Abstract

Reduction of optical scattering is becoming a concern for space and astronomy applications. Scattering makes it difficult to resolve faint planets near much larger and brighter stars. In earlier work we have shown that applying ion beam processes have greatly influenced the microstructure of metal coatings. This paper reports results concerning the ion beam deposition of gold and platinum coatings onto super polished fused silica and Zerodur substrates. Coating processes employed are evaporation, ion assisted deposition (IAD), sputtering, and ion assisted sputtering (IAS). Coatings have been examined using variety of techniques listed below.

© 1992 Optical Society of America