Space-qualified optical thin films by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Optical interference coatings designed for use in a space-grade multispectral assembly in a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensor were deposited on glass by ion-beam-assisted deposition for a Cassegrain-type space-based remote-sensing platform. The patterned multispectral assembly containing blue, green, red, near infrared, and panchromatic multilayer high/low alternated dielectric band-pass filter arrays in a single chip was fabricated by a mechanical mask and the photolithography process. The corresponding properties of the films were investigated by in situ optical monitoring and spectrometry. It was found that the optical properties were significantly improved by employing ion-beam-assisted deposition. The average transmittances were above 88% for the multispectral assembly, with a rejection transmittance of less than 1% in the spectral range 350-1100 nm. To estimate the optical stability of optical coatings for aerospace applications, a space environment assuming a satellite orbiting the Earth at an altitude of near 800 km was simulated by a Co⁶⁰ gamma (γ) radiation test. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.