Abstract:
Fluorinated and hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (“DLC-FH”) that have unique optical properties differ as a class from the existing DLC art, whose refractive indices [n] are limited to rather high values above a lower threshold of 1.7, and can range up to about 2.7. The DLC-FH materials can achieve very low refractive indices at 550 nm wavelength. [n550], i.e., below 1.5, and especially demonstrated down to 1.3. Moreover, whereas the absorption for the existing DLC art, as quantified by the extinction coefficient [k] at a wavelength of 550 nm, [k550], is limited to about 0.04, our DLC-FH material can achieve [k550] below 0.01. Both of these attributes, i.e., low [n550] and low [k550) means that, for the first time, a carbon-based material as represented by the DLC-FH material, can be used for anti-reflection (AR) coating.