Dr. David R. Boris Profile

Dr. David R. Boris

at US Naval Research Lab

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (6)

Proceedings Article | 4 October 2023 Presentation + Paper

Environmental and polarization characterizations of E-beam plasma-based AlF3-passivated aluminum mirrors for astronomical telescopes

Manuel Quijada, David Boris, Luis Rodriguez de Marcos, Virginia Wheeler, Javier Del Hoyo, Mateo Batkis, Caleb Bos, Scott Walton, Edward Wollack

Proceedings Volume 12676, 126760G (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2678192

KEYWORDS: Aluminum, Reflectivity, Far ultraviolet, Mirrors, Plasma, Polarization, Passivation, Aluminum mirrors, Optical coatings, Vacuum chambers

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Proceedings Article | 4 October 2023 Presentation + Paper

Electron beam-generated plasmas in NF3 environments for the passivation of UV/O/IR mirrors

L. Rodriguez de Marcos, D. Boris, V. Wheeler, M. Batkis, J. Del Hoyo, E. Jin, S. Walton, E. Wollack, M. Quijada

Proceedings Volume 12676, 126760F (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2678016

KEYWORDS: Aluminum, Far ultraviolet, Optical coatings, Mirrors

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Proceedings Article | 31 August 2022 Poster + Paper

Plasma based production of AlF3-passivated aluminum mirrors for UVOIR astronomy

D. Boris, L. Rodriguez de Marcos, J. Del Hoyo, V. Wheeler, S. Walton, E. Wollack, M. Quijada

Proceedings Volume 12181, 121813C (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2631398

KEYWORDS: Plasma, Mirrors, Aluminum, Reflectivity, Plasma systems, Ions, Coating, Electron beams, Astronomy, Ultraviolet radiation

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Proceedings Article | 24 August 2021 Presentation + Paper

Advanced AlF3-passivated Aluminum mirrors for UV astronomy

L. Rodríguez-de Marcos, D. Boris, J. Del Hoyo, Virginia Wheeler, Jeffrey Woodward, J. G. Richardson, S. G. Walton, E. J. Wollack, M. A. Quijada

Proceedings Volume 11820, 1182005 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594741

KEYWORDS: Aluminum, Mirrors, Reflectivity, Coating, Plasma, Ultraviolet astronomy

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Efficient ultraviolet (UV) mirrors are essential components in space observatories for UV astronomy. Aluminum mirrors with fluoride-based protective layers are commonly the baseline UV coating technology; these mirrors have been proven to be stable, reliable, and with long flight heritage. However, despite their acceptable optical performance, the single-bounce reflectance values are still too low for use in optical systems in which several reflections are required. Recently, a novel passivation procedure based on the self-fluorination of bare Al has been presented [1, 2]. This research is framed in a collaboration between the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and the experiments are carried out in the Large Area Plasma Processing System (LAPPS) at NRL using bare aluminum samples coated at GSFC coating facilities. The passivation of the oxidized Al is accomplished by using an electron-beam generated plasma produced in a fluorine-containing background to simultaneously remove the native oxide layer while promoting the formation of an AlF₃passivation layer with tunable thickness. Importantly, this new treatment uses benign precursors (SF₆) and does not require high substrate temperatures. This novel procedure has demonstrated improved Al mirrors with enhanced FUV reflectivity. Examples of mirrors tuned at several key FUV wavelengths are provided. The LAPPS has been recently upgraded to include a new spectroscopic ellipsometer for real-time, in situ measurements of film thickness and optical constants of the fluoride layer during the plasma treatment. Since this new capability requires precise knowledge of the complex refractive index (n,k) of AlF₃, we present optical constants in the 90-2500 nm range obtained from Al mirrors previously prepared using the LAPPS process. The derived optical properties from the AlF₃ passivation layer show similar optical properties in the FUV when compared with PVD- and ALD- hot-deposited AlF₃.