Obtaining Al2O3 films for optical purposes by ac magnetron sputtering

This paper discusses the optical properties of Al2O3 films obtained by reac tive magnetron sputtering of an Al target with current at an ultrasound fre quency. An analysis of the spectral characteristics showed that the films h ave a homogeneous refractive index through the thickness of the layer. The optical parameters and thickness of the firms were computed using nonlinear programming. Solving this problem made it possible to determine the disper sion of the refractive index and the film-growth rate as a function of the magnetron discharge power. (C) 2000 The Optical Society of America. [S1070- 9762(00)01409-3].