Extreme-ultraviolet calibration of thin-film Zr filters for the cosmic hot interstellar plasma spectrometer

The design and calibration of thin-film Zr transmission filters for the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) spaceborne astronomical telescope is presented. The transmission of a 1,000-A-thick Zr filter is measured for wavelengths from 45 to 1,304 A as well as its variability with respect to expected space-flight enviromental extremes of temperature, vibration, and atomic O bombardment. For the CHIPS spectral band of 90-260 A, the transmission of the Zr fiter is deemed useful between 90 and 200 A and is stable with respect to expected temperature and vibrational changes. The maximum atomic O bombardment decreases the filter transmission between 90 and 130 A by approximately 20% and does not appreciably affect the rest of the CHIPS bandpass. These results make Zr an acceptable filter candidate for CHIPS.