Development ofNanostructured Antireflection Coatings Technology for UV and IR Bandsfor Improved Detector Array and Sensor Performance

Future NASA missions that include Earth Science and Planetary Science missions will benefit from the development of nanostructured antireflection (AR) coatings. Broadband AR optical coatings covering the infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) spectral bands have many potential applications for various NASA systems. Tunable nanoengineered optical layers enable realization of optimal nanostructured AR coatings with high laser damage thresholds and high reliability in low temperature environments. The AR coatings offer omnidirectional suppression of light reflection/scattering allowing increased optical transmission to enhance detector and system performance for various NASA applications.Phase I AR coating designs and prototype demonstrations promise to nearly eliminate reflection losses across critical IR and UV bands. Key technical accomplishments of the Phase I effort include:Designed high-performance MWIR and extended MWIR / SWIR AR coatings for GaSb,Designed high-performance LWIR AR coatings for GaSb,Designed high-performance UV AR coatings for GaN, andDemonstrated high-performance MWIR AR coatings on GaSb.The proposed Phase II Program technical objectives are to design, develop, demonstrate, and implement high-performance nanostructured AR coatings. Phase II technical objectives include:Demonstrate high-performance SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR AR coatings on GaSb and Si substrates,Demonstrate nanostructured UV AR coatings on III-V nitride substrates,Characterize the durability of nanostructured AR coatings,Design and demonstrate nanostructured AR coatings on SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR lens materials, andDesign and develop nanostructured AR coatings for NASA sensor system technologies.Magnolia#39;s AR coatings will enhance the performance of detectors and sensors by significantly reducing reflection/scattering losses. This will benefit a wide variety of detectors and sensors for future NASA missions.