Material mixtures offer new possibilities for synthesizing coating materials with tailored optical and mechanical properties. We present experimental results on mixtures of HfO2, ZrO2, and Al2O3, pursuing applications in UV coating technology, while the mixtures are prepared by magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, plasma ion-assisted deposition (PIAD), and electron beam evaporation without assistance. The properties investigated include the refractive index, optical gap, thermal shift, and mechanical stress. The first high reflectors for UV applications have been deposited by PIAD.
Ion-beam sputtered TixSi1−xO2 binary-oxide films of high optical quality with tunable bandgap and refractive index were produced using zone targets. The suitability of the films for high-power subpicosecond laser applications is explored by laser breakdown measurements. The observed scaling laws of the single-pulse breakdown threshold—a power law with respect to pulse duration and a linear law with respect to bandgap energy—are similar to results obtained with high-quality simple oxides. The single- and multiple-pulse breakdown behaviors of these binary films indicate only slightly larger defect densities than found in simple oxides.
Methods for the manufacture of rugate filters by the ion-beam-sputtering process are presented. The first approach gives an example of a digitized version of a continuous-layer notch filter. This method allows the comparison of the basic theory of interference coatings containing thin layers with practical results. For the other methods, a movable zone target is employed to fabricate graded and gradual rugate filters. The examples demonstrate the potential of broadband optical monitoring in conjunction with the ion-beam-sputtering process. First-characterization results indicate that these types of filter may exhibit higher laser-induced damage-threshold values than those of classical filters.
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