Anti-reflective coating

An optical layer that reduces surface reflection by making reflected light waves interfere destructively. It can increase transmission, reduce glare, or improve contrast in optical systems.

Thin-film interference: Interference between light waves reflected from different boundaries of a thin film. Reflections from the coating’s two boundaries cancel when their phase difference is appropriate.
Eyeglass lens: A lens worn in spectacles to correct vision or protect the eyes. Its coating reduces reflections that obscure vision and produce distracting glare.
Multilayer optical coating: A stack of thin optical layers designed to control reflection, transmission, or polarization. Multiple layers can reduce reflection across broader wavelength and angle ranges than a simple layer.
Specular reflection: Reflection in which light leaves a smooth surface in a well-defined direction. Anti-reflective coatings target the specular reflections generated at smooth interfaces.
Quarter-wave coating: A single optical layer with one-quarter-wavelength thickness at a chosen wavelength. Its thickness makes the two principal reflected waves oppose each other at the design wavelength.
Camera lens: An optical assembly that forms images by refracting light onto a sensor or film. Coatings limit internal reflections that cause flare and reduce image contrast.
Graded-index coating: An optical surface treatment whose refractive index changes gradually between adjoining media. A gradual index transition can suppress reflection without relying solely on discrete-layer cancellation.
Wavelength: The distance between corresponding points on successive cycles of a wave. A coating designed for one wavelength may work less well at other colors.
Refractive index: A measure of how light’s phase velocity in a material compares with its velocity in vacuum. The coating’s index controls the amplitudes of reflections at both interfaces.
Anti-glare screen: A display surface treatment that reduces visible reflections, often by scattering light. Unlike a smooth anti-reflective coating, many screen treatments suppress glare by diffusion.

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