Antireflective thin films and nanostructures for cycloolefin-based polymers

There is an ongoing critical discussion about whether long-term durability of polymer optics can be guaranteed after passing accelerated tests, as the degradation mechanisms are very complex. Thick scratch resistant antireflective coatings AR-hard and antireflective nanostructured coatings AR-plas had been developed several years ago. The polymer substrates are exposed to plasma emissions and ion bombardment both during coating and structuring. On the other hand, cycloolefin-based polymers may undergo structural changes induced by plasma. For the present study, it was possible to re-examine coated samples a long time after their production. Various AR coatings and different cyclic olefin polymers were re-evaluated in terms of their optical properties and coating adhesion.