Amorphous fluoropolymer: next-generation optical coating candidate

Abstract
Anti-reflective (AR) and high reflector (HR) optical coatings were made by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of Teflon AF2400, a perfluorinated amorphous polymer. The AR had the highest laser damage thresholds recorded for PVD coatings at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory damage facility. The HR was a multilayer of ZnS and AF2400. The bandwidth was 550 nm, centered at 1064 nm. Single layers of Teflon AF2400 deposited by PVD were characterized optically. The refractive index could be intentionally reduced below the bulk value by varying either deposition rate or substrate temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance observations indicated that morphological changes caused the variations in the refractive index rather than compositional changes.