Far-Infrared Properties of Cyclic Olefin Copolymer

Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is an amorphous thermoplastic with desirable dielectric and mechanical characteristics for optical applications. In particular, its low refractive index, overall mechanical strength, and absence of strong absorption features make it a promising substrate material for far-infrared applications, which include frequency-selective surfaces, scattering filters, and windows. The dielectric properties of selected COC formulations are surveyed from ≈10−700 per.cm (1000−14µm), and representative usage as a thin film membrane structure in optical filters is presented.