High-tech meets decorative art in thin film design

摘要

Originally developed to design the coatings applied to components n high-precision optical instruments, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute have discovered their new software programme can be used to produce tailor-made decorative surfaces for wristwatch faces and other applications.In the same way as a drop of oil water produces rainbow reflections, transparent thin films can create interference effects when applied to materials of any kind. For example, although useful in their own right, these films can be used to develop much more interesting and valuable special effects when stacked on top of each other.