Internal seminar for PhD students:

Dr. Laura Silenzi (1st year PhD) 

"Mechanical losses of a SiO2 substrate and structural properties of Ta2O5 coatings for thermal noise characterization".

12 May 2021, 17:15 pm room H Physics building (or virtual: https://unicam.webex.com/meet/flavio.travasso)

Abstract:

A full characterization of silica substrates is required before Ta2O5 coating deposition, in order to understand how the substrates are affected by thermal noise and to discriminate mechanical losses due only to the bare substrate. It is important also to have a knowledge on how the substrates react to any treatment (polishing, annealing).

Simultaneously, the atomic structure of thin film coatings of Ta2O5 at different conditions (increasing TiO2 doping percentage and post-deposition annealing treatment) is investigated at Ta L3- and Ti K-edges using X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Moreover, a study of multilayers of SiO2/TiO2 and Ta2O5/TiO2 by X-ray reflectivity is undergoing.