Coating control using forward parameter correction and adapted reverse engineering

A method for controlling sputtering of a coating system, comprising;

• receiving, by a coating control device, design information, wherein the design information identifies desired values for a set of layers of an optical element to be generated during one or more runs;
• receiving or obtaining, by the coating control device, historic information that indicates a drift of a coating rate over a target life for a single target;
• determining, by the coating control device, layer information for the one or more runs based on the historic information,
• wherein the layer information identifies run parameters, for the set of layers, to achieve the desired values;
• causing, by the coating control device, the coating system to perform the sputtering based on the layer information;
• determining, by the coating control device, information identifying a result of the one or more runs,
• wherein the information identifying the result is based on at least one spectral measurement of the optical element, and
• wherein the information identifying the result indicates one or more of a layer thickness, a spectral characteristic, a filter frequency, a runoff level, a refraction index, or an absorption;
• and
• modifying, by the coating control device and to keep one or more future runs accurate with regard to a desired value of the desired values, a run parameter, of the run parameters, based on whether the result deviates from the desired value,
• wherein the run parameter is one of a run time for the set of layers, a gas flow rate, a supply power configuration, a supply power setpoint, or a geometric configuration;
• and
• causing, by the coating control device, the coating system to perform additional sputtering based on the modified run parameter.