Abstract
The variety of optical components produced using this ion- assisted-deposition (IAD) technique, spans a wide ken of applications: immersed beamsplitters; band pass and edge filters; laser filters; IR windows; durable anti-reflection filters, fiber optics, and enhanced metals. Each product type has a specific set of constraints that establishes the design and production strategy: substrate type, material indices, intrinsic stress, temperature, distribution, uniformity, thickness monitoring, spectral performance specification, and environmental requirements. The end-Hall IAD processes were performed using an ion-beam current of approximately one Ampere over a range of 40 to 120eV, providing a uniform ion current density impinging on a large substrate area. Compared to films deposited using either conventional physical vapor deposition, or standard gridded ion sources, this process produces optically stable films with abroad ion-beam that is well suited for volume manufacturing of complex optical coatings.
