THIN-FILM DESIGN

The second edition of Practical Design of Optical Thin Films begins with a section on the fundamentals of thin-film optics and the use of graphical methods in thin-film design, covering areas such as antireflection coatings, physical versus optical thickness, high reflectors, minus filters and narrow blocking bands, and designing coatings with absorbing materials. Reflectance, admittance and triangle diagrams are discussed, as are ellipsometry plots and inhomogeneous index functions. The 260-page resource also presents sections on estimating what can be done before designing and on the Fourier viewpoint of optical coatings. Broadband antireflection coating design examples are included. Ronald R. Willey; Willey Optical, Consultants, Charlevoix, Mich., 2007; $59.95.