OPTIMAL SINGLE-BAND NORMAL-INCIDENCE ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS

Mathematical and computational evidence that strongly suggests that op timal solutions exist to single-band, normal-incidence antireflection coating problems is presented. It is shown that efficient synthesis an d refinement techniques can quickly and accurately iind such solutions . Several visible and infrared antireflection coating examples are pre sented to support this claim. Graphs that show the expected optimal pe rformance for different representative substrates, refractive-index ra tios, wavelength ranges, and overall optical thickness combinations ar e given. Typical designs exhibit a pronounced semiperiodic clustering of layers, which has also been observed in the past. Explanations of t his phenomenon are proposed. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America