How Thin-Film Optical Coatings Are Formed
Manx Precision Optics (MPO) has just released a new Technical Note explaining the fundamentals of growing films for optical coatings.
Even though the bulk properties of the coating material meet the specifications, the final microstructure is highly dependent upon the intricacies of the film growth process. Issues such as the temperature of deposition, the crystalline phase of the deposited material and moisture in the film among countless other factors are critical to ensuring the quality of the end result. Ignorance about such factors can have catastrophic consequences on coating quality, leading to unwanted shifts in spectral behavior, reduced LIDT, reduced bandwidths or even stress-induced crazing!
To read the complete technical note (TN2021-02), entitled “Thin Film Microstructure: Formation of Thin Films”, click here.
Read other informative technical notes related to MPO’s products and processes.
To request more information or a quotation for Manx Precision Optics products, contact IL Photonics.