Abstract

In the various phases of the development, production, and use of an optical thin film coating, it is vital to choose proper thin film materials not only with respect to their optical properties but just as essential with respect to their environmental durability. If environmental tests reveal failures in optical interference coatings, this may be due to interactions between the layers and/or between the substrate and the first layer. Such interactions can be best established and analyzed by depth profiling using electron and/or ion beam methods. Emphasis is placed on the practicability with dielectric coatings where difficulties may sometimes arise because of decomposition, diffusion, and charging effects during analysis.

© 1982 Optical Society of America