DFG Emmy Noether Programm
Research Group Atomic Layer Deposition
Research Group
Coating of a lens through ALD
Adriana Szeghalmi, Dr
Head of Research Group
Atomic Layer Deposition
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IAP, Room 311
Albert-Einstein-Straße 15
07745 Jena
Atomic Layer Deposition of Optical Coatings - ALDOC
Within the Emmy Noether junior research group, thin film coatings for optical applications will be developed and characterized. Dielectric and metallic functional coatings deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) are essential in the development of improved and innovative nanostructured optics. Atomic layer deposition is a powerful coating technology with excellent thickness control, uniformity, and conformal film deposition on high aspect ratio nanostructures. Thermal and plasma enhanced deposition is carried out to obtain optical coatings with best properties. The optical properties derived from in situ and ex situ spectroscopic ellipsometry characterization are applied in the computational design of optical elements.
Research Focus
- Deposition and characterization of optical coatings
- Understanding nucleation and film growth of thin films
- Development of novel ALD processes
Optical applications of ALD coatings
- X-ray nanolaminates
- antireflective coatings and interference filters
- diffractive optical elements
- metal wire polarizers
- high efficiency transmission gratings
- metamaterials
- guided mode resonance gratings
The optical functionality of the elements is fine-tuned by ultra-thin, conformal ALD coatings. In situ monitoring is being implemented for the development of such highly demanding optics
ALD Laboratory Equipment
- OpAL PEALD reactor with integrated ellipsometry ports (funded by DFG, Emmy Noether Projekt SZ253/1-1).
- Sunale R-200 PEALD reactor with integrated MBraun Glove box for the load lock unit and ellipsometry ports (funded by TMBWK).
- J. A. Woollam M-2000 ellipsometer for 245-1690 nm spectral range (funded by DFG, Emmy Noether Projekt SZ253/1-1).