Dual Ion Beam Assisted Deposition for Multilayer Production

Abstract

Low pressure ion sputtering of certain materials utilizing Dual Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (DIBAD) techniques is known to produce high quality optical films.1 This process makes use of ion beam sputtering at pressures much lower than those encountered, for example, in magnetron sputtering and simultaneously polishes the deposition with a second, low energy ion beam.2,3,4,5 We have been using this method to produce diamond-like carbon films exhibiting high density, extreme hardness, high thermal conductivity, and uniform thickness over an area of 4.6 x 103 mm2.6 These characteristics stimulated us to investigate their use as the low electron density component of multilayer x-ray optical elements.