Anisotropic laser mirrors based on obliquely deposited metal films

A method is proposed for producing dielectric — metal polarising mirrors for normal light incidence. The anisotropic properties of the mirrors are imposed by an obliquely deposited metal film. The subsequent deposition of isotropic dielectric coatings ensures a high reflectance of visible light. Experiments were carried out on nickel and aluminium in combination with MgF₂ and ZnS. At the 0.63 μm wavelength the reflectance was 98% and 95.5% for two linear polarisations of light incident on a mirror with a six-layer dielectric coating on an aluminium film.