Based on our simulations, we have developed a systematic approach to identifying suitable materials for short-period multilayer mirrors operating at 30 keV. We tested many materials and evaluated the performance of each possible combination, focusing on two key figures of merit: integrated reflectivity and peak reflectivity. While it is typical to optimize a multilayer structure to maximize the peak reflectance, we found that this approach can lead to bias. Instead, we propose using integrated reflectivity as a more robust criterion for material selection. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in identifying high-performance multilayer mirrors for x-ray applications.

We report the results of an optical design study of a multilayer mirror that provides high reflectivity in the 400 eV region. First, the material pair selection rule proposed by Yamamoto was applied to examine the coating materials. Using the optical constants table by Palik, we calculate the Fresnel coefficients for various materials at angle of incidence of 60 deg. Following the selection rule, we looked for two materials yielding strong reflection at interfaces where the distance between two points of the Fresnel coefficients on the complex plane is far apart, as well as small absorption in the multilayer structure. Then film thicknesses of the multilayer structure were optimized by numerical calculation using IMD software, which results in practical high reflectivity between 43 to 50% on the Sc/Si, Sc/Mg, and Sc/Cr multilayer mirrors at the photon energy of 397.5 eV. In this presentation, we also report grazing incidence x-ray reflectivity results for multilayer mirrors deposited by a magnetron sputtering method.

As part of the investigations, quantum nanolaminates (QNLs) were produced from TiO₂, Nb₂O₅, and Z_rO₂ using IBS which are presented here. Complex layer systems, such as edge filters or polarizers, are produced using a system control specially adapted for such a large number of layers and the complete automation of the coating process. With these coatings, the focus was also on exploiting the blue-shift caused by quantization. Subsequent investigations are intended to demonstrate their applicability to other areas of optics production. The applications range from high laser damage thresholds to low mechanical losses for the mirrors of gravitational wave detectors or optical clocks.

This study investigates the feasibility of using hydrogenated carbon thin films deposited by pulsed DC sputtering as an alternative durable optical thin film material for infrared applications. The study focuses on how the mechanical and optical characteristics of the deposited carbon thin films vary with hydrogen content. To precisely control the hydrogen incorporation in the carbon layers, pulsed DC deposition was used in conjunction with a controlled hydrogen generator. This allowed for a methodical investigation of the link between hydrogen content, stresses, transmittance, reflectance, and absorptance. Results of increasing hydrogen content within the carbon films demonstrate a reduction in stress, absorptance and hardness. The hydrogen acts to alleviate the compressive stress levels and mitigate the mechanical durability challenges within the film. Such films have applications in systems that require mechanically robust optical coatings such as antireflection infrared coatings for common infrared substrate materials.

Strontium ferromolybdate Sr₂FeMoO₆ (SFMO) is a promising material for spintronic, photonic and plasmonic devices operating at room temperatures due to its high spin polarisation and high Curie temperature. Variations in SFMO lattice and material composition greatly impact magnetic properties and application range of spintronic devices. A high-quality SFMO film is difficult to obtain due to unavoidable defects and nonstoichiometry. Using multitarget reactive magnetron sputtering technology it is possible to achieve high density and precise composition of deposited films. The aim of this work is to reach an optimum SFMO film composition for the further development of multilayered magnetic film structures for spintronic devices. Films were deposited using an industrial sputtering system on 150 mm diameter platinized silicon wafers using high-purity Sr, Fe and Mo targets. For precise control of partial oxygen pressure, a plasma emission monitor (PEM) was used. Deposition parameters were adjusted and fine-tuned according to the evaluation of deposited SFMO films. The latter ones were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and optical reflectance in the UV-IR range. The achieved SFMO film composition was close to the optimal one and samples were provided for further multilayered structure deposition to prototype and develop a spintronic sensor.

Metalenses exhibit significant potential in various fields due to their ability to access comprehensive, complex information. The ability to integrate multiple features into a single device, along with its compact and efficient design, allows for the creation of miniature microscopy systems that showcase remarkable performance. By applying unique design techniques, we have developed and implemented polarization-dependent metalens. This metalens makes smooth transitions between edge enhancement imaging and bright field imaging possible. Employing the principles of geometric phase, we design a dual mode metalens by using hydrogenated amorphous silicon to physically manifest the necessary phase profiles for operation in the visible spectrum. These profiles contain a conventional hyperbolic configuration intended for bright-field imaging, along with spiral metalens with a topological charge of +1, tailored for edge-enhanced imaging functions. When utilizing Left Circular Polarization (LCP), our designed lens enables bright field imaging. Conversely, Right Circular Polarization (RCP) facilitates image edge enhancement. We showcase through numerical demonstration the metalens capability to focus and generate vortices under various states of circular polarization and validate its potential for diverse applications.

The American Society of Cancer reports an annual average of 240,000 breast cancer diagnoses in the USA, resulting in approximately 42,000 women and 500 men succumbing to the disease each year. The conventional diagnosis of critical diseases like breast cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer frequently necessitates invasive biopsy procedures, which involve the removal of a tissue sample for diagnostic analysis, potentially posing infection risks. However, conventional Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has emerged as a non-invasive imaging technique that mitigates these risks by generating cross-sectional biological sample images through the principles of light scattering and reflection. Although conventional OCT excels in its depth of focus, it faces challenges related to limited lateral resolution and diffraction constraints. Consequently, we propose a metalens-based OCT for high-resolution biomedical tissue imaging. Metalens-based OCT achieves optical system miniaturization by replacing traditional bulky lenses. The metalens is designed on a crystalline silicon dioxide (SiO₂) substrate with a 490 nm unit cell periodicity. Its dimensions are 380 nm in length, 185 nm in width, and 1100 nm in height. The suggested metalens operates in the 1300–1570 nm wavelength range and has over 65% transmission to provide improved depth of focus and lateral resolution. Simulated results indicate that metalens depth of focus and full-width half maximum approach 260 and 125 μm, respectively. Hence, our metalens proposal, offering high resolution and an increased depth of field, presents a viable choice for surgical and in vivo endoscopy imaging applications.