Integrated active optical thin film devices based on nano-structured smart functional materials

2005年，光学涂层应用代表了43亿美元的全球市场;它们的范围从大多数光学元件中的抗反射涂层到电信中使用的窄带光学干涉滤光片。虽然目前大多数应用要求材料的光学性质是无源的（它们的性质不随应用条件而改变），但人们对开发新的应用如基于有源材料的薄膜安全器件、传感器和仪器用滤光器存在很大兴趣。在本项目中，我们建议开发新的主动防伪设备，其外观变化时，施加外部驱动，以及基于纳米结构控制的多孔材料应用于光纤的全光学薄膜传感器。该项目的一部分将致力于开发一种物理模型，该模型同时考虑到单个薄膜的多功能特性（包括机械、光学和其他特性），并使人们能够预测和设计环境稳定的滤光器的性能，如天文学中使用的滤光器。这些新技术将使加拿大工业直接受益。

Optical coating applications represented a worldwide market of 4.3 billion US dollars in 2005; they range from antireflective coatings found in most optical components to narrowband optical interference filters used in telecommunications. While most current applications require that the optical properties of the materials are passive (their properties do not change with applied conditions), there exists much interest to develop new applications such as thin film security devices, sensors and filters for instrumentation based on active materials. In the present project, we propose to develop new active anti-counterfeiting devices whose appearance changes when applying external actuation, as well as all-optical thin film sensors based on nanostructure-controlled porous materials applied to optical fibers. Part of this project will be devoted to the development of a physical model that simultaneously takes into account the multifunctional properties (including mechanical, optical and others) of individual films and allows one to predict and design the performance of environmentally stable optical filters, such as those used in astronomy. These new technologies will directly benefit the Canadian industry.