Location
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Start Date
3-8-2010 9:00 AM
End Date
3-8-2010 12:00 PM
Description
Thin film coatings have a large number of applications. For example, one can eliminate unwanted reflection on a photographic lens or unwanted wavelengths of light in optics experimentation. The fabrication and characterization of films whose refractive indices can be arbitrarily modulated (‘Rugate Filters’) is an ongoing exploration in materials science1,2. Therefore, calibrating a process which can manufacture such films is a relevant pursuit in forwarding such explorations. Reactive magnetron sputter deposition is a commonly used technique for the productions of thin films3,4. This technique steadily flows reactive gas (RG) into a vacuum chamber in which an electric field has been established. The RG is then ionized by the electric field which causes it to bombard a solid target placed inside the chamber. Many of the atoms which are displaced by the ionized gas further travel towards an adjacent substrate (Figure 1). Ideally, this occurs in such a way as to deposit the newly formed molecule on the surface a glass slide. In our case the RG, N2, and O2 were intended to deposit Si3N4 and SiO2 whose indices of refraction are respectively high and low (Figure 4). Reproducibility of this contrast is essential in the fabrication of the desired optical devices. In order to determine that these intended reactions occurred in a reproducible way, the thickness and refractive index of the films where calculated from the Transmission Spectra of the films.
Keywords
Optical films; Thin films – Design and construction
Disciplines
Optics | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Physics
Language
English
Thin film optical filter fabrication and characterization
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Thin film coatings have a large number of applications. For example, one can eliminate unwanted reflection on a photographic lens or unwanted wavelengths of light in optics experimentation. The fabrication and characterization of films whose refractive indices can be arbitrarily modulated (‘Rugate Filters’) is an ongoing exploration in materials science1,2. Therefore, calibrating a process which can manufacture such films is a relevant pursuit in forwarding such explorations. Reactive magnetron sputter deposition is a commonly used technique for the productions of thin films3,4. This technique steadily flows reactive gas (RG) into a vacuum chamber in which an electric field has been established. The RG is then ionized by the electric field which causes it to bombard a solid target placed inside the chamber. Many of the atoms which are displaced by the ionized gas further travel towards an adjacent substrate (Figure 1). Ideally, this occurs in such a way as to deposit the newly formed molecule on the surface a glass slide. In our case the RG, N2, and O2 were intended to deposit Si3N4 and SiO2 whose indices of refraction are respectively high and low (Figure 4). Reproducibility of this contrast is essential in the fabrication of the desired optical devices. In order to determine that these intended reactions occurred in a reproducible way, the thickness and refractive index of the films where calculated from the Transmission Spectra of the films.
Comments
Poster research sponsored by NSF REU Physics