Analysis of the Mo/Mo nanocrystalline optical coating obtained with the aid of simultaneous deposition and ion sputtering

Structure, optical properties, and resistance to sputtering are studied for a reflecting Mo-coating that is fabricated using magnetron deposition with simultaneous low-energy ion sputtering at the deposition rate that is higher than the etching rate. A Mo-polycrystalline mirror is used as a substrate. It is shown that the coating exhibits textured nanocrystalline structure with a relatively low spread of crystallite sizes and high resistance to sputtering. It is also demonstrated that the spectral reflection coefficient of such a Mo-coating differs from the spectral reflection coefficient of polycrystalline and single-crystalline Mo and the difference results from the effect of the structure of coating on its optical properties. A theoretical model of the coating formation is proposed.