Correlation between the structural and optical properties of ion assisted afnia thin films

The ion beam assistance during the film growth is one of the most useful method to obtain dense film along with improved optical and structural properties. Afnia material is widely used in optical coating operating in the UV region of the spectrum and its optical properties depend on the production method and the physical parameters of the species involved in the deposition process. In this work afnia thin films were evaporated by an e-gun and assisted during the growth process. The deposition parameters, ion beam energy, density of ions impinging on the growing film and the number of arrival atoms from the crucible, have been related to the optical and structural properties of the film itself. The absorption coefficient and the refractive index were measured by spectrophotometric technique while the microstructure (crystal phase, texture and grain size) has been studied by means of x-ray diffraction. A strictly correlation between the grain size, the optical properties and the laser damage threshold measurements at 248 nm was found for the samples deposited at different deposition parameters.