Nanostructural antireflecting coatings: Classification analysis (A review)

Many modern optical instruments require the use of high-quality antireflecting coatings. Singleand multilayer homogeneous films are mainly used for this purpose. However, an alternative line is rapidly developed at present, which is devoted to the design and use of nanostructural systems for increasing the transparency of different media. Despite the unified principle of operation of these coatings, which is based on the destructive interference of waves in the direction of reflection of light, approaches to their implementation may differ significantly. Different types of nanostructural coatings are considered in detail and classified, their optical properties are compared, and special attention is paid to methods of their manufacture. It is shown that different antireflecting coatings should be used for different purposes, and that coatings that combine properties of several classes often have better antireflecting capabilities.