Choosing the Right Materials for Micro-Molded Optics and Photonics Components

Optics and photonics applications are unusual in the way they punish assumptions. Designers may be used to choosing materials based on general mechanical performance, cost, or availability. In photonics, those considerations still matter, but they sit alongside a list of requirements that are far more specific, such as optical transmission at a particular wavelength, birefringence, scattering behavior, thermal drift, moisture uptake, chemical compatibility, cleanliness, and long-term dimensional stability.