″Black art″ of thin film coating: why this term is used and how to change this mind-set

S.W. Jansen, Phillip.J. Hatchett, S.W. Hughes, D.Paul. Jones, Desmond R. Gibson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The words 'black art' are often associated with thin film coating. We cast our spell on a coating plant and, as if by magic, the glass is transformed. The problem is that the spell sometimes fails and we end up with stone instead of gold. When we ask the magician (coating technician) what went wrong, the answer is all too often 'I did it exactly the same way as the last time'. This creates the perception that thin film coating is a black art because clearly something different did happen. What we don't know is which of the multitude of parameters went wrong, and often the only way to find out is through a process of elimination. This is very costly to the industry both in monetary value and image.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDevelopments in Optical Component Coatings
PublisherSociety of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
Pages96-105
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9780819421616
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes
EventSPIE, Optical Instrumentation and System design Conference, 1996 - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Duration: 15 May 199616 May 1996

Publication series

NameProceedings of SPIE
Volume2776

Conference

ConferenceSPIE, Optical Instrumentation and System design Conference, 1996
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityGlasgow
Period15/05/9616/05/96

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