Use of natural minerals toward cost-effective fabrication of layered structural colors by physical vapor deposition
1 Applied Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
2 Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
  • Volume
  • Citation
    Rorem B, Cheng Y, Guo L. Use of natural minerals toward cost-effective fabrication of layered structural colors by physical vapor deposition. Opt. Photonics Res. 2025(1):0002, https://doi.org/10.55092/opr20250002. 
  • DOI
    10.55092/opr20250002
  • Copyright
    Copyright2025 by the authors. Published by ELSP.
Abstract

Structural color coatings offer exceptional vibrancy and durability but remain limited in many applications due to high material costs and fabrication complexity. This work aims to address the former limit and demonstrates multilayer optical coatings fabricated from un-processed natural mineral powders using electron beam evaporation. By using SiO₂ and TiO₂ based mineral materials as dielectric layers and a CuO–Fe₂O₃ mixture as an absorbing base, High-Low-Absorber (HLA) structures were fabricated that exhibit the desired reflection color. Refractive indices of TiO₂ films derived from ceramic powder are shown to be reproducible under controlled vacuum and source conditions, while the CuO–Fe₂O₃ mixture forms a stable film with high absorption and long-term conductivity. Structural colors deposited on both silicon and glass substrates exhibit strong agreement with optical simulations and are validated by reflectance spectra, ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This approach highlights a cost-effective pathway for producing optical coatings using minimally refined raw materials, with potential applications in photonics, optoelectronics, and sustainable color technologies.

Keywords

structural color coatings from natural minerals; High-Low-Absorber thin film design; electron beam evaporation of raw powders; thin-film interference; CuO-Fe2O3 absorbers; distillation; sustainable, low-cost, optical filters; ceramic powders

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