Optical: systems and elements – Mirror – With support
Patent
1994-08-08
1997-04-22
Dzierzynski, Paul W.
Optical: systems and elements
Mirror
With support
359871, 359872, 359900, 428213, 4289122, 428148, G02B 2700, G02B 7182, G02B 508, C08G 7704
Patent
active
056233752
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an interferential, or interference dielectric mirror, as well as to its production process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Interferential dielectric mirrors comprise a substrate covered by a dielectric film which reflects one or more desired wavelengths, while having a relatively low intrinsic absorption compared with the conventionally used metals.
Preferably, the invention relates to monochroic or polychroic, passive, dielectric mirrors reflecting wavelengths from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared.
Interferential dielectric mirrors can more specifically be used in high power laser systems, in photovoltaic and thermal applications, solar applications or in integrated optical systems.
A certain number of processes are already known making it possible to produce transparent, dielectric films and to deposit them on non-metallic substrates.
German patents 736 411 and 937 913 refer to the use of hydrolyzable compounds for the preparation of various interference films. The major disadvantage of these processes is the indispensable heat treatment at between 500.degree. and 600.degree. C. in order to convert the polymeric intermediates into the final, dense ceramics. These high temperatures limit the choice of the nature of the substrate to be coated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,905 deals with the preparation of thin, reflecting films from alcoholic TiCl.sub.4 solutions and a silicon alkoxide. Once again, it is necessary to have a heat treatment stage making it possible to appropriately densify the oxides. In this process, the problems of glazing and scaling linked with the densification of the materials, considerably reduce the production of high reflection, multilayer structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,956 describes the preparation of reflecting TiO.sub.2 films from hydrolyzates of tetraalkyl titanates in an alcoholic medium. Once again, for effectively converting the polymeric film into a dense oxide, said film must undergo heating at around 500.degree. C., which is therefore prejudicial for any organic substrate.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,768,909 and 2,710,267 describe the production of reflecting TiO.sub.2 films from alcoholic sols of a titanium alkoxide, said sols being hydrolyzable by atmospheric moisture. This approach also requires a high baking of the condensed intermediates.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,588 relates to the possibility of increasing the reflectivity of precious metal mirrors, as well as the possibility of making the same chemically passive by the deposition of TiO.sub.2 and Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 dielectric coatings obtained from molecular precursors. Such layers are obtained by an obligatory heating at approximately 400.degree. C.
The use of submicroscopic, colloidal particles for the preparation of microporous, optical films dates back about forty years and was in particular described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,432,484. The latter document describes the use of SiO.sub.2, colloids synthesized from a silicon alkoxide in solution, and/or a sodium silicate, in order to obtain antireflection films. Roughly 35 years later, another U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,210 describes the use of the colloidal procedure for producing thin optical films. The process described in said patent consists of synthesizing and depositing microgranular films of hydrated alumina as an antireflection coating on a vitreous substrate. This process involves heat treatment at between 300.degree. and 500.degree. C. in order to obtain the metal oxide, which limits the substrates which can be used.
Moreover, processes for the deposition of colloidal layers are known. Thus, an article entitled "Colloidal Sol-Gel Optical Coatings" published in "The American Ceramic Society Bulletin", vol. 69, no. 7, pp. 1141 to 1143, 1990, describes the possibility of depositing several layers of colloidal materials by centrifugal coating, in order to produce the optical components of a laser. This article states that by using sol-gel colloidal suspensions and by appropriately choosing volatile solvents for forming the liquid phase of the colloidal med
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Week 8549 Derwent Pub. Ltd. London, GB; AN 85-307423 & JP, A, 60, 214 302 (Suwa Seikosha KK) 20 Octobre 1985.
Berger Michel
Floch Herve
Commissariat a l''Energie Atomique
Dzierzynski Paul W.
Sikd-er Mohammad Y.
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