Unaxis Improves UV Blocking Filter

Unaxis Improves UV Blocking Filter

11.14.2002

Unaxis Optics (Balzers, Liechtenstein) (www.optics.unaxis.com) ) has improved its UV blocking thin-film filter technology for use with projection optical components. Now, the UV blocking filter technology, called UV Guard, exhibits no shifting in characteristics as the temperature of the component changes.

The UV filter in a projection system is very important as even small amounts of UV radiation can degrade optical elements - especially LCD-based microdisplays. Often, the cut-off curve for blocking the UV can shift with temperature or humidity. Small shifts can cause the UV load to increase substantially, limiting the lifetime of the panels and the projection system. These shifts can also affect the color balance of the system, so having good stability is necessary.

UV Guard utilizes a patented (US patent number 5,292,417) sputtering process to realize the thin film. This UV blocking film can be deposited on the second side of other optical elements in the projection system, including elements with anti-reflection coatings, infrared blocking coatings or dichroic coatings. Unaxis will also tailor the precise specifications for custom applications.

Unaxis Optics, Peter Wierer, [41] 00-423-388-4742, peter.wierer@unaxix.com