Study on high-reflective coatings of different designs at 532 nm

Conventional HfO2/SiO2 and Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2 double stack high reflective （HR） coatings at 532 nm are deposited by electron beam evaporation onto BK7 substrates. The laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） of two kinds of HR coatings is tested, showing that the laser damage resistance of the double stack HR coatings （16 J/cm2） is better than that of the conventional HR coatings （12.8 J/cm2）. Besides, the optical properties, surface conditions, and damage morphologies of each group samples are characterized. The results show that laser damage resistance of conventional HR coatings is determined by absorptive defect, while nodular defect is responsible for the LIDT of double stack HR coatings.     

1 053，527，351 nm倍频分离膜的制备与性能研究

 用电子束蒸发及光电极值监控技术在石英基底上沉积了三倍频分离膜，将部分样品置空气中于250 ℃温度下进行3 h热退火处理。然后用Lambda900分光光度计测量了样品的光谱性能；用表面热透镜技术测量了样品的弱吸收值；用调Q脉冲激光装置测试了样品分别在355 nm和1 064 nm的抗激光损伤阈值。实验结果发现，样品的实验光谱性能良好，退火前后其光谱性能几乎没有发生温漂，说明薄膜的温度稳定性好；同时弱吸收平均值从退火前的1.07×10^-4下降到退火后的6.2×10^-5，从而使对基频的抗激光损伤阈值提高，从14.6 J/cm²上升到18.8 J/cm²，但是三倍频阈值在退火后有显著降低，从7.5 J/cm²下降到2.5 J/cm²。     

1 053，527，351 nm倍频分离膜的制备与性能研究

用电子束蒸发及光电极值监控技术在石英基底上沉积了三倍频分离膜,将部分样品置空气中于250 ℃温度下进行3 h热退火处理。然后用Lambda900分光光度计测量了样品的光谱性能;用表面热透镜技术测量了样品的弱吸收值;用调Q脉冲激光装置测试了样品分别在355 nm和1 064 nm的抗激光损伤阈值。实验结果发现,样品的实验光谱性能良好,退火前后其光谱性能几乎没有发生温漂,说明薄膜的温度稳定性好;同时弱吸收平均值从退火前的1.07×10-4下降到退火后的6.2×10-5,从而使对基频的抗激光损伤阈值提高,从14.6 J/cm2上升到18.8 J/cm2,但是三倍频阈值在退火后有显著降低,从7.5 J/cm2下降到2.5 J/cm2。     

Calculation of temperature fields with a film-substrate interfacial layer model to discuss the layer-pair number effects on the damage thresholds of LaF3/MgF2 high reflectors at 355 nm

Laser induced damage thresholds (LIDT) of LaF₃/MgF₂ high reflectors at 355 nm were measured and investigated as a function of layer-pair number. Generally, LaF₃/MgF₂ coatings with more layer pairs possessed higher LIDT, but coatings with too high layer-pair number crazed because of high tensile stress, so the LIDT of them decreased badly. The temperature rise in the coatings was calculated based on a film-substrate interfacial absorption model, and the depth of the damage in the coatings were measured by a Veeco optical profilograph. The two characterization methods together were used to interpret the effects of layer-pair number on LIDT, and the damage mechanism of coatings at laser wavelength of 355 nm was also discussed.     

两种后处理方法对HfO2薄膜性能的影响

利用电子束蒸发和光电极值监控技术制备了氧化铪薄膜,并分别用两种后处理方法(空气中退火和氧等离子体轰击)对样品进行了处理.然后,对样品的透过率、吸收和抗激光损伤阈值进行了测试分析.实验结果表明,两种后处理方法都能不同程度地降低了氧化铪薄膜的吸收损耗、提高了抗激光损伤阈值.实验结果还表明,氧等离子体轰击的后处理效果明显优于热退火,样品的吸收平均值在氧等离子体后处理前后分别为34.8 ppm和9.0 ppm,而基频(1 064 nm)激光损伤阈值分别为10.0 J/cm2和21.4 J/cm2.     

