This Small Business Technology Transfer program will result in high-performance silver-based coatings for lightweight military mirrors in missile defense and other critical DoD applications. The coatings will be highly reflective at all angles of incidence in the visible and infrared wavelength regions and will have excellent environmental durability, adhesion, and manufacturability. Energetic ion assisted deposition will be used to develop robust complex silver-based coating stacks with optimized adhesion chemistry, passivation layer materials and structures, and minimized coating stress. In Phase I, proof-of-concept stacks will be developed and quantitatively characterized for adhesion, stress, reflectivity, and environmental durability. In Phase II the coating stack designs and processes will be optimized for peak performance and manufacturability and demonstrated in a full production environment. Cornell University will be the partnering academic institution and will transfer to industry their specific expertise in thin film modeling and novel methodology for characterization and control of adhesion and stress. Partnering with Axsys Technologies, Inc., a leading beryllium mirror manufacturer, ensures prompt commercialization of the improved silver coatings. Anticipated Benefits/Commercial Applications: This project will result in the commercialization and volume production of durable, high-quality, high-value, reflective silver coatings optimized for lightweight mirror applications. Military applications that will benefit include missile guidance and tracking systems, high-acceleration scan and steering mirrors, vehicle sighting systems, and thermal imagers. Additionally, improvements in lightweight mirror performance will benefit fighter aircraft and helicopter mirror applications. Astronomical applications such as space telescope and satellite mirrors will welcome improved silver coatings for their lightweight and traditional glass optics.
Keywords: Military Mirrors, Beyllium mirrors, Ion assisted deposition, Lightweight optics, Reflective coatings, Silver coatings
