The Tekniker technology centre is currently working with the Astrophysics Institute of the Canary Islands (IAC) to build manufacturing facilities that can produce advanced optical systems. Another goal is to develop new astronomy instruments required by research projects carried out on our planet or in outer space. 

CSOA is a unique facility in Spain the makes high-quality optical elements. These optical elements comprise lenses, mirrors and filters for which coatings are critical for operations involving optics. 

Tekniker provides technical guidance to IAC scientists on how to develop optical coatings by means of Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD), an area in which the Basque technology centre has an extensive amount of experience.   

All the collaborative work carried out to date has focused on several theoretical-practical approaches jointly developed by CSOA and the technology centre thanks to the organisation’s in-house cutting-edge PVD equipment.

In the initial stages of this project, Tekniker researchers first studied the machines currently in operation at the new facilities and also looked into how knowledge related to PVD could be transferred. Additionally, a reflective coating developed at IAC has been optimised.

The aim of this initiative is to enable further collaboration in future joint projects involving units associated with new advanced optical coatings.

Once all the set-up procedures have concluded, the IAC centre for advanced optical systems will be able to deliver a broad range of the reflective mirrors required by major international telescopes such as the New Robotic Telescope (NRT) whose spatial resolutions are currently unreachable.

Experience with coatings

Tekniker is a leading reference technology centre with more than 30 years of experience in the area of coatings. The company’s extensive know how encompasses the design and simulation of optical coatings that can modulate the entire solar spectrum as required by specifications. It is in this field that the technology centre has worked in areas related to energy applications, automotive requirements, architectural glass and the ophthalmic industry. 

Thanks to this capacity, the organisation can cover the full range of vapour phase technologies (magnetron sputtering and the electron cannon), two highly relevant technologies for IAC supported by a solid track record in developing the equipment that is needed required to produce coatings of this kind.