Numerical simulation of the modulation to incident laser by the repaired damage site in a fused silica subsurface

One of the main factors of laser induced damage is the modulation to incident laser which is caused by the defect in the subsurface of the fused silica.In this work,the repaired damage site irradiated by CO 2 laser is simplified to a Gaussian rotation according to the corresponding experimental results.Then,the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method is employed to simulate the electric field intensity distribution in the vicinity of this kind of defect in fused silica front subsurface.The simulated results show that the modulation is notable,the E max is about 2.6 times the irradiated electric field intensity in the fused silica with the damage site (the width is 1.5 μm and depth is 2.3 μm) though the damage site is repaired by CO 2 laser.The phenomenon and the theoretical result of the annular laser enhancement existed on the rear surface are first verified effectively,which agrees well with the corresponding experimental results.The relations between the maximal electric field intensity in fused silica with defect depth and width are given respectively.Meanwhile,the corresponding physical mechanism is analysed theoretically in detail.     

Two localized CO2 laser treatment methods for mitigation of UV damage growth in fused silica

Two methods：high-power,short-time,single-shot irradiation（Method A） and low-power,long-time,multi-shot irradiation（Method B） are investigated to mitigate the UV damage growth in fused silica by using a 10.6-μm CO2 laser.To verify the mitigation effect of the two methods,the laser induced damage thresholds（LIDTs） of the mitigated sites are tested with a 355-nm,6.4-ns Nd：YAG laser,and the light modulation of the mitigation sites are tested with a 351-nm continuous Nd：YLF laser.The mitigated damaged sites treated with the two methods have almost the same LIDTs,which can recover to the level of pristine material.Compared with Method A,Method B produces mitigated sites with low crater depth and weak light modulation.In addition,there is no raised rim or re-deposited debris formed around the crater edge for Method B.Theoretical calculation is utilized to evaluate the central temperature of the CO2 laser beam irradiated zone and the radius of the crater.It is indicated that the calculated results are consistent with the experimental results.     

熔石英表面热致应力对激光损伤行为影响的研究

为了研究热致应力对光学元件损伤特性的影响,通过实验测试退火处理消除热应力和未消热应力石英基片的激光损伤特性,研究了热致应力对石英元件初始损伤阈值、损伤增长阈值以及损伤增长规律的影响.结果表明,热致应力对熔石英光学元件的初始损伤阈值有影响,初始损伤阈值随着热致应力增大而降低;热致应力会加剧激光引发的损伤增长,相同的激光通量下,表面应力越大的区域拥有越高的损伤增长因子,但损伤增长仍遵从指数增长规律.热致应力对损伤增长阈值没有明显的影响.本文的研究将为CO2激光预处理工艺能否被应用于大口径光学元件提供一个必要的技术参考.     

预处理对355nm激光作用下熔石英损伤增长的影响

测试了经化学蚀刻、紫外激光预处理及其共同处理后的熔石英355 nm激光损伤阈值;研究了处理前后其损伤斑面积随激光辐照脉冲数的增长情况。结果表明,处理后熔石英355 nm激光损伤阈值得到了提高,且损伤斑面积增长变慢。利用CO2激光对熔石英表面损伤点进行了修复处理,修复后的损伤点R-on-1抗损伤阈值和基底阈值相当,损伤增长得到有效抑制。     

Influence of secondary treatment with CO_2 laser irradiation for mitigation site on fused silica surface

The ablation debris and raised rim, as well as residual stress and deep crater will be formed during the mitigation of damage site with a CO2 laser irradiation on fused silica surface, which greatly affects the laser damage resistance of optics. In this study, the experimental study combined with numerical simulation is utilized to investigate the effect of the secondary treatment on a mitigated site by CO_2 laser irradiation. The results indicate that the ablation debris and the raised rim can be completely eliminated and the depth of crater can be reduced. Notable results show that the residual stress of the mitigation site after treatment will reduce two-thirds of the original stress. Finally, the elimination and the controlling mechanism of secondary treatment on the debris and raised rim, as well as the reasons for changing the profile and stress are analyzed. The results can provide a reference for the optimization treatment of mitigation sites by CO_2 laser secondary treatment.     

