Modern design tools and a new paradigm in optical coating design

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Traditional optical coating design prioritizes minimizing merit functions, often neglecting practical implementation constraints.
• Existing design tools may not adequately address feasibility demands, leading to suboptimal real-world performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel design paradigm for optical coatings that emphasizes practical feasibility alongside performance.
• To explore advanced computational tools for designing optical coatings that meet stringent performance and manufacturing requirements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a stochastic optimization procedure incorporating upper and lower constraints for layer optical thicknesses.
• Developed integer optimization techniques for designing multicavity narrow bandpass filters and addressing problems traditionally solved by equivalent layer theory.
• Investigated methods to mitigate the impact of non-correlated thickness errors on spectral characteristics.

Main Results:

• The stochastic procedure yields multiple feasible solutions, enhancing design selection flexibility.
• Integer optimization enables the creation of bandpass filters with steep slopes, narrow bandwidths, and minimal ripples.
• New techniques provide practical solutions for complex design challenges and improve error tolerance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed design paradigm and associated tools offer a more practical approach to optical coating design.
• These methods facilitate the development of high-performance optical filters with improved manufacturability and reliability.
• The research advances the field by integrating feasibility into the core of the optical coating design process.