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Low-stress Near-infrared dichroic Beam-splitting Coatings on Erbium Glass Substrates for Laser Ranging Systems
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Jing ZHANG1, Chong WANG1, 2, Yang WANG3, Haijun JIN3, Bin Zeng4, Yonggang PAN1, 2, Fei YANG5, Yazhou HUANG1, 2
Acta Photonica Sinica | 2026, 55(1) : 236 - 247
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Acta Photonica Sinica | 2026, 55(1): 236-247
• Thin Films •
Low-stress Near-infrared dichroic Beam-splitting Coatings on Erbium Glass Substrates for Laser Ranging Systems
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Jing ZHANG1, Chong WANG1, 2, Yang WANG3, Haijun JIN3, Bin Zeng4, Yonggang PAN1, 2, Fei YANG5, Yazhou HUANG1, 2
Affiliations
  • 1College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology,Changchun 130022, China
  • 2Zhongshan Research Institute, Changchun University of Science and Technology ,Zhongshan 528436, China
  • 3Guangchi Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200444, China
  • 4Hansen Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd., Chengdu 611934, China
  • 5Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Changchun 130033,China
Published: 2026-01-25 doi: 10.3788/gzxb20265501.0131004
Outline
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Erbium glass lasers offer advantages such as compact size, high efficiency, and excellent beam quality. Additionally, the 1 535 nm wavelength falls within the atmospheric transmission window, exhibits strong penetration capability, and lies in the eye-safe range, significantly reducing operational risks. These lasers are widely used in laser ranging systems and also hold important applications in fields such as lidar and military medicine. However, the weak stability, hydrophilicity, and high thermal expansion coefficient of erbium glass often lead to excessive stress in thin-film devices, resulting in poor adhesion—a critical technical bottleneck limiting the development of erbium glass lasers. Research on reducing residual stress and improving thin-film adhesion on erbium glass substrates remains scarce. To address this, this study employs the control variable method combined with magnetron sputtering technology to optimize three key process parameters—argon (Ar) flow rate, target (TG) power, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) power—thereby reducing thin-film stress and enhancing the adhesion of erbium glass thin-film devices.

First, the optical constants of the erbium glass substrate were determined using a Cary7000 spectrophotometer. Based on optical thin-film design theory, Ta2O5 and SiO2 were selected as coating materials for the near-infrared band. The initial film structure was designed as Sub |(0.5LH0.5L)S| Air, with the reflection bandwidth formula confirming a bandwidth of 355.2 nm at the central wavelength of 1 535 nm, meeting the specifications. The reflectivity formula indicates that, for a given ratio of high-to-low refractive indices, reflectivity increases with the number of film periods (S). To achieve a reflectivity of 99.9%, at least 12 periods were required, resulting in the finalized structure: Sub|(0.5LH0.5L)12|Air. The film design was globally optimized using Macleod software, yielding the following configuration: Sub| 1.06H 0.76L 0.97H 0.86L 1.16H 1.11L 0.93H 0.92L H 1.08L H 0.93L 0.96H 1.06L 1.03H 0.94L 0.93H 1.02L 1.08H 1.02L 0.87H 0.96L 0.75H 0.49L |Air. Theoretical spectra showed an average reflectivity of 0.076% in the 800~1 000 nm band and 99.92% in the 1 500~1 600 nm band. Based on the robustness principle and considering deposition process constraints, manufacturability was improved by introducing film thickness error analysis. Subsequently, a beam-splitting film sample was prepared following standard deposition processes.

After deposition, adhesion testing was performed using 3M tape pressed onto the film surface and rapidly peeled off vertically five times, revealing delamination. Comprehensive analysis indicated that film delamination was primarily caused by thin-film stress, which consists of intrinsic stress and thermal stress. To address this issue, the study focused on optimizing deposition parameters and temperature variations during coating. By analyzing the influence of deposition parameters on single-layer film stress using the Stoney formula and thermal stress equations, the following trends were observed:The stress of Ta2O5 and SiO2 single-layer films decreased with increasing Ar flow rate. The stress of Ta2O5 and SiO2 single-layer films initially decreased and then gradually increased with rising TG power. The stress of Ta2O5 and SiO2 single-layer films increased with higher ICP power. A low-stress film preparation process was identified, and the curvature radii of the samples were measured before and after deposition using an ET-4000A step profiler. The calculated multilayer film stress was -105 MPa, and subsequent adhesion tests showed no delamination.

The final beam-splitting film prepared on the erbium glass substrate exhibited an average reflectivity of 0.16% in the 800~1 000 nm band and 99.87% in the 15 00~1 600 nm band, meeting the specifications. The slightly higher reflectivity in the 800~1 000 nm band compared to the design spectrum was attributed to surface roughness-induced interfacial scattering in the multilayer film. This was further analyzed using a Zygo laser interferometer to measure surface roughness. After undergoing environmental tests in accordance with specifications, the film showed no defects such as cracking, delamination, or bubbles. As laser energy increases, the thermo-mechanical coupling interaction between the laser and the film raises the risk of film failure due to residual stress. Further reducing film stress remains a key focus for future research.

Erbium glass  /  Near-infrared dichroic beamsplitter coating  /  Mid-frequency magnetron sputtering  /  Process optimization  /  Low stress
张静, 王冲, 汪洋, 金海俊, 曾彬, 潘永刚, 杨飞, 黄亚洲. 激光测距系统用铒玻璃基底低应力近红外分光膜. 光子学报, 2026 , 55 (1) : 236 -247 . DOI: 10.3788/gzxb20265501.0131004
Jing ZHANG, Chong WANG, Yang WANG, Haijun JIN, Bin Zeng, Yonggang PAN, Fei YANG, Yazhou HUANG. Low-stress Near-infrared dichroic Beam-splitting Coatings on Erbium Glass Substrates for Laser Ranging Systems[J]. Acta Photonica Sinica, 2026 , 55 (1) : 236 -247 . DOI: 10.3788/gzxb20265501.0131004
Year 2026 volume 55 Issue 1
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doi: 10.3788/gzxb20265501.0131004
  • Receive Date:2025-08-18
  • Online Date:2026-10-10
  • Published:2026-01-25
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  • Received:2025-08-18
  • Accepted:2025-10-16
Affiliations
    1College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology,Changchun 130022, China
    2Zhongshan Research Institute, Changchun University of Science and Technology ,Zhongshan 528436, China
    3Guangchi Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200444, China
    4Hansen Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd., Chengdu 611934, China
    5Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,Changchun 130033,China
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表12种不同金属材料的力学参数
科
Family
属数
Number of
genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of
total species (%)
属
Genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of total
species (%)
鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae 2 11 5.26 鹅膏菌属 Amanita 10 4.78
小菇科 Mycenaceae 2 12 5.74 丝盖伞属 Inocybe 5 2.39
多孔菌科 Polyporaceae 8 14 6.70 蜡蘑属 Laccaria 5 2.39
红菇科 Russulaceae 3 23 11.00 小皮伞属 Marasmius 6 2.87
小菇属 Mycena 11 5.26
光柄菇属 Pluteus 5 2.39
红菇属 Russula 17 8.13
栓菌属 Trametes 5 2.39
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