Ultra-Broadband Metallic Mirrors

Shanghai Optics is a custom optics manufacturer with over 55 years of optics manufacturing experience. We supply high precision Ultra-Broadband Metallic Mirrors according to customers’ specifications. These mirrors provide a high reflectance over a very broad spectral bandwidth. They are manufactured by coating first with a reflective metal film and then with a dielectric overcoat for protection and enhancement of the reflectivity.

Coatings offered include aluminum, silver and gold. Each has a different spectral characteristic as shown in the curves. Aluminum provides a good general purpose visible range mirror. Silver has a very high reflectance over the visible and near infra-red range and gold is the preferred coating for infra-red applications at wavelengths greater than 2 microns.

Key Features

High reflectance over a broad spectral range
Enhanced reflectance in the visible range
Effective over wide angles of incidence
Standard diameters from 12.7 to 50.4mm

Factory Standard

Surface flatness: Lambda/4
Diameter: +0, -0.2mm
Surface quality: 20-10
Parallelism: < 0.3arcmin Thickness: +0.1mm Clear aperture: >90% diameter
Bevel: 0.2mm x 45° typical
Material: BK7, grade A
Laser damage threshold: 0.5J/cm2 for 10ns pulse
Durability: to MIL-C-675

Ultra broadband metallic mirrors are specialized optical components designed to offer consistently high reflectivity across an exceptionally wide wavelength range—from UV to NIR. Unlike standard metallic mirrors, which are typically optimized for a specific spectral band, ultra broadband versions feature thin metallic coatings (such as aluminum, silver, or gold) enhanced with dielectric layers. This layered structure boosts overall reflectance, protects against oxidation and environmental damage, and ensures stable performance even at varying angles of incidence. With average reflectivity ranging from 85% to 97.5% over a broad spectrum, these mirrors outperform conventional broadband mirrors in both versatility and durability.

These mirrors are particularly valuable in advanced optical systems that require wide spectral compatibility, such as broadband laser setups, hyperspectral imaging, and Raman spectroscopy. In photon counting applications, for example, the high reflectance across multiple bands is crucial for guiding faint signals to sensitive detectors without loss. Their ability to maintain consistent performance under demanding conditions makes ultra broadband metallic mirrors essential for high-precision environments like medical scanning, where they support low-dose, high-resolution imaging. By combining wide spectral coverage, angle insensitivity, and robustness, these mirrors are ideal for multi-purpose and high-performance optical applications.