Abstract

The history of optical coatings is an interesting one that spans hundreds of years. The modem phase could be said to begin as long ago as the 17^th Century with careful observations of colors and angular effects in thin films, but it was in the middle of the 20th Century that the subject was rapidly propelled from what had been largely peripheral to what became immediately a mainstream subject of critical importance to the development of the entire field of optics. In 1950, Florin Abelès published the text of his doctoral thesis and in it defined and demonstrated the matrix calculation techniques that we still use even in our most advanced computer programs. Until then, laborious iterative techniques had been the norm. Although the use of matrices in applying these iterative techniques had been suggested, it was Florin Abelès who developed the modem matrix method and enabled us to focus our attention in coating design on the layers of the structure rather than the interfaces. This, of course, is well understood today, because it is the method that all of us use, but at that time it was revolutionary. Since then, Florin Abelès has had a constant and major influence on the field both in terms of scientific and technical advances and in terms of the numerous students that he has educated at the University of Paris. He has been recognized in many ways and I mention particularly the award of the 1991 C. E. K. Mees Medal of the Optical Society of America. We are fortunate indeed to have someone to talk to us about the history of optical coatings who has played such an important part in creating it.

© 1998 Optical Society of America