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.