Abstract

Optical coatings have sub-micrometer thicknesses that cause interfaces and bulks to play an equivalent role in their optical energy balance. At low-loss levels for instance, both absorption and scattering may originate from interface and bulk effects, including geometrical and chemical aspects such as roughness, inhomogeneity, transition layers and impurities… Moreover, these imperfections may result from random or discrete processes that require different characterization tools. At last the tools of characterization should provide multiscale parameters (from the macroscopic to the microscopic) in order to predict the balance of a multilayer under optical power at any wavelength.

© 1995 Optical Society of America