Abstract

Optical and physical properties of thin films are intimately related to parameters associated with the applied deposition scheme. For ion-assisted deposition (IAD), controllable changes in parameters such as the ion species, energy, flux, deposition rate, substrate temperature, and back-fill gas pressure can influence, among other properties, the resulting values of refractive index, optical transparency, and laser-induced damage threshold. Dependence of these properties on several IAD parameters is examined for applications in the ultraviolet and visible range for Y₂O₃ and ZrO₂ films. In addition, properties of transparent films produced from metallic starting materials by means of oxygen-ion assist are presented. The index dispersion and transparency, evaluated from spectrophoto- metric measurements with the envelope method, are compared as functions of deposition parameters. High-peak-power ultraviolet laser damage thresholds of Y₂O₃/SiO₂ and ZrO₂SiO₂ multilayers deposited under parameters selected from preliminary optical performances are also presented. Reproducibility of the obtained properties and application possibilities are discussed.

© 1990 Optical Society of America