OLS | A High-Density Sputtering Solution Built for Optical Lenses

A High-Precision Sputtering Platform Built for Optical Lenses

From automotive ADAS lenses, surveillance camera lenses, machine vision inspection lenses, to industrial precision imaging systems — optical lenses have become essential components of modern visual applications. Under harsh operating environments — exterior heat and UV exposure, outdoor salt spray and dust, industrial chemical gases and mechanical wear — conventional evaporated lens films often face adhesion degradation, spectral drift, and surface scratches that directly impact the long-term reliability of optical systems.

The Dah Young Vacuum OLS (Optical Lens Sputter) is built on Dah Young's proprietary ARMS high-precision sputtering platform, optimized specifically for high-durability optical lens applications. The OLS employs a separated activated reactive sputtering architecture and ICP inductively coupled plasma source — depositing high-density, high-adhesion, environmentally stable optical films on glass optical lenses. It delivers industry-leading coating solutions for high-reliability applications including automotive optics, surveillance, and industrial inspection.

Separated Activated Reactive Sputtering | Density Beyond What Evaporation Can Achieve

Compared with conventional evaporation, the greatest advantage of sputtering is the far higher kinetic energy of particles bombarding the substrate — resulting in tightly packed film atoms, dense structure, and significantly enhanced adhesion. The OLS employs Dah Young's proprietary Activated Reactive Magnetron Sputtering architecture, effectively isolating the metal sputtering zone from the reactive plasma zone — solving conventional reactive sputtering's Target Poisoning problem at its root.

This separated architecture not only maintains sputtering's high deposition rate and stable long-duration operation, but also achieves precise thickness control through rapid alternating stacking of metal and oxide layers. Optical films deposited by the OLS pass rigorous automotive-grade reliability tests (high-temperature/humidity, thermal shock, salt spray, mechanical vibration) — suitable for high-durability optical lens applications under prolonged exposure to outdoor and industrial environments.

ICP Inductively Coupled Plasma Source | High-Efficiency Dissociation, Excellent Film Quality, Long-Term Stability

The OLS comes standard-equipped with Dah Young's in-house ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) source, delivering industry-leading gas dissociation and reaction efficiency. The high-density activated reactive gas generated by the ICP source efficiently reacts with metal ions to form dense oxide / nitride films — ensuring precise refractive index of optical films and long-term stability of spectral performance.

Compared with conventional RF or microwave plasma sources, ICP delivers higher plasma density, more uniform reaction zone coverage, and better long-term stability. This plasma source design enables the OLS to consistently produce high-quality optical films under high-volume production conditions, with high spectral consistency between batches.

Dah Young's Latest Proprietary Super-Hard Coating | Mohs Hardness 7 on Glass Optical Lenses

The outermost coating of optical lenses directly faces physical damage from the operating environment — friction, dust, scratches. Automotive lenses encounter road debris impacts, surveillance lenses are exposed long-term to outdoor conditions, industrial inspection lenses frequently contact coolants and dust. Conventional optical film hardness often cannot meet the long-term durability demands of these rigorous applications.

The OLS integrates Dah Young's latest proprietary super-hard coating technology, with process optimization for glass optical lens substrates. The deposited films achieve Mohs hardness 7 (equivalent to natural quartz crystal hardness) and pass the demanding 10,000-cycle steel wool abrasion test. This breakthrough hardness specification places lenses processed by the OLS at industry-leading levels in scratch and abrasion resistance — substantially extending lens service life under harsh operating environments and providing a powerful differentiation advantage for automotive, surveillance, and industrial applications demanding the highest long-term reliability.

3D Curved Surface Uniform Coating | Perfectly Adapting to Optical Lens Geometric Complexity

Optical lenses are typically spherical, aspheric, or freeform structures, and coating uniformity is critical to imaging quality. The OLS combines the inherent high kinetic energy and excellent step coverage capability of sputtering with planetary rotation fixture design — depositing uniform, stable, and repeatable optical films on non-flat and 3D curved optical lenses.

OLS coating uniformity is controlled within ±1%, paired with Dah Young's proprietary lens curvature optimization algorithm and customized fixture designs to meet the comprehensive mass production requirements from consumer-grade lenses to high-end industrial inspection lenses. For customers seeking balance across high durability, optical quality, and production consistency, the OLS provides the most comprehensive solution in the industry.