Optimization of Process Parameters for Low-Absorbing Optical Coatings Fabricated by Reactive Ion-Beam Sputter Deposition

The parameters of a reactive ion-beam sputter deposition system have to be optimized to achive layers with low absorption. For that, different materials have been deposited with variing the oxygen partial pressure to find the optimum for each material. Additionally, the position and the angle of the substrate related to the target have been changed to examine the influence on the absorption. The measurements have been performed using photothermal deflection which is a suitable method to determine such small absorption values. 1