Properties of Laser Mirrors at Non-normal Incidence

For laser mirrors made out of lossless periodic dielectric mutlilayers, having a basic period of two layers (ZnS and MgF₂) with different refractive indices and equal effective optical thicknesses, both the reflectivity at the stopband centre and the width of the stopband are calculated as a function of the angle of incidence for radiation polarized perpendicular or parallel to the plane of incidence. The results of computer calculations for mirrors with up to 20 layers are presented in a number of graphs and are discussed in detail. The graphs simplify the design of laser mirrors according to prescribed specifications and make it possible to distinguish between a maximum or a minimum of the spectral reflectivity at the centre of the stopband.     

Investigation on Spectral Properties of Metal�CInsulator�CMetal Film Stack with Rectangular Hole Arrays

Spectral properties of metal?Cinsulator?Cmetal hole arrays consisting of a dielectric core layer sandwiched between two metallic layers drilled in rectangular hole arrays are investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method in the visible and near-infrared regions. The influences of the thickness and refractive index of the dielectric core layer as well as the thickness of the metallic layer on the spectral absorptance and transmittance are numerically studied. It is found that strong spectral absorption can be excited by the internal- and external-surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). For some specific structure parameters, the metal?Cinsulator?Cmetal hole arrays show strong absorptance of the incident wave of about 95% if the internal- and external-SPPs are simultaneously excited.     

A Microwave Bandpass Filter on Dielectric Layers with Metal Grids

A bandpass filter of new design comprising dielectric layers with surface metal grids is developed and studied. Dielectric layers act as half-wave resonators, while metal grids act as mirrors with preset reflectivity and ensure optimum coupling between adjacent resonators and between the boundary resonators and free space. A test prototype of the third-order filter with a central bandpass frequency of ~12 GHz and relative bandwidth ~17% showed good agreement of theory and experiment. The proposed design can be used in making panels radio-transparent within a preset bandwidth for covering microwave antennas.     

Control of stress in protected silver mirrors prepared by plasma beam sputtering

Plasma beam sputtering was used to deposit dielectric-protected silver mirrors that exhibited excellent durability and controlled stress. The durability of the mirrors was strongly dependent upon the presence of a very thin chromium adhesion layer between the silver layer and the dielectric overcoat. The stress of the five-layer mirror was balanced by controlling the compressive stress in the top dielectric layer, offsetting the net tensile stress of the combination of layers below.     

Method for the synthesis of semitransparent wide band dielectric mirrors

A general method for the numerical design of wide band dielectric mirrors with non-zero transmission is given. The values of the optical parameters for twenty mirrors designed by this method are presented and discussed.     

Quarter-wave discrete wavelet design of dichroic highly reflecting-transmitting mirrors for ultrafast solid-state lasers

Thin-film wavelets are further analyzed for the design of dichroic mirrors for ultrafast solid-state lasers that provide both high reflectance on the lasing wavelength range and high transmittance of the pump light. Discrete quarter-wave-thick dielectric thin-film structures of homogeneous refractive indices following a quintic-wavelet envelope are considered. Relations for the reflectance on the lasing wavelength range are given. Adding several index-matching quarter-wave layers to both sides of the discrete wavelet optimizes the transmittance of the pump light. The design is further optimized to get minimum phase distortion on the lasing wavelength range.     

Hierarchical nanoparticle bragg mirrors: tandem and gradient architectures

To manipulate electrons in semiconductor electronic and optical devices, the usual approach is through materials composition, electronic bandgap, doping, and interface engineering. More advanced strategies for handling electrons in semiconductor devices include composition-controlled heterostructures and gradient structures. By analogy to the manipulation of electrons in semiconductor crystals by electronic bandgaps, photons in photonic crystals can be managed using photonic bandgaps. In this context, the simplest photonic crystal is the Bragg mirror, a periodic dielectric construct whose photonic bandgap is engineered through variations of the optical thickness of its constituent layers. Traditionally the materials comprising these periodic dielectric layers are nonporous, and they have mainly been used in the field of optical and photonic devices. More recently these Bragg mirrors have been made porous by building the layers from nanoparticles with functionality and utility that exploit their internal voids. These structures are emerging in the area of photonic color-coded chemical sensing and controlled chemical release. Herein, a strategy for enhancing the functionality and potential utility of nanoparticle Bragg mirrors by making the constituent dielectric layers aperiodic and porous is described. It is exemplified by prototypical tandem and gradient structures that are fully characterized with regards to their structure, porosity, and optical and photonic properties.     

Flattopped tunable wavelength-division-multiplexer filter design

We present what is to our knowledge the first design of a tunable optical filter with a flattopped passband. The filter consists of a Fabry-Perot etalon with multiple reflection gratings as dielectric mirrors. Wavelength tunability is achieved by modulation of the refractive indices of the cavity and the dielectric mirrors. Specifically, a filter with a 1-nm linewidth and a 40-nm wavelength-tuning range is designed for applications in wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical fiber communication systems. We also discuss several factors, including absorption and variations of other design parameters, that may affect the performance of the filter.     

