Abstract

Mechanical behavior of optical thin films is a field of increasing interest especially when durability of coatings made of hard materials on plastic substrates is concerned. This is typically the case of antireflection coatings on spectacle lenses. Improving mechanical resistance of such systems requires measurement and optimization of the rheological properties of thin films materials, as well as control of the residual stress in the stack. In this paper, we present the stress, hardness and Young modulus measurements performed on SiO₂ layers evaporated under different residual gas conditions.

© 1995 Optical Society of America