Pricing & Technical FAQs: Your Guide to Custom Optical Filter Costs

The optical coating applied to the substrate is a major cost factor. More sophisticated coating techniques, which deliver better optical clarity, durability, and tighter spectral control, are significantly more expensive.Standard Evaporation: Lower cost, suitable for less stringent applications.Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD): Medium to high cost. Improves film density and adhesion, resulting in more durable filters with less spectral drift due to environmental changes.Magnetron Sputtering (Sputtering): Highest cost. This advanced process provides the tightest control over layer thickness and deposition uniformity, essential for complex designs like narrowband optical filter or high OD bandpass filters and dichroic optical filter mirrors. The higher cost reflects longer production times and the use of expensive, high-vacuum equipment.

The base material or optical substrate is a primary cost driver. Common materials like BK7 are less expensive, while fused silica costs more due to its superior transmission, thermal stability, and low coefficient of thermal expansion, making it ideal for demanding applications. Highly specialized materials, such as sapphire or ZnSe (often used for far-infrared or high-power laser systems), significantly increase the cost. The cost is tied to:Raw Material Purity: High-purity optical glass is more expensive but ensures better optical homogeneity and minimal defects.Processing Difficulty: Harder or specialized materials require more complex, time-consuming grinding and polishing steps, leading to higher manufacturing costs.Refractive Index Consistency: Tighter control over the refractive index across batches adds to the material's premium.