Camera & Sensor Protective Glass
Camera and sensor protective glass is the flat window that seals a housing while passing the wavelengths the camera or sensor needs. We make it from 0.33 to 12 mm in Gorilla® Glass, soda lime, low iron, Borofloat® and sapphire, AR coated for visible or near-IR bands to 98% transmission, printed, and backed with VHB adhesive ready to bond.
Capabilities
Thickness
0.33–12 mm · Outline to ±0.05 mm
Glass
Gorilla®, soda lime, low iron · Borofloat®, sapphire
Strengthening
Chemical or thermal · Flat, pencil, bevel or chamfer edge
AR coating
Up to 98% transmission · Visible or near-IR bands
Printing
Black borders, logos · IR-transparent ink
Sealing
VHB adhesive, such as 3M 4914 · Kept outside the clear aperture
Gallery
Get a camera cover glass quote
Send the outline, thickness, wavelength band, any IR illuminators behind the window, printing and sealing method, and we will confirm the material and coating.
Choose the Window by Wavelength
The band your camera or sensor works in decides the window material and coating.
| Band | Typical device | Window material | Coating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible, 400–700 nm | Security, dash and webcam cameras | Gorilla® Glass, low iron, soda lime | Visible AR on both faces, oleophobic outside |
| Near-IR, 800–950 nm | IR-lit night cameras, face and gesture sensors | Glass, or visible-blocking acrylic | AR at 850 or 940 nm; IR ink over LED zones |
| Laser lines, 905 or 1550 nm | LiDAR and rangefinders | Glass or Borofloat® | AR or bandpass at the laser line |
| UV, below 340 nm | UV sensors and curing monitors | Fused silica or sapphire | UV AR |
| Thermal, 8–14 µm | Thermal imaging cameras | Not glass: germanium or other IR crystals | IR AR |
Glass stops transmitting well before the thermal band, so a glass window over a thermal camera blocks the image entirely.
Transmission, IR Crosstalk and Sealing
Each uncoated glass surface reflects about 4% of the light, so a plain window passes roughly 90–92%. AR on one face lifts that to about 94–96%, and AR on both faces to about 98%. Every lost percent also returns as a reflection that can show up as ghosting or flare, so we coat both faces when image quality matters.
When IR LEDs sit behind the same window as the lens, part of their light reflects inside the glass straight into the camera and washes out night images. We print IR-transparent black ink over the LED zone and opaque ink around the lens, so the LEDs shine through while the window looks uniformly black, and the housing should add a foam or rubber barrier between the two zones.
VHB adhesive goes on the back face outside the clear aperture, and we print black over its footprint so it cannot be seen from the front. A continuous adhesive ring seals the housing against water and dust.
From Blank to Ready-to-Bond Window
- 01
Cut and machine
The outline, holes and notches are CNC machined to ±0.05 mm, with the edge finish on your drawing.
- 02
Strengthen
Thin covers are chemically strengthened; windows from 3 mm up can be thermally tempered for outdoor impact.
- 03
Print
Black borders, logos and IR-transparent zones are screen printed and cured.
- 04
Coat
AR is applied to one or both faces for your band, with an oleophobic layer on the outside face.
- 05
Apply adhesive
VHB is die-cut to the border and laminated to the back face with a release liner.
- 06
Inspect
Each window is checked for outline, scratches in the clear aperture and print alignment before packing.
Example Configurations
| Part | Glass | Processing | Coating and print | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera cover | 0.8 mm Gorilla® Glass 3 | CNC machined, chemically strengthened | AR | — |
| Camera window with IR zone | 1 mm Gorilla® Glass | Chemically strengthened, 3M 4914 VHB | AR, IR ink silkscreen | 94% |
| Camera lens cover | 1.5 mm Gorilla® Glass | Chemically strengthened | One-color black silkscreen, no AR | 90% |
| Security camera window | Optical glass | Cut to shape | AR, silkscreen | 98% |