熔石英损伤修复坑下游光场调制的数值模拟与实验研究

系统研究了熔石英激光损伤修复后的形貌特征,根据测量数据建立了典型的损伤修复坑三维模型,利用标量衍射理论并结合快速傅里叶变换算法研究了修复坑在351 nm激光辐照下游光场调制的分布规律.研究表明,修复坑引起的光场调制会使得下游不同距离位置处出现环形光场增强区和轴上位置光场增强点;环形光场增强区位置距离修复元件较近,其环形调制极大值主要受修复坑深度的影响,且随修复坑深度的增大而逐渐增加;轴上位置光场增强点位置距离修复元件较远,其轴上调制极大值主要受修复坑边缘凸起高度的影响,且随凸起高度的增大而快速增加;环形调制极大值或轴上调制极大值增大的同时,其分布位置与修复元件之间的距离均会逐渐减小.实验验证表明,利用三维修复坑模型得到的下游光场调制数值模拟结果与实验测量结果具有较好的一致性.本研究结果对控制熔石英元件损伤修复形貌特征以抑制调制增强效应给出了具体的控制方向,对修复工艺的改进与完善提供了非常有意义的参考.     

Two localized CO₂ laser treatment methods for mitigation of UV damage growth in fused silica

Two methods:high-power,short-time,single-shot irradiation(Method A) and low-power,long-time,multi-shot irradiation(Method B) are investigated to mitigate the UV damage growth in fused silica by using a 10.6-μm CO2 laser.To verify the mitigation effect of the two methods,the laser induced damage thresholds(LIDTs) of the mitigated sites are tested with a 355-nm,6.4-ns Nd:YAG laser,and the light modulation of the mitigation sites are tested with a 351-nm continuous Nd:YLF laser.The mitigated damaged sites treated with the two methods have almost the same LIDTs,which can recover to the level of pristine material.Compared with Method A,Method B produces mitigated sites with low crater depth and weak light modulation.In addition,there is no raised rim or re-deposited debris formed around the crater edge for Method B.Theoretical calculation is utilized to evaluate the central temperature of the CO2 laser beam irradiated zone and the radius of the crater.It is indicated that the calculated results are consistent with the experimental results.     

Combined studies of surface evolution and crack healing for the suppression of negative factors during CO_2 laser repairing of fused silica

In order to reveal the evolution mechanism of repaired morphology and the material's migration mechanism on the crack surface in the process of CO_2 laser repairing surface damage of fused silica optics, two multi-physics coupling mathematical models with different scales are developed, respectively. The physical problems, such as heat and mass transfer,material phase transition, melt flow, evaporation removal, and crack healing, are analyzed. Studies show that material ablation and the gasification recoil pressure accompanying the material splash are the leading factors in forming the Gaussian crater with a raised rim feature. The use of low-power lasers for a long time can fully melt the material around the crack before healing, which can greatly reduce the size of the residual air layer. Combined with the experimental research, the methods to suppress the negative factors(e.g., raised rim, deposited debris, air bubbles) in the CO_2 laser repairing process are proposed.     

Correlation of polishing-induced shallow subsurface damages with laser-induced gray haze damages in fused silica optics

Laser-induced damage in fused silica optics greatly restricts the performances of laser facilities. Gray haze damage,which is always initiated on ceria polished optics, is one of the most important damage morphologies in fused silica optics.In this paper, the laser-induced gray haze damages of four fused silica samples polished with CeO_2, Al_2O_3, ZrO_2, and colloidal silica slurries are investigated. Four samples all present gray haze damages with much different damage densities.Then, the polishing-induced contaminant and subsurface damages in four samples are analyzed. The results reveal that the gray haze damages could be initiated on the samples without Ce contaminant and are inclined to show a tight correlation with the shallow subsurface damages.     

