Abstract: Optical coatings for curved or non-planar substrates are disclosed. Optical coatings may include AR (antireflection) coatings or absorbing (“black” optical) coatings. The optical coatings may include a nanostructure layer formed on top of a stack of one or more materials. Both the nanostructure layer and the stack may be deposited on a curved or non-planar substrate using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) to provide conformal coating of the substrate. The nanostructure layer may include a mixture of aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide hydroxide that is formed by placing a PEALD-deposited aluminum oxide layer in heated deionized water for a predetermined time period. The materials in the stack may be alternated to provide tuning of the optical properties in the optical coating.

Abstract: A deposited amorphous carbon film includes at least 95% carbon. A percentage of sp3 carbon-carbon bonds present in the amorphous carbon film exceeds 30%, and a hydrogen content of the amorphous carbon film is less than 5%. A process of depositing amorphous carbon on a workpiece includes positioning the workpiece within a process chamber and positioning a magnetron assembly adjacent to the process chamber. The magnetron assembly projects a magnetic field into the process chamber. The method further includes providing a carbon target such that the magnetic field extends through the carbon target toward the workpiece. The method further includes providing a source gas to the process chamber, and providing pulses of DC power to a plasma formed from the source gas within the process chamber. The pulses of DC power are supplied in pulses of 40 microseconds or less, that repeat at a frequency of at least 4 kHz.

Abstract: A deposited amorphous carbon film includes at least 95% carbon. A percentage of sp3 carbon-carbon bonds present in the amorphous carbon film exceeds 30%, and a hydrogen content of the amorphous carbon film is less than 5%. A process of depositing amorphous carbon on a workpiece includes positioning the workpiece within a process chamber and positioning a magnetron assembly adjacent to the process chamber. The magnetron assembly projects a magnetic field into the process chamber. The method further includes providing a carbon target such that the magnetic field extends through the carbon target toward the workpiece. The method further includes providing a source gas to the process chamber, and providing pulses of DC power to a plasma formed from the source gas within the process chamber. The pulses of DC power are supplied in pulses of 40 microseconds or less, that repeat at a frequency of at least 4 kHz.