Thin-Film Optical Filters

Written by a world-renowned authority of optical coatings, Thin-Film Optical Filters, Fourth Edition presents an introduction to thin-film optical filters for both manufacturers and users. The preeminent author covers an assortment of design, manufacture, performance, and application topics. He also includes enough of the basic mathematics of optical thin films to enable readers to carry out thin-film calculations.

This new edition of a bestseller retains most of the descriptions of older design techniques because of their importance in understanding how designs work. However, this edition includes a substantial amount of new material as well. A new chapter on color takes into account the increasing importance of color in optical coatings. In addition, a new section discusses the effects of gain in optical coatings.

This comprehensive yet accessible book continues to offer valuable insight into the principles, techniques, and processes of successful coating design. It provides the sound foundation required to make further advances in the field.

Introduction
Early History
Thin-Film Filters

Basic Theory
Maxwell’s Equations and Plane Electromagnetic Waves
The Simple Boundary
The Reflectance of a Thin Film
The Reflectance of an Assembly of Thin Films
Reflectance, Transmittance, and Absorptance
Units
Summary of Important Results
Potential Transmittance
A Theorem on the Transmittance of a Thin-Film Assembly
Coherence
Incoherent Reflection at Two or More Surfaces

Theoretical Techniques
Quarter- and Half-Wave Optical Thicknesses
Admittance Loci
Electric Field and Losses in the Admittance Diagram
The Vector Method
The Herpin Index
Alternative Method of Calculation
Smith’s Method of Multilayer Design
The Smith Chart
Reflection Circle Diagrams

Antireflection Coatings
Antireflection Coatings on High-Index Substrates
Antireflection Coatings on Low-Index Substrates
Equivalent Layers
Antireflection Coatings for Two Zeros
Antireflection Coatings for the Visible and the Infrared
Inhomogeneous Layers
Further Information

Neutral Mirrors and Beam Splitters
High-Reflectance Mirror Coatings
Neutral Beam Splitters
Neutral-Density Filters

Multilayer High-Reflectance Coatings
The Fabry–Perot Interferometer
Multilayer Dielectric Coatings
Losses

Edge Filters
Thin-Film Absorption Filters
Interference Edge Filters

Band-Pass Filters
Broadband-Pass Filters
Narrowband Filters
Multiple Cavity Filters
Higher Performance in Multiple-Cavity Filters
Phase Dispersion Filter
Multiple Cavity Metal–Dielectric Filters
Measured Filter Performance

Tilted Coatings
Modified Admittances and the Tilted Admittance Diagram
Application of the Admittance Diagram
Polarizers
Nonpolarizing Coatings
Antireflection Coatings
Retarders
Optical Tunnel Filters

Color in Optical Coatings
Color Definition
The 1964 Supplementary Colorimetric Observer
Metamerism
Other Color Spaces
Hue and Chroma
Brightness and Optimal Stimuli
Colored Fringes

Production Methods and Thin-Film Materials
The Production of Thin Films
Measurement of the Optical Properties
Measurement of the Mechanical Properties
Toxicity
Summary of Some Properties of Common Materials

Factors Affecting Layer and Coating Properties
Microstructure and Thin-Film Behavior
Sensitivity to Contamination

Layer Uniformity and Thickness Monitoring
Uniformity
Substrate Preparation
Thickness Monitoring and Control
Tolerances

Specification of Filters and Environmental Effects
Optical Properties
Physical Properties

System Considerations: Applications of Filters and Coatings
Potential Energy Grasp of Interference Filters
Narrowband Filters in Astronomy
Atmospheric Temperature Sounding
Order Sorting Filters for Grating Spectrometers
Glare Suppression Filters and Coatings
Some Coatings Involving Metal Layers

Other Topics
Rugate Filters
Ultrafast Coatings
Automatic Methods
Gain in Optical Coatings
Photonic Crystals

Characteristics of Thin-Film Dielectric Materials

Bibliography

Index

References appear at the end of each chapter.

H. Angus Macleod is President of the Thin Film Center Inc. in Tucson, Arizona, and Professor Emeritus of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.