Abstract: A method of making an enhanced aluminium mirror for vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) optics includes depositing a reflective coating comprising aluminium metal to at least one surface of a substrate through physical vapor deposition (PVD) to produce a mirror comprising the substrate and the reflective coating. The method further includes removing aluminium oxides from an outer surface of the reflective coating by conducting atomic layer etching (ALE) in an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) system to produce an etched surface of the reflective coating and depositing an ALD protective layer onto the etched surface of the reflective coating by conducting atomic layer deposition in the ALD system to produce the enhanced aluminium mirror. The enhanced aluminium mirror includes the substrate, the reflective coating deposited on the substrate, and the ALD protective layer covering the etched surface of the reflective coating.

Abstract: According to at least one feature of the present disclosure, a method of forming an optical element, includes: Depositing an aluminum layer atop a glass substrate via a physical deposition process; depositing a first fluorine containing layer atop the aluminum layer via a physical deposition process; depositing a second fluorine containing layer atop the first fluorine containing layer via a physical deposition process; and depositing a third fluorine containing layer atop the first fluorine containing layer via an atomic layer deposition process.

Abstract: A coated optical component includes an optical component and a conformal coating. The optical component is crystalline calcium fluoride and the conformal coating is an atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating in contact with a surface of the optical component. The ALD coating includes a metal fluoride ALD coating having a metal different from calcium. The ALD coating can include other metal oxide or metalloid oxide ALD coating layers. The method for making the coated optical component includes depositing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating on a surface of the optical component, where the ALD coating can be a metalloid oxide, a metal oxide, a metal fluoride having a metal that is different from calcium, or combinations of these. Sulfur hexafluoride is used as a fluorine source in the ALD process.

Abstract: A process of manufacturing a microfluidic device (200, 201, 202, 300, 301, 302, 400, 401, 402) includes the steps of attaching a monolayer of polymer beads onto a first substrate (210, 410) depositing a metal oxide film onto the first substrate (210, 410) over the monolayer of polymer beads, and removing the polymer beads to form an array of metal oxide nano-wells (240, 440) wherein the first substrate (210, 410) is exposed at the bottom of the nano-wells (240, 440). The process also includes depositing an organophosphate layer onto the metal oxide film. The process also calls for depositing a silane coating layer or an acrylate polymer onto the exposed first substrate (210, 410). The method further includes bonding a second substrate (220, 420) to the first substrate (210, 410) to enclose the array of metal oxide nano-wells (240, 440) in a cavity within the first and second substrates (210, 220, 410, 420).

Abstract: A method of making a microfluidic device (200, 201, 300) can include depositing a layer of photoresist onto a first substrate (210, 270, 310), selectively removing the photoresist to expose portions of the first substrate (210, 270, 310), etching the exposed portions of the first substrate (210, 270, 310) to form an array of nano-wells (240, 340), coating each nano-well (240, 340) with metal oxide, and coating the metal oxide on each nano-well (240, 340) with a first material to increase binding of DNA, proteins, and polynucleotides to the metal oxide. A layer of a second material can be deposited on interstitial areas between the nano-wells (240, 340) to inhibit binding of DNA, proteins, and polynucleotides to the interstitial areas. A second substrate (220, 320) can be bonded to the first substrate (210, 270, 310) to enclose the array of nano-wells (240, 340) in a cavity.