Advanced

Case Library

One-click access to nine built-in classic thin-film examples

Case Library is the built-in collection of classic thin-film examples in Dreapex TMM. Click the Case Library button in the top toolbar (pi pi-th-large icon, testid: layout-toolbar-open-case-library) to open the dialog and load a complete model — structure, optics, sweep, and optimizer — in one click.

Three primary uses:

  • On first launch, get a working model that already produces results, instead of starting from an empty structure;
  • Before writing a new case, mirror the Sweep / Optimizer combination of a mature example to avoid common pitfalls;
  • Demonstrate common thin-film structures in teaching or design reviews.

Dialog Layout

RegionPurpose
Left category listFilter cases by film type: All Cases / AR Coatings / Mirrors / Filters / Special
Center card gridThumbnails, names, and one-line summaries for the cases in the active category
Right detail panelFull description, highlight list, and Open Case button for the selected case

Open Case triggers a confirmation dialog and then replaces the entire current model. The current structure, optics, sweep, and optimizer configuration are overwritten; the local autosave draft remains in the browser and can be restored via the case-comparison workflow.

Case Inventory

IDNameCategoryHighlights
dbr-mirrorDBR Mirror @ 633 nmMirror8 pairs of TiO₂ / SiO₂ quarter-wave layers; reflection peak at 633 nm with side ripples; Phase / GD dispersion detectors enabled by default
single-layer-arSingle-layer MgF₂ AR @ 550 nmAR CoatingTextbook single-layer AR; V-shaped reflectance dip; angle-dependent shift
v-coat-arV-coat AR @ 550 nmAR CoatingAl₂O₃ + MgF₂ two-layer AR; deeper V-dip than single-layer
broadband-arBroadband 3-layer ARAR CoatingMgF₂ / ZrO₂ / Al₂O₃ broadband AR; flat low reflectance across the visible
bandpass-filterFabry-Pérot Bandpass @ 550 nmFilterDBR · half-wave cavity · DBR sandwich; narrow transmission peak
hot-mirrorHot MirrorFilterVisible-pass, NIR-reflect; common in lighting and projector heat management
cold-mirrorCold MirrorFilterVisible-reflect, IR-pass; used to extract IR heat from light sources
solar-stacka-Si Solar CellSpecialITO + amorphous-silicon absorber + glass substrate; inspect layer absorption
beam-splitter50/50 Beam Splitter @ 633 nmSpecialThree-layer dielectric splitter; close to R = T = 0.5 at 45° incidence

DBR Mirror @ 633 nm is the default case loaded on first launch.

Loading Flow

  1. Click the Case Library button in the top toolbar.
  2. Pick a category on the left, or keep All Cases.
  3. Choose a case in the card grid.
  4. Read the right-side highlights to confirm the structure matches your intent.
  5. Click Open Case → confirmation dialog → Replace.
  6. After loading, the app navigates to Structure so you can edit or run immediately.
The Sweep and Optimizer configurations are not placeholders. Each case ships with sweep parameters and optimization goals that match its physics. Run Sweep or Run Optimizer produces meaningful results immediately.

Cases and Learning Paths

Learning goalRecommended cases
Interference and quarter-wave stacksdbr-mirror
Single-layer AR and angle dependencesingle-layer-ar
Compare single / double / multilayer AR performancesingle-layer-arv-coat-arbroadband-ar
Fabry-Pérot cavity filterbandpass-filter
Hot vs. cold light separationhot-mirror and cold-mirror
Energy distribution inside an absorbersolar-stack (with Layer Absorption and depth detectors)
Polarization-dependent splittingbeam-splitter

Relationship to Local Data

Loading a case only replaces the model snapshot in the Pinia store. It does not clear:

  • Refractive index files already imported into the browser (Database mode still works);
  • Imported incident spectrum files;
  • User preferences and performance thresholds in Settings;
  • History entries in Logs.

If you want to keep your current model before loading a case, click the export button in the toolbar (pi pi-download) first to save it as a .tmm file. See Model File Import / Export.

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