industries such as space, semiconductor manufacturing, sensing, and advanced optical instrumentation.

Acktar operates proprietary inverted sputtering sources that are fully designed, built, and owned in-house. Unlike standard commercial sputtering platforms, the hybrid inverted source architecture allows combined line-of-sight and non -line of sight deposition. This enables controlled material arrival and surface structure formation, which are critical for consistent optical absorption, diffusive behavior, and long-term stability.

Our Technology Pillars

• Surface Engineering for Stray-Light Control
  Surface engineering at Acktar focuses on controlling micro- and nano-scale morphology to influence how photons scatter and attenuate after impact. In stray-light suppression, directing light away from critical paths is often more important than maximizing absorption alone. Engineered surface structures enable faster attenuation through multiple interactions without altering system geometry.

• Vacuum Deposition Coating Processes
  Acktar’s vacuum deposition coatings are inorganic and binder-free, ensuring vacuum compatibility, low outgassing, and stable optical properties. Coating performance is driven by surface structure rather than bulk thickness. Typical coating thickness is on the order of 3–4 microns, allowing preservation of dimensional tolerances, sharp edges, and fine mechanical features.

• Optical Absorption and Diffusive Behavior (UV–VIS–IR)
  Acktar coatings provide ultra-low reflectance and controlled diffusion across ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. This combination supports effective stray-light suppression, contrast enhancement, and improved signal-to-noise ratios in optical systems. Specular reflectance is intentionally minimized relative to total hemispherical reflectance to improve modeling predictability.

• Materials Stability and Environmental Compatibility
  Material stability is essential for optical coatings used in demanding environments. Acktar surfaces maintain consistent behavior under temperature cycling, radiation exposure, vibration, and long operational lifetimes, while minimizing particle and molecular contamination.

From Physics to System-Level Performance

Stray light appears in systems as unwanted signal that degrades measurement accuracy. Acktar’s role is not to define optical architectures, but to remove this interference in a controlled and reliable way. By engineering surface morphology and material behavior, Acktar coatings reduce unintended reflections early, prevent stray-light propagation, and maintain stable performance over time. This allows the intended signal to remain clear without additional complexity or late-stage design compensation.

Engineering for Extreme and Clean Environments

Acktar technologies are engineered for conditions that challenge conventional optical coatings, including ultra-high vacuum, extreme temperatures, radiation and ATOX exposure and contamination-sensitive assemblies, and mechanical stress. Designing for these constraints ensures predictable stray-light behavior throughout system life.

Innovation Process

Innovation at Acktar follows a structured engineering methodology: experimental research, quantitative measurement, iteration with customer applications, validation under representative conditions, and stabilization for scalable production. Progress is evaluated through measured performance rather than novelty.

Testing, Validation, and Qualification

Acktar supports optical coating qualification through comprehensive testing, including hemispherical and angular reflectance measurements, thermal characterization, environmental durability testing, and process repeatability monitoring. These activities reduce risk from prototype development through series production.

Technology Across Applications

Acktar’s surface technologies are applied across multiple industries that demand precise control of stray light:

•  Space and aerospace optical systems
• Electro-optical and opto-mechanical instruments
• Sensors, imaging, and metrology platforms
• Automotive and autonomous optical systems
• Semiconductor inspection and industrial equipment

Proprietary Systems, Processes, and Know How

Acktar’s technology is built on proprietary vacuum systems, in-house-designed and in-house-built machines, and internally developed deposition processes that are not commercially available. These systems and processes are conceived, operated, and maintained entirely within Acktar, preserving tight control over material behavior, surface morphology, and long-term process stability.

The company’s intellectual property is virtually embedded in the combination of hardware architecture, process execution, and accumulated application know how, rather than isolated in individual process steps. This integrated IP foundation enables predictable performance over time and consistent results from early development through production scale.

Continuous Innovation

As optical systems become smaller, more integrated, and more sensitive, stray-light budgets continue to tighten. Acktar advances surface engineering and vacuum deposition technologies in response to evolving system requirements, guided by real application constraints.

Acktar’s role is to fit into the customer’s process with minimal disruption. The surface solution is delivered as part of the system, not as an additional problem to manage.