Subsurface defect characterization and laser-induced damage performance of fused silica optics polished with colloidal silica and ceria

This paper mainly focuses on the influence of colloidal silica polishing on the damage performance of fused silica optics. In this paper, nanometer sized colloidal silica and micron sized ceria are used to polish fused silica optics. The colloidal silica polished samples and ceria polished samples exhibit that the root-mean-squared(RMS) average surface roughness values are 0.7 nm and 1.0 nm, respectively. The subsurface defects and damage performance of the polished optics are analyzed and discussed. It is revealed that colloidal silica polishing will introduce much fewer absorptive contaminant elements and subsurface damages especially no trailing indentation fracture. The 355-nm laser damage test reveals that each of the fused silica samples polished with colloidal silica has a much higher damage threshold and lower damage density than ceria polished samples. Colloidal silica polishing is potential in manufacturing high power laser optics.     

抑制损伤发展的CO_2激光修复技术及机理研究

熔石英表面激光损伤发展问题一直制约着激光器的运行通量。采用CO2激光在线熔融修复损伤点,修复后形成一个光滑的高斯坑,去除了损伤点中的裂纹,平滑了凹凸不平的表面,并且在紫外脉冲激光作用下,修复斑再次产生损伤的阈值高于熔石英元件的损伤生长阈值。因此CO2熔融修复技术能有效地抑制损伤发展。通过分析CO2激光作用下熔石英表面的温度分布,讨论修复坑的形成过程,确定激光参数对修复效果的影响,为寻找最佳修复参数提供理论基础。同时利用原子力显微镜(AFM)、轮廓仪细致分析损伤点和修复斑的微细结构,采用有限差分时域方法计算损伤点和修复斑周围的光强分布,探索消除裂纹和平滑表面对抑制损伤生长的作用。     

CO2激光扫描辐照修复熔石英表面损伤

采用振镜系统结合10.6 m的CO2激光,对熔石英表面损伤点进行辐照,成功地修复了直径500 m的大尺寸损伤点,损伤修复后表面无烧蚀残留,损伤内部完全愈合,无气泡和残余裂纹。和定点修复方式相比,这种修复具有修复尺度大、面形影响区域小、应力分布范围小的优势。80%扫描辐照修复的损伤点的初始损伤阈值恢复甚至超过了基底的初始损伤阈值。     

Damage/ablation morphology of laser conditioned sapphire under 1064 nm laser irradiation

The damage/ablation morphologies and laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of three different sapphire samples: original, 1064 nm laser conditioned and 10.6 μm CO₂ laser polished substrates are investigated with ns pulses laser irradiation. The results indicate that the damage resistance capability cannot be enhanced by 1064 nm laser conditioning or CO₂ laser polishing. The damage/ablation morphology of 1064 nm-laser conditioned samples is same as that of the original sapphire. But it is different from the damage/ablation morphology of the CO₂ laser polished sapphire. The “gentle and strong” ablation phases are observed in this work and several phenomena are observed in the two ablation phases. Ripple is observed in the “gentle” ablation processes, while convex spots and raised rims are observed in the “strong” ablation processes. Meanwhile, stripe damage and pin-points are observed in the CO₂ laser conditioned sapphire after ns laser irradiation. The formation mechanisms of the phenomena are also discussed for the explanation of related damage/ablation morphology. The results may be helpful for the damage/ablation investigation of sapphire in high power laser systems.     

激光诱导熔石英表面损伤修复中的气泡形成和控制研究

基于熔石英材料在CO_2激光作用下的温度分布和结构参数变化的计算结果,对熔石英损伤修复中的气泡形成和控制进行了研究.针对损伤尺寸介于150—250μm之间的损伤点,提出了一种能够有效控制气泡形成的长时间低温预热修复方法.基于低温下熔石英材料结构弛豫时间常数较长的特点,该方法在不引起熔石英材料结构发生显著变化的同时,能够解吸附表面和裂纹处所附着的气体和杂质,可有效降低裂纹闭合过程中气泡形成的概率.实验结果表明,长时间低温预热修复方法的成功修复概率可达到98%.     

