Determination of refractive indices of materials in modeling multilayer mirrors

Abstract

Thin-film coatings for optical elements are widely used in various industries. Antireflection coatings are used in display screens, photodetectors, fiber optic light guides, mirror coatings are used for telescopes, medical equipment, etc. One of the main goals in the production of thin-film coatings is to determine the refractive index and the choice of materials applied to optical products. We present the results of determining the refractive indices of materials used for the manufacture of multilayer mirrors with the desired spectral characteristics. In general, light reflection occurs at the interface between two materials, for example, glass and air. Dielectric films were obtained by high-frequency ion-beam sputtering of the target. It is shown that the refractive index of the SiO2 film must be repeatedly corrected to minimize systematic errors. The results obtained can be used in the production of high-precision optical systems for various industries, especially medicine, space instrumentation, aviation and others.