Abstract

Although heating substrates during deposition to temperatures of 250°C or higher often improves film properties, this precludes the use of conventional techniques to deposit thin films onto substrate materials that degrade in high temperature environments. Ion assisted deposition (IAD) is a technique that can improve the performance of thin films produced by physical vapor deposition, even when depositing onto heated substrates.^1-3 IAD can increase film packing density and improve film stoichiometry compared to conventionally deposited coatings, resulting in optical thin films having higher values of refractive index, less optical absorption and scatter, better adhesion, improved environmental stability and greater abrasion resistance.

© 1988 Optical Society of America