Surface evolution and laser damage resistance of CO2 laser irradiated area of fused silica

A 10.6 μm CO₂ laser has been reported to effectively mitigate the laser damage growth of fused silica. Two zones of the laser irradiated area are defined in this work: the distorted zone and the laser affected zone. The parameters of the two zones are studied at different CO₂ laser beam sizes, irradiation times, and powers by microscopy, profilometry, and photoelastic method. The results show that the diameter of laser affected zone is almost completely determined by the laser beam size and the distorted zone is associated with the mitigation range of CO₂ laser beam. The diameter and depth of the distorted zone increase as the laser power and irradiation time increase. The depth grows exponentially depending on the irradiation time. The maximum residual stress discrepancy is located near the boundary of the laser affected zone. The laser damage resistance test results show that the distorted zone and the laser affected zone have a better damage resistance than the original substrate.     

Optimization of a laser mitigation process in damaged fused silica

One of the major concerns encountered in high power laser is the laser-induced damage of optical components. This is a main issue of the development of the Europe's biggest laser, known as Laser Méga Joule (LMJ) especially in the section where the beam wavelength is 351 nm. This study deals with the development of a laser treatment process to improve the laser damage resistance of silica optical components. First, by irradiating the component at 355 nm in the nanosecond regime, defects of the silica optic are revealed and evolve as damage. Next, the damaged sites are irradiated with a CO₂ laser at a 10.6 μm wavelength in order to melt and evaporate the silica in the damage neighborhood. In this study, we performed a variation of the CO₂ laser parameters to obtain the most efficient stabilization. To check this stabilization, damage resistance tests were performed with an UV laser representative of the LMJ (at 355 nm/2.5 ns). The results show that we can stabilize weak points and thereby make the component resistant to subsequent UV laser irradiation.     

熔石英亚表面修复形貌对光场的调制

基于标量衍射理论, 计算了熔石英亚表面高斯型修复形貌对于光场的调制，用Matlab对结果进行了仿真并与实验结果进行了比较。所得结果表明，二者有较好的一致性, 一定尺度的高斯面型修复形貌会对光场产生调制，且调制度随光场传输位置变化，通过适当选择后续光学元件位置，可降低光场调制造成光学元件损伤的风险。     

CO_2激光预处理参数对石英基片表面粗糙度的影响

为研究CO2激光预处理参数对熔石英基片表面粗糙度的影响,采用频率为100 Hz,光斑面积为1 mm2的CO2激光对理想的熔石英基片进行辐照处理,根据处理后基片表面微观形貌特征将修复程度分别定义为轻度、中度和重度修复,并对3种修复程度下基片的表面粗糙度值进行了统计。研究了不同脉冲作用时间和不同占空比(激光功率)的激光束单点单次辐照基片后的表面粗糙度。结果表明:石英基片的表面粗糙度均方根值和处理造成的凹陷深度均随脉冲作用时间和功率的增加逐渐变大;均方根值的增幅逐渐增加,凹陷深度的增幅逐渐减小。     

Laser-Induced Damage Growth on Larger-Aperture Fused Silica Optical Components at 351nm

Laser-induced damage is a key lifetime limiter for optics in high-power laser facility. Damage initiation and growth under 351 nm high-fluence laser irradiation are observed on larger-aperture fused silica optics. The input surface of one fused silica component is damaged most severely and an explanation is presented. Obscurations and the area of a scratch on it are found to grow exponentially with the shot number. The area of damage site grows linearly. Micrographs of damage sites support the micro-explosion damage model which could be used to qualitatively explain the phenomena.     

表面Al膜污染物诱导熔石英表面损伤特性

在熔石英表面人工溅射一层Al膜污染物,分别测试污染前后熔石英基片在355 nm波长激光辐照下的损伤阈值,并采用透射式光热透镜技术、椭偏仪和光学显微镜研究了污染物Al膜的热吸收、厚度以及激光辐照前后熔石英的损伤形貌。用355 nm波长的脉冲激光分别辐照位于污染的熔石英和洁净的熔石英前后表面的损伤点,并用显微镜在线采集损伤增长图样,测试损伤点面积。实验表明:熔石英前表面的金属Al膜污染物导致基片损伤阈值的下降约30%,后表面的污染物导致基片下降约15%,位于熔石英样片后表面损伤点面积随激光辐照次数呈指数增长,而位于前表面的损伤点面积与激光脉冲辐照次数呈线性增长关系;带有污染的熔石英样片的增长因子比洁净的熔石英样片的增长因子高30%。