Reactive HiPIMS Deposition of SiO2/Ta2O5 Optical Interference Filters
Abstract
In this contribution, based on the detailed understanding of the processes at the target during reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), we demonstrate the deposition of both low- and high-index films and their implementation in optical interference filters with enhanced performance. We first investigate strategies for stabilizing the arc-free HiPIMS discharges above Si and Ta targets in the presence of oxygen. We show that hysteresis can be suppressed for these two target materials by suitable pulse-management strategies, ensuring good process stability without having to rely on any feedback control. Afterwards, we discuss the room temperature deposition of optically transparent SiO2 and Ta2O5 single layers as well as the fabrication of SiO2/Ta2O5 stacks such as 7 layer Bragg reflectors and 11 layer Fabry-Perot interference filters. We also analyze the optical and mechanical characteristics of these various coatings and compare them with their counterparts obtained by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS). Among other findings, we observe that the coatings prepared by HiPIMS present higher refractive index and lower surface roughness values, suggesting a denser microstructure. In addition, the HiPIMS-deposited optical filters exhibit a better optical performance than their counterparts fabricated by RFMS, but it is especially with respect to the mechanical properties such as scratch resistance and low residual stress, that the coatings prepared by HiPIMS present the most dramatic improvements (up to 42% and 72% enhancement, respectively). Finally, we show that the stress values obtained for the HiPIMS-deposited SiO2 and Ta2O5 coatings are lower than for other deposition techniques commonly used in the fabrication of optical interference filters.
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Ta2O5 is among the high-refractive-index materials frequently used in optical coatings, from antireflective to guiding thin films in waveguides operating at high temperatures, due to broad-spectrum transparency and high thermal and chemical stability.
“Owing to a broad-spectrum transparency and high thermal and chemical stability, tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) is among the high-refractive-index materials frequently used in optical coatings, from antireflective to guiding thin films (cores) in waveguides operating at high temperatures [45-48].”
From Metal Oxide Thin Films for Advanced Photonic Applications (2026) · cites this paper as [47]
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Jiang, Y., You, D., Cao, Y., Guo, W., & Tan, M. (2024) · Vacuum · doi:10.1016/j.vacuum.2023.112775 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Metal Oxide Thin Films for Advanced Photonic Applications
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- Authors
- Hála, M., Vernhes, R., Zabeida, O., Klemberg-Sapieha, J.-E., & Martinu, L.
- Affiliations
- Polytechnique Montréal (CA)
- Venue
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Publisher
- AIP Publishing
- Published
- 2014-12-05
- Volume
- 116
- Issue
- 21
- ISSN
- 0021-8979 (ISSN-L)
- 1089-7550
- OpenAlex
- W2082572347
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 2.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Applied Physics (publishedVersion)
- PolyPublie (École Polytechnique de Montréal) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (CRDPJ 380174-08)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Surfaces, Coatings and Films › Optical Coatings and Gratings
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Metal and Thin Film Mechanics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Advanced Materials and Semiconductor Technologies
- Keywords
- reactive HiPIMS, high power impulse magnetron sputtering, optical interference filters, distributed Bragg reflector, Fabry-Perot filter, hysteresis reduction, room-temperature deposition, refractive index, surface roughness, residual stress, scratch resistance, mechanical properties of thin films
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