Preparation of solar selective absorbing coatings by magnetron sputtering from a single stainless steel target

This paper presents a method to prepare solar selective absorbing coatings by radio frequency magnetron reactive sputtering using a single stainless steel target. Stainless steel/stainless steel nitride (SS/SS-N) ceramic-metal composite (cermet) thin films were produced under varied nitrogen gas flow ratios. The solar selective absorbing films have good solar absorptance of 0.91 and thermal emittance of 0.06 at 82 °C. The refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) of the cermet composite layers prepared in nitrogen and argon atmospheres were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The films were also analyzed by different oscillator models. The results showed a significant transformation from metal to cermet as the nitrogen gas flow ratio was increased to 10%. As the nitrogen gas flow ratio was increased to 17.5%, the film became a dielectric layer that could be used as an anti-reflection layer, suitable as the outermost layer of the solar selective absorbing coatings. A theoretical solar absorptance of 0.92 was achieved by selecting an appropriate combination of three solar absorbing layers. The experimental results agreed well with the theoretical calculations. This study proved the possibility of preparing solar selective absorbing coatings with high solar absorptance by using a single stainless steel target.     

Design und Herstellung selektiver Dünnschichtabsorber auf Silberinselbasis. Design and fabrication of selective multilayer absorber based on silver island films

The combination of a metal island film with a dielectric multilayer represents a novel approach for preparation of spectrally selective absorbers. Metal island films show exceptional optical properties caused by the optical excitation of surface plasmon modes. The plasmon resonance frequency depends on the size and shape of the islands and is influenced by the deposition parameters. The first type of samples represents a silver island film in an ultra thin Al₂O₃ film. We analyzed these samples by means of spectrophotometry. The recorded spectra allow the calculation of the optical constants of the silver island films. These show a maximum absorptance up to 40 %. Finally, we incorporated ultrathin metal‐dielectric‐composite films on a silver/alumina basis into multilayer stacks to design tailored spectrally selective absorber coatings. The stack absorptance comes close to 100 %.     

Hochreflektierende Beschichtungen auf Kunststoffoptiken

Metallized polymer substrates offering highest reflectance are not yet state of the art. Coating organic substrate materials is still a task that is connected with multiple problems. Insufficient adhesion of coatings on polymer substrates represents one of the main difficulties. We could show by experiment that aluminium and silver layers indicate good coating adhesion on many different polymers if they are deposited by vacuum evaporation considering certain process parameters. High reflectance values and a good climatic stability of the metal coated polymer parts are other important challenges to plastic mirrors. By performing roughness measurements on the different polymer samples and by comparing reflection values obtained after coating these samples the impact of the polymers surface quality on the reflectance after metal coating has been investigated. Particularly high reflectance above 97% was realized with a protected silver mirror as well as with dielectric enhanced aluminium. Applying these layer systems excellent reflection properties has been obtained on several plastic substrates comparable to those on glass mirrors. Furthermore the dielectric layers used for reflection enhancement showed the ability to protect the aluminium coating against climatic influences.     

1D-photonic crystals prepared from the amorphous chalcogenide films

We describe the preparation and optical properties of the 15-layer chalcogenide dielectric mirrors with the first order stop bands in near infrared range. The high refractive index Sb–Se and low refractive index Ge–S layers were deposited on silicon and glass substrates using thermal evaporation method. To centre the stop bands of the prepared chalcogenide mirrors at 1.55 μm, the layer thicknesses, d(Sb–Se) = 117 and d(Ge–S) = 183 nm, were calculated from the quarter wave stack condition. The optical reflectivity measurements revealed the total reflection from the 15-layer chalcogenide mirrors in the range of 1,400–1,600 nm for the unpolarized light with normal incidence. The effect of annealing on the optical properties of the prepared chalcogenide mirrors was studied as well. Using spectral ellipsometry, we examined the angular dependence of the multilayers reflectivity for the light with s- and p-polarization. The preparation of the dielectric mirrors for near infrared region from chalcogenide films seems to be possible exploiting good optical quality of chalcogenide films and their simple deposition.     

Resonant frequencies of Fabry-Perot interferometers with ultrathin mirror spacings

Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) with multilayer dielectric mirrors and mirror spacings as low as 0.7% of the operating wavelength are studied. It is shown how these low-order FPIs are affected by the phase dispersion characteristics of multilayer dielectric mirrors. Because experimental results in the optical regime are extremely difficult to obtain, radio frequency experiments are performed with coaxial cable FPI structures. Experimental results show excellent agreement with theory. These phase effects in FPIs with ultrathin mirror spacings are of great interest in the design of tunable microcavities with possible applications in optical communications.     

