Exploiting extreme performance optical coatings developed within the UK gravitational wave community

利用英国引力波界开发的极端性能光学涂层

• 批准号: ST/S001832/1
• 负责人: Stuart Reid
• 金额: $ 46.58万
• 依托单位: University of Strathclyde
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FS001832%2F1
• 关键词: Exploiting; extreme; performance; optical; coatings

Thin film coatings are core components within the majority of the technology that surrounds us, typically providing optical, electronic and/or protective/decorative functionality. Thin films are a key enabling technology within numerous vital sectors, including optical devices, telecommunications, energy and energy storage, functional/durable materials, biomedical, etc. Many commercial applications have helped drive the development of thin film coatings. For example, ion beam deposition (IBD) was originally developed for fabricating multilayer reflectors for laser ring gyroscopes, and then later exploited within the telecoms industry. The precision and uniformity of these coatings enabled the telecoms industry in the 1970s to fabricate DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) filters, allowing transmission (and subsequent separation) of multiple optical signals at nearby wavelengths. Although IBD has typically remained the method of choice for the most demanding optical applications, the cost associated with the technology means that UK companies have to source from overseas companies. We note that the UK has a large number of companies that procure high-performance IBD coatings, within sectors such as defence, biomedical, laser engineering, and quantum technology. We also note that the UK plays a leading role in a number of large European and international science projects, which require enhanced performance IBD coating technology, including ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) and in gravitational wave detection (LIGO and the Einstein Telescope). The University of Strathclyde has pioneered electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion beam deposition, which can surpass the performance of current state-of-the-art ion beam deposition. This technology also has the ability to reduce associated costs, due to having core components which are maintenance-free (unlike current RF ion beam deposition). This project seeks to transfer this technology to a leading international supplier of photonic and optoelectronic devices, to enable the UK to be the international go-to-supplier of extreme performance optical coatings for next generation optical and quantum technologies.

薄膜涂层是我们周围大多数技术的核心组件，通常提供光学、电子和/或保护/装饰功能。薄膜是许多重要部门的关键使能技术，包括光学设备、电信、能源和储能、功能/耐用材料、生物医学等。许多商业应用帮助推动了薄膜涂层的发展。例如，离子束沉积(IBD)最初是为了制造激光环形陀螺仪的多层反射镜而开发的，后来在电信行业中得到了开发。这些涂层的精度和一致性使电信业在20世纪70年代能够制造密集波分复用(DWDM)滤光器，允许在附近波长传输(和随后分离)多个光信号。尽管IBD通常仍然是要求最苛刻的光学应用的首选方法，但与该技术相关的成本意味着英国公司必须从海外公司采购。我们注意到，在国防、生物医学、激光工程和量子技术等领域，英国有大量公司采购高性能的IBD涂层。我们还注意到，英国在许多欧洲和国际大型科学项目中处于领先地位，这些项目需要增强性能的IBD涂层技术，包括ELI(极限光基础设施)和引力波探测(LIGO和爱因斯坦望远镜)。斯特拉斯克莱德大学开创了电子回旋共振(ECR)离子束沉积技术，其性能可以超过目前最先进的离子束沉积技术。这项技术还具有降低相关成本的能力，因为其核心组件是免维护的(与当前的射频离子束沉积不同)。该项目旨在将这项技术转让给一家领先的国际光子和光电子器件供应商，使英国成为下一代光学和量子技术的极高性能光学涂层的国际主要供应商。

项目成果

Controlling the optical properties of Hafnium Dioxide thin films deposited with Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Beam Deposition

• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2023.139781
• 发表时间: 2023-03
• 期刊: Thin Solid Films
• 影响因子: 2.1
• 作者: Chalisa Gier;M. B. Yaala;Callum Wiseman;S. Macfoy;M. Chicoine;F. Schiettekatte;J. Hough;S. Rowan;I. Martin;P. MacKay;S. Reid

High Precision Detection of Change in Intermediate Range Order of Amorphous Zirconia-Doped Tantala Thin Films Due to Annealing

高精度检测非晶氧化锆掺杂钽薄膜因退火引起的中程序变化

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.123.045501
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Physical Review Letters
• 影响因子: 8.6
• 作者: Prasai, K.;Jiang, J.;Mishkin, A.;Shyam, B.;Angelova, S.;Birney, R.;Drabold, D. A.;Fazio, M.;Gustafson, E. K.;Harry, G.
• 通讯作者: Harry, G.