<title>Thin Film Optical Coatings</title>

Abstract

Progress in thin-film optical coatings during approximately the past decade is reviewed. Steady improvements in all areas and spectacular advances in some have been made. The art of design has been revolutionized by the enormous growth in computers. Exciting applications including mirror coatings for the x-ray region are emerging. Our understanding of the fundamental characteristics of films, microstructure, and its influence on other properties such as stress, adhesion, and moisture adsorption has improved greatly. There are indications that the standard deposition technique of thermal evaporation in vacuo is not always able to achieve the ultimate in demanded performance, and proposed modifications are discussed.