Title

Stable Polarizing Beamsplitters Deposited By Reactive Ion Plating

Abstract

Dielectric multilayer thin film stacks deposited on glass plates or prisms can work as polarizing beam splitters when used at an oblique angle of light incidence. Coatings deposited in vacuum by conventional electron beam or reactive thermal evaporation have an inherently large internal surface area, because of the columnar micro-structure, and have packing densities less than unity. Exposed to ambient humid air, their spectral response and polarization characteristics change. The cause is adsorption or desorption of water vapor on their inner surfaces upon changes in humidity and temperature. The novel deposition technique of low voltage reactive ion plating produces thin films with a packing density of unity or higher. This prevents them from any uptake of humidity at all. We demonstrate the fabrication of stable polarizing beamsplitters for the HeNe wavelength of 632.8 nm by this technique. We reported our preliminary results in an earlier presentation.1 Here we present also the performance of our samples after their exposure to ambient environment for three months. © 1990, SPIE.

Publication Date

1-25-1990

Publication Title

Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Volume

1166

Number of Pages

310-314

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.962901

Socpus ID

84957492934 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84957492934

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