Comparison of Monochromatic Monitoring Strategies for the Deposition Process of Optical Coatings

Optical monitoring of the deposition process of multilayer coatings leads to correlation of errors in the thicknesses of the deposited layers. This effect, in turn, can lead to an accumulation of errors; at the same time, it can have a positive effect if there is an error self-compensation effect. Previously developed methods for estimating the degree of error correlation in layer thicknesses and assessing the self-compensation effect, which include the results of processing a large number of numerical experiments, open new possibilities for comparing existing monitoring strategies. Using a computer simulation of the deposition process of a $$44$$ -layer hot mirror as an example, it is shown how the above estimates can be used to compare the effectiveness of various monitoring strategies.