| If your application is... | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wire grid polarizer replacement | NIR Ultra | Absorptive, no back-reflection, lower cost, large aperture — designed as the direct wire grid replacement |
| NIR camera / imaging 400–1000 nm | NIR Ultra | Imaging-grade wavefront quality, 20,000:1 visible / 7,000:1 NIR, full VIS+NIR coverage |
| Fundus camera / retinal imaging | NIR Ultra | Imaging capable, absorptive, high contrast — eliminates specular glare without back-reflection |
| Machine vision LED illumination | NIR HD | Dyestuff resists LED burn-in, rated to 95°C, large panel format in development |
| Automotive NIR / license plate | NIR HD | 95°C operating temperature, continuous LED illumination rated |
| Plastics sorting / recycling NIR | NIR DS2 | 30,629:1 avg / >45,000:1 peak contrast in NIR — eliminates stray light masking spectral signatures |
| Maximum NIR contrast (800–1000 nm) | NIR DS2 | Highest extinction ratio in the NIR family — peak >45,000:1 |
| NIR polarimetry instrumentation | NIR DS2 | Maximum NIR extinction for Stokes polarimetry and polarization state analysis |
| Broadband 525–1000 nm, max Tp | NIR 4ST | 72.3% avg Tp, flat 69–76% across the full range — supreme transmission efficiency 525–1000 nm |
| Hyperspectral / multispectral NIR | NIR 4ST | Flat Tp profile avoids spectral artifacts across the long VIS and NIR band |
| Coverage below 525 nm required | NIR Ultra or NIR HD | Both active from 400 nm. DS2 and 4ST are not optimized below 525 nm |
| Property | NIR Ultra | NIR HD | NIR DS2 | NIR 4ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active range | 400–1000 nm | 400–1000 nm | 525–1065 nm | 525–1000 nm |
| Visible contrast | 20,000:1 | 20,000:1 | 15,630:1 | 37,342:1 (525–700) |
| NIR contrast avg | 7,000:1 | 5,000:1 | 30,629:1 | 17,733:1 |
| NIR contrast peak | — | — | >45,000:1 | — |
| Avg Tp active range | ~68% | ~67% | ~58% | 72.3% |
| Thickness w/ PSA | 0.345 mm | 0.423 mm | — | — |
| Max temperature | 70°C | 95°C | 70°C | 70°C |
| LED burn-in rated | — | Yes | — | — |
| Imaging capable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max film format | A4 | >A4 (in dev.) | Contact BVO | Contact BVO |
| Wire grid replacement | Yes — primary use case | Yes | NIR applications | NIR applications |
| Availability | Standard catalog | Standard catalog | Standard catalog | Contact BVO |
| Parameter | All NIR Variants |
|---|---|
| Polarizer Type | Transmissive, absorptive, non-reflective — no back-reflection |
| Substrate | Plastic Cellulose Triacetate (CTA), dichroic |
| Surface Quality Film | 80/50 Scratch-Dig |
| Film Cut Tolerances | ±50 microns standard; 10–25 microns precision |
| Glass Component OD | 25.4 mm OD ± 0.20 mm |
| Wavefront Distortion | λ/2 measured at 632 nm (glass components) |
| Surface Quality Glass | 40/20 Scratch-Dig |
| Beam Deviation | 2 arc minutes |
| BBAR Coatings | 400–900 nm or 700–1100 nm (glass components) |
| PSA Conversion | Available on all variants |
| Glass Lamination | BK-7 or acrylic (CCA) — available on all variants |
| Custom Geometry | .dxf routing or laser cutting, 10–25 micron tolerances |
| Volume OEM | Contact BVO for quantities over 100 units |
| Property | Wire Grid Polarizer | BVO NIR (Absorptive) |
|---|---|---|
| Back-reflection | Significant — reflects rejected polarization state back into system | None — fully absorptive, rejected state absorbed |
| Cost | High — nanofabricated metal grid on substrate | Lower — polymer dichroic film |
| Large aperture | Limited and expensive at large format | Up to A4 standard; larger in development |
| Custom geometry | Difficult — fragile substrate | .dxf routing to 10–25 micron tolerances |
| PSA lamination | Limited | Standard capability — direct lamination to surfaces |