Alluxa Develops Thin Films For COVID-19 Detection Devices

Santa Rosa, Calif. – April 27, 2020 – Alluxa, Inc., the global leader in high-performance optical coatings and filters, has extended its industry-leading Ultra Series to include high-performance polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific filters. These filters were developed with higher performance optical characteristics and are intended to improve speed and efficiency of real time qPCR testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new Ultra Series qPCR product family includes real-time, qPCR-specific filters for integration into medical equipment that performs COVID-19 testing of patient samples.

These ultra-steep filters with >OD6 blocking out of the band and state-of-the-art center wavelength tolerances of < ± 0.3% offer the highest transmission levels available with a passband average of >95% (see graphic). The new filters aid in the fluorescent detection of the virus and cover most common fluorophores for single and multiplexed qPCR filters, including FAM, Cy5, HEX, JOE, ROX, TexasRed®, and TRITC.

Alluxa is currently supplying OEM qPCR-specific optical filters which are assembled into medical instruments globally for use in PCR testing of individuals.

According to CCO, Peter Egerton, “As an ‘essential business’ in this trying time, we have moved quickly to offer our optical coating expertise and stand ready to help with the deployment, improvement, or development of technologies including qPCR to help slow the pandemic. We are grateful for our dedicated team of engineers and support personnel, our customers, and their collective experience and commitment to help fight this virus by any means necessary.”

The company provides thin-film optics for a wide variety of applications, including autonomous vehicles, telecommunications, robotics, semiconductors, and defense. To learn more about Alluxa’s breakthrough optical coating technologies for COVID-19 detection, please visit: https://www.alluxa.com/optical-filter-catalog/fluorescence-filter-sets.html?application=2837. For product details on Alluxa’s full line of high-performance, thin-film optical filters, go to: https://www.alluxa.com/optical-filters/.

ABOUT THE COMPANY:

Alluxa (www.alluxa.com – Santa Rosa, CA) designs and manufactures next generation, hard-coated optical filters using a proprietary plasma deposition process. The company’s unique, purpose-built deposition platform and control systems were designed, developed, and built by our team to address the demanding requirements of the next generation of systems and instruments.  Our objectives are to increase production capability and continue to provide > 99% on-time delivery while creating the world’s most challenging filters at breakthrough price points.