Far Ultraviolet and Visible Light Scatter Measurements for CVD Silicon Carbide Mirrors for SOHO

Chemically-vapor-deposited (CVD) silicon carbide (SiC) has become a popular mirror material for spaceborne solar instrumentation for the vacuum ultraviolet wavelength range due to its appreciable broadband reflectance and favorable thermal and opto-mechanical properties. Scatter from surfaces of mirrors operating in this wavelength range can destroy otherwise good image contrast especially for extended targets such as the sun. While visible light scatter measurements are relatively easy to conduct, far ultraviolet (FUV) scatter measurements are not so easy. Visible light (633 nm) scatter measurements were performed on CVD SiC telescope mirrors (from the same vendor) for two instruments on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) -- Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) and Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER). Additionally, extensive FUV scatter measurements were made for SUMER telescope mirrors. We attempt to correlate the results for those visible light scatter measurements and to explore the usefulness of visible scatter measurements to predictions of FUV scatter for this important material.