Thermal evaporation is commonly used for the production of optical coa
tings. The low packing density of thermally evaporated films implies o
ptical constants and mechanical properties which are inferior to those
of the bulk materials. For the investigations of the plasma IAD proce
ss we used a newly developed advanced plasma source (APS) with special
features. The properties of dielectric layers deposited with plasma-I
AD will be presented in comparison to conventional thermally evaporate
d films. In particular, the results of scratch resistant layers in com
bination with antireflection coatings on organic substrates will be sh
own.