ABSTRACTIon bombardment during growth of thin films has been shown to be a powerful technique for alteration of a wide variety of film properties from index of refraction and stoichiometry to density and abrasion resistance. A brief review of the deposition processes and ion effects of relevance to the production of optical films is presented. Application of the technique to some particular problems in films with both optical and protective roles, and the use of ion beams to alter the chemical composition and hence index of films will be discussed. Both homogeneous and spatially non-uniform coatings will be discussed, including generation of multilayer filters and gradient index structures in waveguiding films.
