Innovation is part of our tradition – It was at the suggestion of reigning Prince Franz Josef ll of Liechtenstein that Dr Max Auwärter – in cooperation with Emil G Bührle – founded the company Balzers in the village of Balzers, in the Principality of Liechtenstein, in 1946. At that time, the technology of vacuum deposition was still in its early stages. With very few exceptions, high vacuum systems were being used only in research laboratories.

Due to the lack of commercially available high vacuum equipment, Balzers had to design and build most of the required vacuum components, equipment and systems necessary for the development of its novel and proprietary thin-film coating processes.

With its acquisition of mso jena Mikroschichtoptik GmbH in Jena, Germany, Materion Balzers Optics is expanding its competencies and manufacturing technologies into a unique portfolio, generating added value for customers.

Materion Balzers Optics Jena, formerly mso jena, was founded in 1998 as a spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics Jena. The use and further development of state-of-the-art coating technologies, and the close connection to industry and research institutions in the Jena optics cluster were key factors for its successful development. Materion Balzers Optics Jena is focused on the development and manufacturing of high-performance interference filters for various applications.

The market for optical components is booming worldwide. Materion Balzers Optics therefore consistently implements its international growth strategy and has decided to initiate production in Malaysia as of fall 2016.

Today Materion Balzers Optics is a globally recognized leader in customized optical thin-film coatings and components for the photonics industry.