Broadband Reflective Coating Process for Large FUVOIR Mirrors

ZeCoat Corporation will develop and demonstrate a set of revolutionary coating processes for making broadband reflective coatings suitable for very large mirrors (4+ meters). Decades of research and flight missions (Hubble, GALAX and FUSE) have utilized metal fluorides such as, MgF2 and LiF, applied to Al to achieve FUVOIR coating requirements. While metal fluoride-protected Al remains the best option for meeting broadband reflectance requirements (90-nm to 2500-nm), ZeCoat offers a means to build upon the best known and proven coating recipe (the GSFC 3-step process) by: 1) utilizing ZeCoat's unique precision motion-controlled deposition system to uniformly apply a 5-nm layer (a requirement of the GSFC recipe) of coating material to a large coating area, 2) protecting mirror assemblies from damaging high temperatures by heating only the mirror surface using radiant heat (the GSFC process requires a 220C metal-fluoride deposition temperature), 3) using an FUV reflectometer (120-nm to 180-nm) integrated into the coating chamber to optimize the coating process for FUV reflectance and 4) investigating the feasibility of using a layer of Sn to protect LiF from degradation due to atmospheric moisture and organic contamination during ground storage and re-evaporate the Sn once the observatory is placed in-orbit.

According to the NASA SBIR 2014 Phase I Solicitation, there are several different missions for which large aperture, light-weight mirrors with a broadband high reflectance coating is an enabling technology. Delivering a 1.2-m mirror which meets optical performance in this Phase I will demonstrate an ability to coat meter class surfaces. ZeCoat's 1.2-m process is readily scaleable to 4-m or 8-m mirrors, limited only by the size of the vacuum chamber. Future UV/optical telescopes such as ATLAST-9 or ATLAST-16 will benefit greatly from this technology. NASA also has missions requiring smaller FUV mirrors such as ICON, and currently only GSFC is a qualified supplier of this type of mirror coating. It would be beneficial for NASA to have a commercial supplier for small FUV mirrors.

Upon development, ZeCoat will offer for sale UV coatings for commercial purposes such as microlithographic processes operating in the 100-nm to 200-nm wavelength range. Potential customers include, but are not limited to, AFRL, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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