Characterization of zirconia- and niobia-silica mixture coatings produced by ion-beam sputtering

摘要

ZrO_(2)-SiO_(2) and Nb_(2)O_(5)-SiO_(2) mixture coatings as well as those of pure zirconia (ZrO_(2)), niobia (Nb_(2)O_(5)), and silica (SiO_(2)) deposited by ion-beam sputtering were investigated. Refractive-index dispersions, bandgaps, and volumetric fractions of materials in mixed coatings were analyzed from spectrophotometric data. Optical scattering, surface roughness, nanostructure, and optical resistance were also studied. Zirconia-silica mixtures experience the transition from crystalline to amorphous phase by increasing the content of SiO_(2). This also results in reduced surface roughness. All niobia and silica coatings and their mixtures were amorphous. The obtained laser-induced damage thresholds in the subpicosecond range also correlates with respect to the silica content in both zirconia- and niobia-silica mixtures.