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What is an AR coating (anti-reflective)?

An AR coating (anti-reflective coating) is a thin, multilayer coating on optical glass surfaces that reduces reflection and increases transmission. At an uncoated glass–air interface typically 4–8 % of the light is lost to reflection. A modern AR coating reduces this to < 0.5 % per interface. For a lens with two interfaces that means 92 % transmission uncoated vs. > 99 % coated. Benefits: higher optical efficiency, less stray light, lower back-reflection load on the laser diode. AR coatings are wavelength-specific – a coating for 532 nm behaves differently at 650 nm. Always check the spectral range of the optic.