Interference filters and coatings for mid-infrared astronomy (8-30 um)

Gary John Hawkins; Roger Hunneman; Richard Sherwood; Barbara M. Barrett

doi:10.1117/12.458056

30 January 2003 Interference Filters and Coatings for Mid-Infrared Astronomy (8-30μm)

Gary John Hawkins, Roger Hunneman, Richard Sherwood, Barbara M. Barrett

Proceedings Volume 4842, Specialized Optical Developments in Astronomy; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458056
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The VISIR instrument for the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a thermal-infrared imager and spectrometer currently being developed by the French Service d'Astrophysique of CEA Saclay, and Dutch NFRA ASTRON Dwingeloo consortium. This cryogenic instrument will employ precision infrared bandpass filters in the N-(λ=7.5-14μm)and Q-(λ=16-28μm) band mid-IR atmospheric windows to study interstellar and circumstellar environments crucial for star and planetary formation theories. As the filters in these mid-IR wavelength ranges are of interest to many astronomical cryogenic instruments, a worldwide astronomical filter consortium was set up with participation from 12 differing institutes, each requiring instrument specific filter operating environments and optical metrology. This paper describes the design and fabrication methods used to manufacture these astronomical consortium filters, including the rationale for the selection of multilayer coating designs, temperature-dependant optical properties of the filter materials and FTIR spectral measurements showing the changes in passband and blocking performance on cooling to <50K. We also describe the development of a 7-14μm broadband antireflection coating deposited on Ge lenses and KRS-5 grisms for cryogenic operation at 40K.

Citation Download Citation

Gary John Hawkins, Roger Hunneman, Richard Sherwood, and Barbara M. Barrett "Interference Filters and Coatings for Mid-Infrared Astronomy (8-30μm)", Proc. SPIE 4842, Specialized Optical Developments in Astronomy, (30 January 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458056

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