Filters for ν_2 band of CO_2: monitoring and control of layer deposition

Two types of multilayer interference filter are required for temperature sounding the earth's atmosphere. In relation to the 668-cm(-1) nu(2) band of CO(2) these are narrowband (4 cm(-1) wide for the Q branch, 10 cm(-1) for the R branch) or isolation (~60 cm(-1) wide for the complete center of the band). Difficulty in manufacturing the filters for NIMBUS-SCR and -PMR spaceflight has indicated a need for improvement in the monitoring and control of the deposition of layers, and the paper describes a realization of this. The consequent effect on filter performance (utilizing a particular combination of layer materials) is described.