Precision thickness control for vacuum deposition of titanium and other metals for optical surfaces

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DEPOSITING A TITANIUM FILM OF PREDETERMINED THICKNESS WITH READILY REPRODUCIBLE CLOSE APPROACH TO ACCURACY WHICH COMPRISES SUPPORTING A WEIGHED AMOUNT OF DISCONTINUOUS RIBBON OF TITANIUM UPON AN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE ELEMENT OF TUNGSTEN, EXHAUSTING GAS FROM AROUND SAID TITANIUM AND ITS SUPPORT TO A PRESSURE LOWER THAN ABOUT 5X10-5 MILLIMETERS OF MERCURY, ELECTRICALLY HEATING SAID ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE ELEMENT AND SAID TITANIUM SUPPORTED THEREBY TO A TEMPERATURE WELL ABOVE THE BOILING TEMPERATURE OF TITANIUM TO VAPORIZE THE TITANIUM RAPIDLY TO AVOID THE APPEARENCE OF ANY LIQUID STATE AND ANY SPATTER IN THE TITANIUM UPON SOLID SUPPORTING OPTICAL SURPERATURE OF THE TUNGSTEN SUPPORT, AND DEPOSITING GASEOUS MOLECULES OF TITANIUM UPON SOLID SUPPORTING OPTICAL SURFACES ALL PARTS OF WHICH TO BE COATED ARE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DISTANCE FOR GASEOUS MOLECULES OF TITANIUM TO TRAVEL WHILE MAINTAINING THE HEATING CIRCUIT THROUGH THE TUNGSTEN SUPPORT CLOSED IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE TITANIUM APPEARS TO BE VAPORIZED IN AN EXPLOSIVE MANNER IN ABOUT A MINOR FRACTION OF A SECOND.