CARMEN MENONI - Thin film amorphous oxides for optical interference coatings of demanding laser applications and their characterization

Carmen Menoni.

Colorado State University

Jueves 14/6/2018, 14 hs.

Aula Seminario, 2do piso, Pab. I.

Ion beam sputtering is a physical vapor deposition method that allows for the growth of thin films with superior control in thickness, uniformity and density. Reactive ion beam sputtering produces amorphous oxide films of the highest density. For this reason it is the preferred deposition method to engineer interference coatings for demanding applications in coatings for high energy lasers operating in visible and near infrared, for the test masses of the Laser Gravitational Wave Interferometer (LIGO). In this talk I will describe fundamentals of the ion beam sputtering of amorphous oxides, focusing on how the materials’ properties can be tailored for the specific laser applications. I will also present results on the use of broad area ion beams to pattern surfaces with periodic structures which are potentially enablers of three dimensional periodic multilayer structures. Towards the end of the talk I will describe new opportunities in materials and optical science research enabled by bright table top x-ray sources.