Methods for estimating the influence of the departure from design parameters on the optical properties of interference coatings

Two methods are suggested for estimating the influence of errors occuring in the course of fabrication of interference coatings on the optical properties of these coatings. These methods deal with two types of error, one of which is dependent and the other independent. It is shown that the most general method is mathematical modeling. A description is given of a computer program, which can be used to estimate the probability that the optical properties of multilayer coatings fall within a specified range if the sensitivity of the recording instrument is known. Examples are given of the modeling of the fabrication of some coatings which are widely used in quantum electronics.