Instituto de Óptica “Daza de Valdés”
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Luis Rodríguez-de Marcos; Juan I. Larruquert; José A. Méndez; José A. Aznárez; Liping Fu

Abstract

We address the design, fabrication, and characterization of transmittance filters for the Ionosphere Photometer instrument (IP), developed by the Center for Space Science and Applied Research (CSSAR). IP, a payload of Feng-Yun 3D meteorological satellite, to be launched on 2016, is aimed to perform photometry measurements of Earth’s ionosphere by the analysis of the OI (135.6 nm) spectral line and N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH, 140-180 nm) band, both of them in the far ultraviolet (FUV) range. The most convenient procedure to isolate a spectral band is the use of tunable transmittance filters. In many applications the intensity of the ultraviolet, visible and infrared background is higher than the intensity of the target FUV lines; therefore one of the most important requirements for transmittance filters is to reject (by reflecting and/or by absorbing) as efficiently as possible the visible and close ranges. In the FUV range, (Al/MgF2)n transmittance filters are the most common, and they are suitable to reject the visible and adjacent ranges. These materials present unique properties in this range: MgF2 is transparent down to ∼115 nm and Al has a very low refractive index in the FUV that contrasts well with MgF2. Narrowband tunable filters with very low transmittance at long wavelengths are achievable. The main data on the preparation and characterization of IP filters by Grupo de Óptica de Láminas Delgadas (GOLD) is detailed. In this proceeding we present (Al/MgF2)3 filters peaked at either 135.6 nm or at the center of the LBH band (∼160 nm). Filters were characterized in the 125-800 nm range (143-800 nm range for the LBH filter). After some storage in a desiccator, both coatings kept a transmittance of ~0.14 at their target wavelengths, with visible-to-peak transmittance ratios of 1.2·10-4 (OI filter) and 1.3·10-4 (LBH filter). One filter tuned at each target wavelength was exposed to ~300 Gy 60Co gamma dose, with no significant transmittance change.