Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Rear-surface laser damage on 355-nm silica optics owing to Fresnel diffraction on front-surface contamination particles

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

Light intensity modulations caused by opaque obstacles (e.g., dust) on silica lenses in high-power lasers often enhance the potential for laser-induced damage. To study this effect, particles (10–250 µm) with various shapes were sputter deposited on the input surface and irradiated with a 3-ns laser beam at 355 nm. Although a clean silica surface damages at fluences above 15 J/cm2, a surface contaminated with particles can damage below 11.5 J/cm2. A pattern that conforms to the shape of the input surface particle is printed on the output surface. Repetitive illumination resulted in catastrophic drilling of the optic. The damage pattern correlated with an interference image of the particle before irradiation. The image shows that the incident beam undergoes phase (and amplitude) modulations after it passes around the particle. We modeled the experiments by calculating the light intensity distribution behind an obscuration by use of Fresnel diffraction theory. The comparison between calculated light intensity distribution and the output surface damage pattern showed good agreement. The model was then used to predict the increased damage vulnerability that results from intensity modulations as a function of particle size, shape, and lens thickness. The predictions provide the basis for optics cleanliness specifications on the National Ignition Facility to reduce the likelihood of optical damage.

© 2000 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Effect of laser irradiation on silica substrate contaminated by aluminum particles

Stéphanie Palmier, Jean Luc Rullier, Jérémie Capoulade, and Jean Yves Natoli
Appl. Opt. 47(8) 1164-1170 (2008)

Damage morphologies of Al2O3 and Fe particles attached on the input surface of fused silica after irradiation by a 355 nm laser

Yuhan Li, Caizhen Yao, Xinxiang Miao, Hairong Wang, and Xiaodong Jiang
Appl. Opt. 60(26) 8130-8136 (2021)

Laser induced damage of fused silica polished optics due to a droplet forming organic contaminant

Karell Bien-Aimé, Jérome Néauport, Isabelle Tovena-Pecault, Evelyne Fargin, Christine Labrugère, Colette Belin, and Michel Couzi
Appl. Opt. 48(12) 2228-2235 (2009)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (11)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved