A New Prototype Stage for Glancing-Angle–Deposition Coatings Research

2016:

Optical Manufacturing Process Engineer, John Spaulding, and Coating Operator, Justin Foster, are shown installing an optic on a new prototype stage built to support research and development work on glancing-angle–deposition (GLAD) coatings. The deposition system is designed to allow for growth of an oriented, birefringent film structure in stripes across an optical surface, and the resulting film thickness is controlled such that each stripe region is a quarterwave plate. GLAD coating research supports the potential manufacture of a distributed polarization rotator component that would be integral to beam-smoothing efforts for direct-drive or polar-direct-drive campaigns at the National Ignition Facility.

Shown here is John Spaulding and Justin Foster