Dichroic beamsplitters, or dichroics, rely on the optical interference that occurs within thin-film layers to ensure the separation of the transmission and reflection of selective wavelengths of an incident beam of light at a given angle of incidence. Utilized within the optical systems of numerous space telescopes, they act to separate the incoming light spectrally and spatially into various channels. As space missions increasingly demand simultaneous observations across wavebands spanning extreme wavelength ranges, the necessity for exceedingly complex broadband dichroics has emerged. Subsequently, the uncertainties pertaining to their optical performance have also become more intricate. We use transmission line modeling to evaluate the spectral performance of multilayer coatings deposited on a substrate material for given thicknesses, materials, angles of incidence, and polarization. A dichroic recipe in line with the typical specifications and requirements of a dichroic is designed with the aid of a Monte Carlo simulation. The tolerances of the coating performance to systematic and random uncertainties from the manufacturing process, as well as from environmental changes in space, are studied. With the aid of accurate manufacturing recipes and uncertainty amplitudes from commercial manufacturers, this tool can predict variations in the optical performance that result from the propagation of each of these uncertainties for various hypothetical scenarios and systematic effects.
Dichroic beamsplitters, or dichroics, are filters that rely on the optical interference that occurs within thin layers to ensure the transmission and reflection of selective wavelengths of an incident beam of light. These optical components consist of a substrate coated on one or both surfaces with multiple layers of thin films, the spectral design and construction of which determine the isolation of particular wavebands. Discrepancies between the measured and expected spectral performance of optical elements with such coatings can largely be attributed to depositions errors and uncertainties in the refractive indices of the materials. Our model uses two-dimensional transmission line modeling to evaluate the transmittance of light through multilayer coatings deposited on a substrate material for given materials, angle of incidence and polarisation. This model allows us to perform Monte Carlo simulations to obtain statistical information about the tolerance of the coating performance to systematic and random uncertainties from the manufacturing process, as well as from environmental changes in space. With the aid of accurate manufacturing recipes and uncertainty amplitudes from commercial manufacturers, this tool can predict variations in the optical performance that result from the propagation of each of these uncertainties for various hypothetical scenarios. One particular application of this study are the dichroics of the ARIEL space telescope. We compare the predicted optical performance with transmission measurements at cryogenic temperatures for one of the ARIEL dichroics, which show the specification compliance of this prototype after many thermal cycles.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.