Color in optical coatings

Their physical origin distinguishes chemical colors and structural colors, the latter being subdivided into prismatic colors and interference colors. Colors of optical coatings are interference colors. A short history of interference colors is given starting from Isaac Newton, and then continuing with Thomas Young (interference in optics), Leopoldo Nobili (electrochemical 'metallocromia'), David Brewster, A. Michel-Lévy (interference color chart), J. F. Gabriel Lippmann (interference color photography) and Dobrowolski (anticounterfeiting coatings). A concise review of standard colorimetry (psychophysical and psychometric colorimetry) is given with the aim of introducing the colorimetry of the optical coatings. Gonio-apparent color measurement technique is presented with the updated multi-angle spectrophotometers. As an example, classical computations of colors of optical coatings are shown. © 2013 Woodhead Publishing Limited All rights reserved.