Enhanced Aluminum Mirrors

Special Properties

• Increased reflectance and protection by additional dielectric layers on top of the aluminum metal coating
• High optical imaging quality
• No ghosting in the reflected image
• Excellent optical performance
• Economically priced
• Available at large dimensions and with numerous thicknesses
• Efficient reflection of IR light (SEA-NIR)
• Wide range of incidence angles due to the metallic coating
• Broadband reflectivity
• Best choice for large volume projects

Typical Applications

• Deflection mirror for light and laser beams
• Large front surface mirrors
• Optics for sensor technology
• Laser barcode readers and flatbed scanners
• Infrared mirrors
• Economical replacement for silver coatings
• Laser projection scanners
• Redirecting mirrors
• Broadband mirror for episcopes, copiers, projectors, fax machines, projectors, and cameras
• Laser beam steering mirror
• Optics for medical instruments
• Cost-saving replacement for gold metal mirrors
  (SEA-NIR)
• Low-cost optical front surface mirrors

Related mirror types

• SEA-UV Series
  (Protected aluminum mirrors UV-IR)
• SHP Series
  (Silver front surface mirrors)

The SEA-VIS enhanced aluminum front surface mirror is the best-selling optical mirror from the product range of our company. It offers excellent reflection and quality at a comparatively low cost.

The enhanced aluminum mirrors of the SEA-VIS and SEA-NIR series are protected by reflection-increasing dielectric thin-film layers coated on top of a highly reflective aluminum metal coating. These thin dielectric coatings considerably improve the reflectance over bare aluminum or protected aluminum mirrors and shield the optics' metal coating from oxidation and scratching. The SEA-VIS and the SEA-NIR layers show much better resistance to humidity, abrasion, and scratches than protected silver mirrors.

The aluminum coatings of the SEA mirrors are vacuum deposited onto a high-grade glass substrate material. Because the optically active mirror coating is deposited directly as the first layer on top of the glass substrate, our enhanced aluminum mirror series achieves a superior optical imaging quality. A ghost image or phantom laser beam, which occurs with backside coated mirrors in the reflected image, is entirely avoided.

SEA-VIS mirrors are economically priced optics. They have proven to be an ideal material for projects that require high optical reflectivity, imaging performance in the visible or near-infrared wavelength region, and high mechanical stability at a reasonable cost. Therefore, these coatings are often the best choice for high-volume applications.

We optimized the SEA-NIR mirror coatings for applications in the near-infrared wavelength region. Hence, these optics are a cost-effective alternative to gold-plated mirrors used in this spectral range.

Further, we developed our SEA-UV protected aluminum mirror (separate data sheet) for ultraviolet wavelengths and broadband UV-VIS-IR applications. This mirror only has one thin protective SiO2 (quartz) coating on top of the metallic aluminum thin film to allow high UV reflectivity.

The SEA mirrors can also work as laser optics for up to medium laser beam power. Please contact us to learn whether you can use our standard SEA enhanced aluminum mirror coatings with your laser application without modifications. We can fabricate all of our enhanced aluminum front surface mirrors at large dimensions.

The protective overcoating layers can be optimized and modified if required to increase the metallic coatings' reflectance for particular optical wavelengths. In case you need mirrors with individually adapted optical coatings, please use our coating inquiry form.

For more information about our enhanced aluminum SEA-VIS and SEA-NIR front surface mirrors, please visit our "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) web page. Please contact our engineers for support in developing your custom enhanced aluminum mirror optics.

 

Please use the following buttons or select the desired thickness from the thickness table to quickly receive a quote for individually dimensioned SEA-VIS or SEA-NIR enhanced aluminum mirrors.

 

SEA-VIS Quotation request

Available in 48 h Express-Service

SEA-NIR Quotation request

Available in 48 h Express-Service

Specifications

SEA-VIS & SEA-NIR reflection curves

Enlarge curve to show details

Stock Thicknesses

(Please click on a glass thickness to request a quote)

Thickness (mm)	Tolerance
SEA-VIS Optimized for visible wavelengths
0,55	±0,05	✔
1,00	±0,10	✔
1,10	±0,10	✔
2,00	±0,20	✔
3,00	±0,20	✔
4,00	±0,20	✔
5,00	±0,20	✔
6,00	±0,20	✔
SEA-VIS with custom thickness
SEA-NIR Optimized for infrared wavelengths
2,00	±0,20	✔
3,00	±0,20	✔
SEA-NIR with custom thickness
The thicknesses marked with "✔" are also available within 48–h Express Service.

Reflectance specifications

SEA-VIS mirrors:

• Reflectance > 94 % at 550 nm at 45°
• Average reflectance > 93 % at wavelength range
  450–650 nm at 15–45° angle
• Average reflectance > 92 % at wavelength
  550 nm for S&P-polarization at 15–45° angle
• Other reflectivity, incident angles, wavelengths, or optimized coatings for laser applications per inquiry

SEA-NIR mirrors:

• Average reflectance > 93,5 % at a wavelength range of 700–1200 nm at 45°
• Other reflectance or angles available on request

Substrate Material

• Selected float glass
• Other substrate material on request

Coating Construction

• Metallic aluminum coating enhanced and protected by dielectric multi-layer coating on top of the metal layer

Flatness

• Depending on substrate
• Special flatness per inquiry

Cosmetic Surface Quality

• typ. 80-50 scratch & dig (MIL-0-13830A)
• Other on inquiry
  

Adherence & Abrasion

• Adherence according to MIL-C-675 C (tape test)
• Abrasion-resistant according to MIL-M-13508 C

Maximum Dimensions

• up to approximately 1024 mm × 1270 mm

Product Codes

• SEA-VIS (optimized for visible light energy)
• SEA-NIR (optimized for infrared light energy)

If you need engineering support or help in your mirror optics' developing process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Where is the shopping cart?

You may be wondering why there is no shopping cart on our website. There is a good reason for that: Since every application requires different dimensions and our typical delivery time for individually sized optical mirrors and many other optics is less than a week, we have refrained from limiting ourselves to a few sizes. Therefore, a shopping cart for a handful of standard items with limited fixed sizes, which rarely represents an optimal solution for our customers, does not make sense.

Short lead times are also possible for more substantial quantities, as our company has specialized in the fast production of mirrors and other optics with custom dimensions. We even offer our 48 h express service to manufacture and deliver custom-sized optics at stock thicknesses within only two working days. This period is shorter than it usually takes to receive a price quotation for optics in the optical industry, and is quicker than many retail companies can ship their catalog stock optics with fixed dimensions. So, the shopping cart is no advantage if you quickly need optics that fit your needs perfectly.

 

All given details and properties are mean reference values and are not guaranteed. Also, please consider our "Notes on technical specifications".

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