MPF’s Optical Engineering Expertise

With 50 years of experience in designing, engineering, and manufacturing UHV (ultra-high vacuum) assemblies with optical components, MPF has emerged as a leader in the field of precision optics. We have the ability to support industry and the scientific community in small volume prototyping, as well as large-scale OEM production of viewports for vacuum chambers and other optical assemblies.

From our state-of-the-art AR coating technologies to the sophistication of our inspection equipment, MPF is more than simply a manufacturer of UHV components and optics. Rather, we are your premier manufacturer and supplier of custom UHV and optical assemblies, with the wizardry to provide engineering solutions to meet your most pressing needs.

Coating Technologies

You’re likely familiar with anti-reflective coating. AR coating greatly improves the efficacy of your optical system by increasing transmission, enhancing contrast, and eliminating ghost reflections. When light passes through an uncoated glass substrate, roughly 4% of light will reflect at interfaces, significantly reducing your total light transmission and proving detrimental to numerous applications and systems.

Applying an AR coating to your optical surface both increases the throughput of your system and reduces the likelihood of reflections that travel backwards, permitting unwanted light to enter the laser cavity. AR-coated lenses are especially critical for optical systems with multiple transmitting elements. 

MPF has a vast inventory of AR-coated lenses on hand, and can create individual, dual or broadband lenses with AR-coating for specific applications.

In particular, MPF, through our industry channel partner, specializes in thin-film coating technology, which has been employed on the most advanced and powerful laser systems throughout the world. Thin-film coating technology has wavelength parameters of 190-15,000nm (UV-MWIR) and dimensions of 0.1-450mm. 

Inspection Tools

We are able to verify the quality and performance of the optics in our viewports and other assemblies due to our advanced and sophisticated inspection tools and rigorous testing protocols.

Below is a list of the in-house equipment MPF uses to ensure the quality of your optical components:

• Spectrophotometer – Spectrophotometers measure the intensity of light at various wavelengths. Typically spectrophotometry has been used to measure ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation, although our spectrophotometers can also measure wide swaths along the electromagnetic spectrum such as x-ray and microwave wavelengths.
• Profilometer – Profilometers measure a surface’s profile to determine its roughness, taking the critical dimensions of step, curvature, and flatness into account. 
• Interferometers – Interferometers are employed by MPF to measure for microscopic displacements, refractive index changes, and surface irregularities in our optics for UHV viewports.
• SavvyInspector™ Scratch and Dig – SavvyInspector™ offers a software-assisted scratch/dig evaluation of flat optical surfaces, eliminating human error from inspection of surface quality.

In addition to these instruments, MPF also has dozens of brazing ovens, TIG welding stations, and leak-testing stations to ensure that your UHV and optical assemblies meet the highest standards of quality.

You Know Us for Our Feedthroughs, Now Feel the Roar of Our Optical Technologies

As a company, MPF has been known as your go-to for feedthroughs for UHV. But you should also consider us your trusted source in the manufacture of viewports and optical assemblies. All of the components we use in the design and manufacture of our assemblies adhere to U.S. Military Standards (MilSpecs), as well as AS and ISO 9001 specifications.

Ready to build that laser system? Let MPF tackle the mechanics. 

Contact Us Today