In some implementations, a carbon-containing glass material includes a surface-to-air interface and an interphase region extending from the surface-to-air interface along a direction to a depth within the carbon-containing glass material. The surface-to-air interface may be exposed to ambient air, and the interphase region may include a plurality of few layer graphene (FLG) nanoplatelets formed in response to recombination and/or self-nucleation of a plurality of carbon-containing radicals implanted within the interphase region. The FLG nanoplatelets have a non-periodic orientation configured to at least partially inhibit formation or propagation of microcracks and/or micro-voids in the carbon-containing glass material. The glass material may also include a compressive stress layer disposed between the interphase region and the surface-to-air interface of the carbon-containing glass material, the compressive stress layer induced by ion bombardment of the carbon-containing glass material by a plurality of ionized inert gas particles.

Methods for manufacturing a carbon-containing glass material are disclosed. The method includes flowing a hydrocarbon gas and silane into a reactor, and providing an additive to the reactor. The method includes generating a non-thermal equilibrium plasma based on excitement of the hydrocarbon gas and the silane by a microwave energy, where the non-thermal equilibrium plasma includes a plurality of methyl radicals. The method includes ion-bombarding the glass material with at least the methyl radicals to create an interphase region. The method includes forming a plurality of FLG nanoplatelets within the interphase region based on recombination or self-nucleation of the methyl radicals. The FLG nanoplatelets may be dispersed throughout the interphase region in a non-periodic orientation that at least partially inhibits formation of cracks in the glass material. The method includes doping surfaces of the FLG nanoplatelets with the additive, and intercalating the additive between adjacent graphene layers within the FLG nanoplatelets formed in the glass material.

A method of treatment using a beam of singly- and multiply-charged gas ions produced by an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source of a glass material in which the ion acceleration voltage of between 5 kV and 1000 kV is chosen to create an implanted layer of a thickness equal to a multiple of 100 nm; and the ion dose per surface unit in a range of between 10.sup.12 ions/cm.sup.2 and 10.sup.18 ions/cm.sup.2 is chosen so as to create an atomic concentration of ions equal to 10% with a level of uncertainty of (+/−)5%. Advantageously this makes it possible to obtain materials made from glass that are non-reflective in the visible range.

Substrates that can act as optical elements for transmitting infrared light and that have low reflectance for infrared light and the assembly of such substrates with a source of infrared light and/or with an infrared-sensitive optical component. The substrates are suitable for cover glasses and optical elements, such as lenses, prisms, or mirrors to be used with infrared light. Ions are implanted into a substrate in order to reduce its reflectance of infrared light.

A method for manufacturing antireflective glass substrates by ion implantation, comprising selecting a source gas of N.sub.2, or O.sub.2, ionizing the source gas so as to form a mixture of single charge and multicharge ions of N, or O, forming a beam of single charge and multicharge ions of N, or O by accelerating with an acceleration voltage A between 13 kV and 40 kV and setting the ion dosage at a value between 5.56×10.sup.14×A/kV+4.78×10.sup.16 ions/cm.sup.2 and −2.22×10.sup.16×A/kV+1.09×10.sup.18 ions/cm.sup.2, as well as antireflective glass substrates comprising an area treated by ion implantation with a mixture of simple charge and multicharge ions according to this method.

A process for fabricating a substrate comprising a laser-induced plasma assisted modified layer, and a substrate comprising an ion-implanted layer. The process comprises ablating ions from a first target and a separate second target with incident radiation from a laser in the presence of a substrate whereby a quantity of ablated ions from the first target and the second target are separately implanted into the substrate. Ablated ions from the second target are implanted into the substrate amongst implanted ions from the first target. Ablated ions of the first target (e,g Erbium) are a different material compared to ablated ions of the second target (e.g. Ytterbium). The resulting ion-implanted layer may have a substantially uniform distribution of the implanted ions from both the first and second targets collectively, and may be at a significantly greater depth than previously possible, desirably to a well-defined and sharp boundary within the substrate.

A glass sheet comprising at least one antireflective, etched surface having a surface roughness defined, when measured on an evaluation length of 12 mm and with a Gaussian filter with a cut-off wavelength is 0.8 mm, by: 0.02Ra0.6 m; 0.1Rz3 m; and 5RSm180 m. The glass sheet has the following optical properties, when measured from the antireflective, etched surface: a haze value of from 1 to 40%; a clarity value of from 30 to 100%; a gloss value at 60 of from 20 to 130 SGU; and a luminous reflectance Rc from 4 to 7%. The antireflective, etched surface comprises implanted ions. Such a glass sheet is particularly suitable for display applications as cover glass and has excellent sparkle reduction properties together with an anti-glare effect.

A method hardens an anti-reflection treatment deposited on a transparent substrate that includes a top surface and a bottom surface which extends remotely from the top surface. The anti-reflection treatment includes depositing at least one anti-reflection layer of at least one material on at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the transparent substrate, bombarding the at least one top or bottom surface on which the at least one anti-reflection layer has been deposited using a singly-charged and/or multi-charged ion beam produced by a singly-charged and/or multi-charged ECR electron cyclotron resonance ion source. The method produces a transparent substrate having undergone an anti-reflection treatment such that at least one of the top and bottom surfaces of the transparent substrate is coated with at least one anti-reflection layer of at least one material, whereby ions are implanted in the at least one anti-reflection layer.

A method for manufacturing neutral color antireflective glass substrates by ion implantation, the method including ionizing a N.sub.2 source gas so as to form a mixture of single charge and multicharge ions of N, forming a beam of single charge and multicharge ions of N by accelerating with an acceleration voltage A between 20 kV and 25 kV and setting the ion dosage at a value between 610.sup.16 ions/cm.sup.2 and 5.0010.sup.15A/kV+2.0010.sup.17 ions/cm.sup.2. A neutral color antireflective glass substrates including an area treated by ion implantation with a mixture of simple charge and multicharge ions according to the method.

Optical grating components and methods of forming are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes providing an optical grating layer, and forming an optical grating in the optical grating layer, wherein the optical grating comprises a plurality of angled trenches disposed at a non-zero angle of inclination with respect to a perpendicular to a plane of the optical grating layer. The method may further include delivering light from a light source into the optical grating layer, and measuring at least one of: an undiffracted portion of the light exiting the optical grating layer, and a diffracted portion of the light exiting the optical grating layer.