Title

Reactive Ion Plating. A Novel Deposition Technique For Improved Optical Coatings

Abstract

Reactive Ion Plating Deposition (RIPD) is a plasma-enhanced thermal evaporation (physical vapor deposition, PVD) technique. A high current (50-60 A), low voltage (50 - 80 V) arc produced in a hot filament argon plasma source is burning into the crucible of a modified electron beam evaporator. The arc discharge ionizes the residual gas atmosphere in the coating chamber (O2 at about 10-4 to 10-3 mbar) as well as some of the evaporant. This creates an intense plasma in contact with the substrates. The substrates (dielectric optical elements) are mounted on an insulated holder (rotary dome). Because of receiving more electrons out of the plasma than ions, they obtain a negative self-bias of 5 to 50 V. This bias attracts and accelerates the positive ions out of the plasma (oxygen and evaporant species). The electrostatic nature of the attraction causes the accelerated ions impinge normal onto the surface of the substrate and the growing film. The resulting films are very dense, smooth, hard, and adherent to the substrate. They have also higher refractive index and laser-induced damage threshold than comparable oxide films deposited by standard electron beam evaporation. Here we report recent results obtained with single layer TiO2 and multilayer TiO2/SiO2, ZrO2/SiO2, and Ta2O5 coatings, which illustrate the improvements achieved with RIPD.

Publication Date

12-1-1988

Publication Title

Proceedings, Annual Technical Conference - Society of Vacuum Coaters

Number of Pages

185-191

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

Socpus ID

0024170864 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/0024170864

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