BROADBAND NEAR IR LASER HAZARD FILTERS

PHYSICAL OPTICS CORPORATION (POC) PROPOSES TO EXTEND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT IT HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED FOR IR REJECTION SOLAR CONTROL FILMS FOR APPLICATION TO LASER PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR. CURRENTLY, POC MANUFACTURES NEAR IR REFLECTIVE SOLAR CONTROL FILMS FOR AUTOMOTIVE AND ARCHITECTURAL GLASS APPLICATIONS OF BANDWIDTH 350 TO 400 NM. THE FILTER CUTS IN AT 700 NM AND CUTS OFF AT APPROZIMATELY 1050 NM. THIS PROGRAM PROPOSES TO STRETCH THE BANDWIDTH OF THIS HOLOGRAPHIC REFLECTION FILM TO APPROXIMATELY 450 NM SUCH THAT IT WOULD BLOCK ALL IR LASER THREATS STARTING AT 670 NM AND GOING OUT TO 1130 NM. THE ANGULAR PROTECTION PROVIDED BY THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL SUPPLY COMPLETE PROTECTION TO THE EYE FOR THE ARRAY'S SPECTACLE, GOGGLE OR VISOR CONFIGURATIOS, AND UNLIKE ABSORPTION DYES, WILL NOT WEAKEN THE BALLISTIC IMPACT STRENGTH OF THESE DEVICES. THUS, FOR THE CONFIGURATION ENVISIONED, POC WILL ADD NEAR IR PROTECTION AGAINST ALL LASER THREATS FROM 670 TO 1130 NM TO THE STANDARD ARMY EYEWEAR. THE EQUIPMENT WILL RETAIN AN OPTICAL DENSITY OF THREE OR BETTER USING ONE BROADBAND HOLOGRAPHIC LASER HAZARD FILTER.