Open AccessTowards new levels for stacking of sol-gel functional coatings
Author(s) -
Xavier Dieudonné,
Karine Vallé,
Philippe Belleville
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.016356
Subject(s) - stacking , materials science , refractive index , microstructure , optical coating , deposition (geology) , optics , thin film , layer (electronics) , high refractive index polymer , composite material , homogeneous , light scattering , scattering , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , paleontology , physics , nuclear magnetic resonance , sediment , biology , thermodynamics
High optical performance coatings prepared by a liquid deposition process have been studied with focus on the parameters playing a role on the layer stacking ability. During the development of multilayer optical coatings, defects such as cracks, scattering and a refractive index gradient could appear. In order to understand the origins of these limitations, the investigation was performed on colloidal stacks of single and multi-materials. This study has rendered it possible to define the main process parameters as well as the physical and chemical parameters of the suspensions influencing the stacking capacity. This work is a first step to obtaining evidence of a relationship between the thin film microstructure induced by deposition conditions and the ability to achieve sol-gel thick films with good optical (homogeneous) and mechanical (crack-free) properties.