A workpiece support, such as an end effector, is coated on at least one of its surfaces with an anti-reflective material. The anti-reflective material improves the transmission of light through the workpiece support. The workpiece support may be disposed in a chamber, with heating elements disposed beneath the workpiece support, such that the workpiece support is disposed between the heating elements and the workpiece. In certain embodiments, the heating elements may be LEDs or tungsten halogen lamps. The anti-reflective material allows more efficient energy transfer from the heating elements to the workpiece. This may result in improved temperature uniformity across the workpiece. The anti-reflective material may be magnesium fluoride or a multi-layer optical coating. Alternatively, the heating elements may be disposed above the workpiece. In this case, the reduced reflection from the workpiece support may minimize the temperature increase on the portion of the workpiece disposed above the workpiece support.