Physical vapour deposition at oblique angles produces coatings that have oriented internal structure, a consequence of self-shadowing and limited diffusion. Structured media have a number of useful properties, including form birefringence which affects the polarization of light. Whilst oblique deposition technology is mature, there is room for further exploration to open up new applications and provide further insight. One door only recently opened is lithographic patterning, and this thesis seeks to map out part of that frontier. Lithography allows rapid replication of a pattern, and is being extended to the nano-scale, via two routes identified as "top-down" and "bottom-up". In this thesis bottom-up processing is pursued as a secondary theme, developing computer programs for investigation of the effect of substrate patterning on growth and subsequent birefringence. The primary focus is the application of top-down patterning to obliquely-deposited polarizing elements, for the production of pixellated polarizing arrays. The growth of obliquely deposited coatings is well understood, and the process has been developed using dynamic substrate rotation to produce several interesting morphologies. Standard results of computer simulations are replicated for illustration. The relationship between morphology and optical properties has been extensively studied from an empirical standpoint, resulting in production of polarizing elements such as retarders, linear- and circular- polarizers. Surprisingly little study has focussed on simulation of the optical anisotropy of arbitrary structures, and here programs are developed for initial prediction of the birefringence of coatings deposited over patterned substrates. Top-down patterning approaches are directly applied to obliquely-deposited dielectric coatings. Standard reactive ion etching protocols are tested, particularly for silicon films, measuring the effect of deposition parameters on etch-rate. Lift-off patterning at significantly oblique angles requires special attention, and an undercut tri-layer process is developed, resulting in patterning of chiral oxide films. Additionally a novel masking process is developed, that allows the production of pixellated arrays comprised of different polarizers in a single coating operation. One such array is used as the essential component in the production of a space-multiplexed array polarimeter.

No description available.

Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) is shown to be an elegant, powerful tool for the chemical characterization of optical coatings. RBS studies of several thin film materials are presented to illustrate the technique's unique abilities, and to show how RBS is best exploited in investigations of thin film stoichiometry and diffusion. The text begins with an introduction to optical coatings and the practical problems encountered in their implementation. The basic principles of RBS are discussed, and the technique is compared to other popular surface analysis tools. The introductory material concludes with a chapter devoted to specific techniques for RBS data and error analysis, including the derivation of a simple formula for determining the optimum thickness of multi-element samples. The accurate stoichiometric measurements provided by RBS give new insights into the chemical structure of ion-bombarded MgF₂ coatings. The analysis shows that lightly-bombarded coatings contain a small oxygen fraction (< 6%), and the absence of this oxygen in opaque, heavily-bombarded samples implies the oxygen compensates for fluorine deficiencies and is therefore an essential ingredient for transparent films. This beneficial oxygen appears to diffuse into the coatings along columnar voids, and the implied compromise between packing density and transparency is discussed. The final chapter takes advantage of the nondestructive depth-profiles provided by RBS. We present the first direct experimental verification of the interfacial oxide layer responsible for the superior adhesion of aluminum to glass, and show that contrary to popular belief, the layer is not an artifact of oxygen adsorbed during the aluminum's evaporation. We then discuss the diffusion of copper through silver films, and show that the migration is enhanced by exposure to the RBS probe beam. Finally, we consider the diffusion of carbon, from graphite substrates, into the voids of porous coatings during the RBS measurements. This effect, like the enhanced copper diffusion, is consistent with a low temperature, measurement-induced anneal; however, we show that the migrant carbon does not alter the chemical structure of the coatings, but instead serves as a convenient, non-intrusive indicator of film porosity.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-132). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1991. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract not available

Graduation date: 1993

The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is one of four large mission concepts currently undergoing community study for consideration by the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. LUVOIR is being designed to pursue an ambitious program of exoplanetary discovery and characterization, cosmic origins astrophysics, and planetary science. The LUVOIR study team is investigating two large telescope apertures (9- and 15-meter primary mirror diameters) and a host of science instruments to carry out the primary mission goals. Many of the exoplanet, cosmic origins, and planetary science goals of LUVOIR require high-throughput, imaging spectroscopy at ultraviolet (100 - 400 nm) wavelengths. The LUVOIR Ultraviolet Multi-Object Spectrograph, LUMOS, is being designed to support all of the UV science requirements of LUVOIR, from exoplanet host star characterization to tomography of circumgalactic halos to water plumes on outer solar system satellites. LUMOS offers point source and multi-object spectroscopy across the UV bandpass, with multiple resolution modes to support different science goals. The instrument will provide low (R = 8,000 - 18,000) and medium (R = 30,000 - 65,000) resolution modes across the far-ultraviolet (FUV: 100 - 200 nm) and near-ultraviolet (NUV: 200 - 400 nm) windows, and a very low resolution mode (R = 500) for spectroscopic investigations of extremely faint objects in the FUV. Imaging spectroscopy will be accomplished over a 3 x 1.6 arcminute field-of-view by employing holographically-ruled diffraction gratings to control optical aberrations, microshutter arrays (MSA) built on the heritage of the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), advanced optical coatings for high-throughput in the FUV, and next generation large-format photon-counting detectors. The spectroscopic capabilities of LUMOS are augmented by an FUV imaging channel (100 - 200nm, 13 milliarcsecond angular resolution, 2 x 2 arcminute field-of-view) that will employ a complement of narrow-and medium-band filters. The instrument definition, design, and development are being carried out by an instrument study team led by the University of Colorado, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team. LUMOS has recently completed a preliminary design in Goddard's Instrument Design Laboratory and is being incorporated into the working LUVOIR mission concept. In this proceeding, we describe the instrument requirements for LUMOS, the instrument design, and technology development recommendations to support the hardware required for LUMOS. We present an overview of LUMOS' observing modes and estimated performance curves for effective area, spectral resolution, and imaging performance. Example "LUMOS 100-hour Highlights" observing programs are presented to demonstrate the potential power of LUVOIR's ultraviolet spectroscopic capabilities.