Press Release: ARSS Patent Granted
GAMDAN Optics Awarded U.S. Patent for Anti-Reflective Structured Surface Technology on Nonlinear Optical Crystals
Patented ARSS nanostructure eliminates the need for thin-film AR coatings, boosting transmission and laser damage resistance in high-power frequency conversion applications.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — GAMDAN Optics, Inc. has been awarded awarded U.S. Patent No. 12,360,432, "Non-Linear Optical Crystal with Anti-Reflective Nanostructured Surface.” The patent covers GAMDAN's Anti-Reflective Structured Surface (ARSS) technology, a nanostructured, moth-eye surface etched directly into the crystal substrate rather than applied as a separate coating layer.
Developed in collaboration with the under NSF Award No. 1840843, ARSS creates a graded refractive index (GRIN) transition from air into the bulk crystal, eliminating the abrupt interface responsible for Fresnel reflection losses in conventional thin-film AR coatings. In testing, ARSS-treated surfaces have demonstrated transmission above 99.5%, compared to 92–96% for standard thin-film coatings, along with laser damage thresholds 3–5x higher than conventionally coated LBO, a crystal of choice for high-power frequency conversion.
“This patent validates years of fundamental research into how light interacts with structured surfaces at the nanoscale. ARSS addresses a real limitation in high-power nonlinear optics, where coating damage and reflection losses have long constrained performance ceilings.”
ARSS is currently advancing through pilot partnerships with R&D teams working in second- and third-harmonic generation, optical parametric oscillation, and other high-power frequency conversion applications. GAMDAN is actively seeking research and development partners to advance the technology toward broader availability. Learn more about the science behind ARSS on the GAMDAN Optics blog.
About GAMDAN Optics, Inc. GAMDAN Optics, based in San Jose, California, manufactures nonlinear optical crystals including LBO, BBO, KGW, KTP, and YVO4 for laser and photonics applications.