玻璃型镀铝二次表面镜的模拟空间环境辐照试验研究

主要通过对镀铝二次表面镜先后进行紫外辐照以及电子、质子的综合辐照,并结合太阳吸收率和半球发射率测试,研究了低能电子、质子以及紫外辐照对镀铝二次表面镜热控性能的影响。结果表明,镀铝OSR具有良好的抗紫外辐照以及抗低能电子、质子辐照能力。     

Optimization of multilayer mirrors at 13.4 nm with more than two materials

The design of multilayer mirrors with more than two materials is one of the key technologies for investigating lithography. We study a new procedure for optimizing multilayer mirrors of different combinations of materials at a wavelength of 13.4 nm. By adding Be and C layers in different orders to a Si/Mo stack, we have observed enhancement of the reflectivity and a reduction in the number of layers. The Luus-Jaakola optimization procedure has been implemented for the global optimization of the multilayer mirrors. With this algorithm it is not necessary to specify initially the number of layers present in a given design.     

Tolerances For Layer Thicknesses in Dielectric Multilayer Coatings and Interference Filters

A theory is developed for dielectric multilayer coatings in which the layers depart from calculated thickness. The theory is applied to alternating systems of quarter wave layers of ZnS and MgF₂. The effects of thickness errors are: (1) A shift of the wavelength at which maximum reflectance occurs; and (2) a change in phase shift upon reflection. The magnitude of these effects, and also their dependence on various parameters, are determined. Statistical tolerances for layer thicknesses are computed for given tolerances on the multilayer performance. The accuracy required for producing dielectric interference filters is up to about 40 times higher than the accuracy sufficient for the production of dielectric mirrors and beam splitters. Various techniques of experimentally controlling film thicknesses, and their accuracies, are discussed. The production of mirrors and beam splitters deviating from theoretical maximum reflectance by only 1 percent seems to be possible with Dufour’s simple single photocell method of monitoring film thicknesses. With more precise methods, such as those developed by Giacomo and Jacquinot, or Traub, the production of interference filters appears to be possible to within plus or minus one half their half widths.     

Low-Loss Dielectric Mirror with Ion-Beam-Sputtered TiO 2-SiO 2 Mixed Films

Ion-beam-sputtered TiO(2)-SiO(2) mixed films with 17% SiO(2) concentration were used as high-refractive-index layers in a multilayered-stack dielectric mirror. Experimental results indicated that total loss of the as-deposited mirror was 34% lower than that of the as-deposited conventional mirrors with pure TiO(2) films used as high-refractive-index layers. In addition, annealing reduced total loss of the mirrors. Although decreasing with an increasing annealing temperature, total loss of the conventional mirrors dramatically increased above ~200 degrees C annealing temperature, owing to increased scattering from an amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in the TiO(2) films. In addition, total loss of the mirrors with the mixed films continuously decreased with an increasing annealing temperature up to 400 degrees C without the phase transition. Total loss was reduced 88% by means of decreasing absorption in the mixed films. Moreover, the annealed mirror with mixed films was better than both the as-deposited mirror and the conventional mirror with pure films in terms of laser-damage resistance.     

Thin Gold Covered Titanium Transition Edge Sensor for Optical Measurement

A thin-gold-film-covered titanium transition edge sensor is newly developed for highly reliable optical photon detection. The aim of the gold film is to prevent a formation of a surface oxidation layer (typically 2.8?nm) on titanium that causes severe degradation of the titanium superconductivity. Optical properties for the gold-covered titanium TES embedded in an optical cavity are calculated, and we find that the maximum absorptance and absorption bandwidth will be reduced with increasing a thickness of the gold film. However, more than 99% absorptance can be possible for the gold (10?nm in thickness) and titanium (30?nm) if 11 dielectric layers are used in an anti-reflection coating. A depth profile of a chemical state for the fabricated device was analysed by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The profile shows no evidence of TiO₂ existence in photoelectron spectrum. Superconducting critical temperature covered with the 10?nm gold were in the range of 200?mK to 320?mK depending on the titanium thickness of 18?nm to 26?nm.     

Absorptance behavior of optical coatings for high-average-power laser applications

A modified photothermal deformation technique is used to measure the absorptance behaviors of optical multilayered dielectric coatings for a high-power laser system. The surface thermal-lensing modification uses an enlarged probe beam to facilitate alignment of the laser beam and data acquisition. The coatings, both reflective and transmissive types, are made by a physical vapor-deposition process. Coating absorptances are observed to depend on the laser's exposure time and power density. Time-dependent absorptance defect models are proposed. Also, micrometer-sized sites of high absorptance and an area with physical damage can be found during the spatial scans. It is proposed that absorptance values reported for coatings in high-repetition-rate or cw-laser systems include time- and power-dependent behaviors in addition to other relevant irradiation parameters.     

Diagnostic techniques and UV-induced degradation of the mirrors used in the Orsay storage ring free-electron laser

Due to its low gain, the Orsay storage ring free-electron laser necessitates the use of high reflectivity mirrors. Three techniques for measuring the mirror losses are presented, based on cavity decay time measurements using either an external laser, the synchrotron radiation stored in the cavity, or the free-electron laser itself. The high signal-to-noise ratio allowed the detection of loss variations as low as 10(-7)/sec(1/2). From these diagnostics three distinct processes of UV-induced degradation of TiO2/SiO2 dielectric mirrors were identified. One was a surface absorption of the upper SiO2-air interface; it was not affected by annealing. The other two corresponded to a volume absorption of the layers which completely recovered after annealing.