Optical interference coatings: measurement challenge 2025 [Invited]

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Metrology

Background:

• The optical coatings community requires reliable methods for equipment verification.
• Accurate measurement of optical losses is critical for high-performance optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a platform for benchmarking optical test equipment and methodologies.
• To determine the optical losses of high-reflecting mirrors (reflectivity >99.99%) at 1064 nm and 355 nm.

Main Methods:

• Participants in the 2025 Measurement Challenge utilized their own test equipment and procedures.
• Focus on precise determination of optical losses in mirrors designed for high reflectivity.

Main Results:

• Results from the challenge will provide comparative data on measurement accuracy.
• Identified variations in optical loss measurements across different methodologies.

Conclusions:

• The challenge highlights the importance of standardized testing for optical interference coatings.
• Validated the performance of various measurement techniques for high-reflecting mirrors.