DEPOSITION ERROR COMPENSATION FOR OPTICAL MULTILAYER COATINGS .2. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS - SPUTTERING SYSTEM

A fully automated magnetron-sputtering system for the deposition of co mplicated optical multilayer structures is described. The process cont rol includes the real-time determination of the deposited layer thickn esses and adjustment of the remaining layer thicknesses to reoptimize the final performance of the multilayer system. With this deposition s ystem it should be possible to produce almost any all-dielectric filte r that can be designed, subject only to limitations imposed by time, c ost, and mechanical stability of the coatings. To demonstrate the perf ormance of the deposition system, five complex multilayer systems were fabricated. The theoretical and measured spectral transmittance curve s of these multilayer systems closely agree with one another over broa d spectral regions. The equipment is capable of unattended operation o ver periods of 24 h or more.