BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
There is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention can be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart detailing steps to create an exemplary composite sol-gel derived composite coating according to an embodiment of the invention. Two sol-gel solutions are prepared and aged separately before mixing. The process flow shown includes the step of dip coating the composite sol gel on a chalcogenide substrate to provide an AR coating thereon. A cross sectional view of the AR coated substrate is also provided.
FIG. 2 are graphs showing the particle size distribution for silica particles obtained from the process detailed in FIG. 1. There are two main size distributions, one centered between about 2-10 nm, and another distribution centered at about 100-200 nm which represents agglomerates of silica particles.
FIG. 3 is a X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) Si (2p) spectrum evidencing SiO2 formation. The peak is centered at 103.2 eV indicates the presence of SiO2. No other peaks are present indicating that essentially all of the silicon is in this form.
FIG. 4 is a XPS Ti (2p) spectrum evidencing formation of TiO2. The peak is centered at a binding energy of 459.16 eV signifying the presence of TiO2. No other peaks are present indicating that essentially all of the titania is in this form.
FIG. 5 is a XPS O (1s) spectrum evidencing formation of SiO2 and TiO2. The SiO2 peak is centered at a binding energy of 532.7 eV. The second peak, TiO2, is located at 530.4 eV.
FIG. 6 shows the transmissivity as a % for AR coated chalcogenide substrates according to the invention as compared to uncoated chalcogenide substrates wavelengths from 1.5 to 5.0 micrometer.
Patent Application
20070207325
