The impact of the mass density on selected optical and non-optical properties of oxide coatings

The density of optical coatings is one of the most crucial material-related parameters in interference coating science and technology. It has an impact on the refractive index, the transparency range, and the mechanical stress of a coating material. This tutorial provides a background on the classical theory relating the coating density to the mentioned parameters. Simple models are presented that highlight the correlations between optical constants, stress, and shifting behavior of different oxide coatings. Comparison with the experiment is performed on the basis of numerous experimental data, which stem from hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, tantalum pentoxide, and silicon dioxide.