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Technology Glossary

Anti-Reflective Coating (AR)

An anti-reflective (AR) coating reduces reflections of external light by interference, keeping the image sharp – unlike anti-glare, it does not scatter light.

Also known as: AR coating, AR layer, anti-reflection coating

An anti-reflective (AR) coating is applied to a display or protective glass to reduce reflections of external light that would otherwise degrade screen visibility. It works on the principle of interference: the coating’s thickness and refractive index are chosen so that light waves cancel each other out, reducing the intensity of reflections.

An AR coating improves image legibility in bright environments, such as outdoors or in well-lit rooms. Unlike Anti-Glare (AG) layers, AR coating does not scatter light, thus maintaining high image sharpness – which is critical in professional applications such as medical, industrial, military or navigation systems. AR coating can be used alone or as part of a multilayer system, often combined with Anti-Fingerprint (AF), Anti-Glare (AG) or glass-strengthening layers.

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