Ion-assisted laser deposition of CaF2 thin films at low temperatures

Abstract

Thin CaF2 films have been grown at low temperatures (20 °C) using an ion-beam-assisted laser evaporation method. Smooth, dense, environmentally stable coatings with bulk refractive indices were produced. This technique was applied to deposit mid-wave IR dichroic filters using CaF2 and Ge layers onto cold substrates.