Dichroic mirrors are optical components that selectively reflect specific wavelengths while transmitting others, making them essential for laser systems, fluorescence microscopy, spectroscopy, and infrared imaging. UniversityWafer supplies high-quality silicon wafers, germanium wafers, fused silica, BK7 glass, and sapphire substrates used in the fabrication of dichroic mirrors, optical filters, and other precision thin-film optical components for research and industrial applications.
High-resistivity undoped silicon wafers are widely used as substrates for dichroic mirrors, terahertz (THz) optics, and infrared spectroscopy because they combine excellent optical transmission with low electrical loss. Float-zone intrinsic silicon is especially popular for THz applications due to its high resistivity and outstanding optical quality.
A graduate researcher working in a THz spectroscopy laboratory requested the following:
Research Request:
We are interested in using a high-resistivity silicon wafer (Item #2272) as a dichroic mirror that will reflect 800 nm laser light while transmitting broadband THz radiation. Please provide an official quotation for one wafer, including lead time and any available academic discount.
Recommended Item:
Item #2272
100 mm Undoped <100> >20,000 Ω-cm 500 µm Double-Side Polished (DSP)
Reference #19677 for specifications and pricing.
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Undoped germanium wafers are frequently selected for infrared optics because of their high refractive index and excellent transmission throughout the mid-infrared spectrum. Germanium substrates are commonly used for dichroic mirrors, infrared windows, thermal imaging systems, FTIR instruments, and laser optics.
A biochemistry researcher requested the following:
Research Request:
I would like to purchase a 2-inch double-side polished undoped germanium wafer to use as a dichroic mirror. The substrate should reflect visible light near 1100 nm while transmitting infrared wavelengths from approximately 2.5–20 µm. Do you have transmission data between 600 nm and 20 µm for Item #2479?
I only require a single wafer.
UniversityWafer Response:
Without applying an optical coating, the germanium substrate typically provides approximately 40–50% transmission. Additional thin-film coatings may be required to achieve higher optical performance depending on the application's wavelength requirements.
Reference #238226 for specifications and pricing.
Dichroic mirrors are optical components that reflect selected wavelengths of light while transmitting others. They are also called thin-film mirrors or dichroic filters because their performance comes from carefully deposited optical coating layers.
In research applications, dichroic mirrors are used to separate, combine, or redirect light by wavelength. They are common in fluorescence microscopy, laser systems, spectroscopy, imaging, astronomy, biotechnology, and optical instrumentation.
A dichroic mirror uses multiple thin-film coating layers deposited on an optical substrate. These layers create interference effects that cause some wavelengths to reflect and others to pass through.
For example, a dichroic mirror may reflect visible light near 800 nm while transmitting broadband terahertz radiation, or it may reflect one laser wavelength while allowing infrared light to pass through. The exact reflection and transmission behavior depends on the coating design, substrate material, wavelength range, and angle of incidence.
The substrate is important because it affects optical transmission, surface quality, thermal stability, and coating performance. Common dichroic mirror substrates include:
Dichroic mirrors provide precise wavelength control, high optical efficiency, and strong durability compared with absorptive filters. They are especially useful when an optical system needs to preserve light intensity while separating wavelengths.
However, dichroic mirror performance depends strongly on coating design, substrate material, polarization, and angle of incidence. For custom research applications, researchers should specify the wavelength range, reflection band, transmission band, angle of use, substrate size, and thickness.
UniversityWafer supplies silicon, germanium, fused silica, sapphire, BK7 glass, and other optical substrates used in dichroic mirror, infrared, terahertz, laser, and thin-film coating research.