The development and characterization of advanced broadband mirror coatings for the far-UV

摘要

We present a progress report on the development of new broadband mirror coatings that demonstrate ≥ 80% reflectivities from 1020-5000 A. Four different coating recipes are presented as candidates for future far-ultraviolet (FUV) sensitive broadband observatories. Three samples were first coated with aluminum (Al) and lithium fluoride (LiF) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) using a new high-temperature physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. Two of these samples then had an ultrathin (10-20 A) protective coat of either magnesium fluoride (MgF_2) or aluminum fluoride (AlF_3) applied using atomic later deposition (ALD) at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). A fourth sample was coated with Al and a similar high temperature PVD coating of AlF_3. Polarized reflectivities into the FUV for each sample were obtained through collaboration with the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. We present a procedure for using these reflectivities as a baseline for calculating the optical constants of each coating recipe. Given these results, we describe plans for improving our measurement methodology and techniques to develop and characterize these coating recipes for future FUV missions.