Increased durability of Infrared (IR) Materials for Long Endurance Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) applications

Infrared imaging instruments often use ZnS/multi-spectral ZnS windows to provide environmental protection of sensors in harsh environments. The issue is that ZnS can be easily damaged through improper handling, let alone when used in harsh environmental conditions such as rain impact or sand abrasion. Reynard Corporation is presenting an innovative optical coating that surpasses the spectral characteristics of DLC coatings, while also providing superior durability. The solution is a multi-layer thin film that can readily be tuned for different or multiple wavelength bands from visible through LWIR. Phase I will demonstrate spectral and durability performance of a mid-wave IR protection coating through preliminary development and testing of sample substrates. Phase II will further enhance the design and evaluate the performance on an actual ZnS windows/lenses. Our coating solution offers enhance performance over existing solutions and has vast applications in the commercial market. All development and testing work will be done in-house at our San Clemente design and manufacturing facility. BENEFIT: Hard and durable coatings that have high transmission have, for a long time, been in demand in many markets. DLC coatings have been able to serve the need, but a lower cost and tunable solution could substantially upset the existing market. Such a solution could be tuned either in spectrum or for other IR materials besides than ZnS, for a wider market opportunity. One such military market of particular interest is multi-mode seeker domes. For non-military opportunities, these coatings offer protection in consumer/industrial based IR/Night-Vision systems. As these systems are pushed into the consumer hands, our protective coatings will be able scale in volume while meeting consumer level price points.