Fabrication and characterization of MgF2 anti-reflective films comprising dual-layer prepared by physical vapor deposition technique for optoelectronic applications

Moth eye protuberances, for instance, exhibit highly developed and well-organized nanostructures that allow them to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions and achieve remarkable antireflective performance, which has inspired and been emulated by scientific advancement. Innovative studies have focused on bioinspired and imitating moth-eye patterns to provide a textured surface in multilayer antireflective coatings (ARC) using nanomaterials, polymers, or composites to eliminate undesired reflection in standard optical components and optoelectronic industrial applications. Multilayer AR systems provide a number of advantages over single-layer designs. Still, their limited applicability is due to obstacles such as mismatched properties at interfaces, high costs, poor mechanical durability, and wetting concerns. Using MgF2 and polytetrafluoroethylene, we develop a technique for fabricating high-performance AR nanostructures on borosilicate crown glass and Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide substrates via the glancing angle deposition technique. By inducing porosity and changing the deposition angle (α) at 550 nm, the refractive index of MgF2 is reduced from 1.38 to 1.14. In agreement with optical modelling predictions, high-performance ARC has been successfully produced on different substrates. Besides this, introducing a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene on MgF2 ARC via vapor deposition having a refractive index of 1.21 deposited at α ∼ 80° results in inducing water-repellent properties in ARC. Hence, our fabricated ARC yields stable AR efficiency with outstanding directional uniformity, durability, and negative temperature stability, having hydrophobic characteristics.