AN OPTICAL COATING IS ONE OR MORE THIN LAYERS OF MATERIAL DEPOSITED ON AN OPTICAL COMPONENT SUCH AS A LENS OR MIRROR, WHICH ALTERS THE WAY IN WHICH THE OPTIC REFLECTS AND TRANSMITS LIGHT. ONE TYPE OF OPTICAL COATING IS AN ANTIREFLECTION COATING, WHICH REDUCES UNWANTED REFLECTIONS FROM SURFACES, AND IS COMMONLY USED ON SPECTACLE AND PHOTOGRAPHIC LENSES. ANOTHER TYPE IS THE HIGH-REFLECTOR COATING WHICH CAN BE USED WHICH REFLECT GREATER THAN 99.99% OF THE LIGHT WHICH FALLS ON THEM. MORE COMPLEX OPTICAL COATINGS EXHIBIT HIGH REFLECTION OVER SOME RANGE OF WAVELENGTHS, AND ANTI-REFLECTION OVER ANOTHER RANGE, ALLOWING THE PRODUCTION OF DICHROIC THIN-FILM OPTICAL FILTERS.
