Open AccessOptical performance of large-area crystalline coatings
Author(s) -
M. Marchio,
R. Flaminio,
L. Pinard,
Danièle Forest,
C. Deutsch,
Paula Heu,
David Follman,
Garrett D. Cole
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.26.006114
Subject(s) - materials science , optics , interferometry , sapphire , optical coating , optoelectronics , birefringence , laser linewidth , surface roughness , laser , fabrication , surface finish , thin film , nanotechnology , composite material , medicine , physics , alternative medicine , pathology
Given their excellent optical and mechanical properties, substrate-transferred crystalline coatings are an exciting alternative to amorphous multilayers for applications in precision interferometry. The high mechanical quality factor of these single-crystal interference coatings reduces the limiting thermal noise in precision optical instruments such as reference cavities for narrow-linewidth laser systems and interferometric gravitational wave detectors. In this manuscript, we explore the optical performance of GaAs/AlGaAs crystalline coatings transferred to 50.8-mm (2-inch) diameter fused silica and sapphire substrates. We present results for the transmission, scattering, absorption, and surface quality of these prototype samples including the defect density and micro-roughness. These novel coatings exhibit optical performance on par with state-of-the-art dielectric structures, encouraging further work focused on the fabrication of larger optics using this technique.