PECVD技术制备单层光学薄膜抗激光损伤特性研究

采用PECVD技术在BK7玻璃基底上沉积了不同厚度的单层SiO2（折射率为1.46）和SiNx（折射率为1.84）光学薄膜,并对这2种膜层进行抗激光损伤阈值（LIDT）测试,分析讨论了PECVD技术制备的单层光学薄膜与抗激光损伤特性之间的关系。实验结果表明:PECVD技术制备的单层SiO2薄膜有较高的LIDT,薄膜光学厚度在o/4~o/2之间时,在光学厚度为350 nm时,LIDT有最小值21.7 J/cm2,光学厚度为433 nm时,LIDT有最大值27.9 J/cm2。SiNx薄膜的LIDT随着光学厚度增加而减小,在光学厚度为o/4时,LIDT有最大值29.3 J/cm2,光学厚度为o/2时,LIDT有最小值4.9 J/cm2。     

旋涂法制备KDP晶体减反膜

对KDP晶体旋转涂膜过程中的技术问题进行了探讨,包括元件夹持安全性、膜层均匀性、膜层透射比、膜层疏水性能、膜层激光损伤阈值等。分析了晶体元件加速旋转阶段的受力情况,明确了KDP晶体元件在旋涂操作过程中受力状态的安全性。对不同溶剂体系的膜层均匀性进行了判断,在400 mm尺寸的元件上获得了透射比均匀性为0.3%的减反膜。对溶胶进行稳态剪切流变分析得知,在现有的涂膜转速 (对应剪切速率100~200 s-1)范围内,其粘度随着剪切速率的增加几乎不变,近似牛顿流体。在旋涂过程中,处于基底不同位置的溶胶的粘度大致相等,这是影响膜层均匀性的重要原因之一。膜层疏水性能较好,水接触角测试结果大于152。在SiO2基底上制备的减反膜,1053 nm处透射比大于99.8%。在熔石英基片上制备的三倍频减反膜样品的功能性激光损伤阈值约为10 J/cm2（355 nm, 3 ns）。     

Comparison of laser-induced damage in Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 single-layer films and high reflectors

Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 films are deposited on BK7 glass substrates using an electron beam evaporation method and are annealed at 673 K in the air.In this letter,comparative studies of the optical transmittance,microstructure,chemical composition,optical absorption,and laser-induced damage threshold(LIDT) of the two films are conducted.Findings indicate that the substoichiometric defect is very harmful to the laser damage resistance of Ta2O5 and Nb2O5 films.The decrease of absorption improves the LIDT in films deposited by the same material.However,although the absorption of the Ta2O5 single layer is less than that of the Nb2O5 single layer,the LIDT of the former is lower than that of the latter.High-reflective(HR) coatings have a higher LIDT than single layers due to the thermal dissipation of the SiO2 layers and the decreased electric field intensity(EFI).In addition,the Nb2O5 HR coating achieves the highest LIDT at 25.6 J/cm 2 in both single layers and HR coatings.     

Pulsed top-hat beam thermal-lens measurement for ultraviolet dielectric coatings

A mode-mismatched surface thermal-lens technique with pulsed top-hat beam excitation and a near-field detection scheme are developed to measure in situ the thermoelastic response of ultraviolet dielectric coatings to excimer-laser (193- or 248-nm) irradiation. The thermal-lens technique is demonstrated to be not only convenient for accurate determination of the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) but also sensitive to measurement of the thermoelastic response of dielectric coatings irradiated with fluence far below the LIDT, and hence is shown to be appropriate for time-resolved predamage investigation. A minimum detectable surface displacement of approximately 0.002 nm is achieved with a simple experimental configuration. Nonlinear absorption as well as the nonlinear effect in laser conditioning of a LaF(3)/MgF (2) highly reflective dielectric coating are observed for what is believed to be the first time.     

Influence of substoichiometer on the laser-induced damage characters of HfO2 thin films

HfO₂ is one of the most important high refractive index materials for depositing high power optical mirrors. In this research, HfO₂ thin films were prepared by dual-ion beam reactive sputtering method, and the laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) of the sample were measured in 1-on-1 mode for laser with 1064 nm wavelength. The results indicate that the LIDT of the as-grown sample is only 3.96 J/cm², but it is increased to 8.98 J/cm² after annealing under temperature of 200 °C in atmosphere. By measuring the laser weak absorption and SIMS of the samples, we deduced that substoichiometer is the main reason for the low LIDT of the as-grown sample, and the experiment results were well explained with the theory of electronic-avalanche ionization.     

Influence of Vacuum Organic Contaminations on Laser-Induced Damage of 1064 nm Anti-Reflective Coatings

We investigate the influence of vacuum organic contaminations on laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） of optical coatings. Anti-reflective （AIR） coatings at 1064 nm made by Ta2 O5/SiO2 are deposited by the ion beam sputtering method. The LIDTs of AR coatings are measured in vacuum and in atmosphere, respectively. It is exhibited that contaminations in vacuum are easily to be absorbed onto optical surface because of lower pressure, and they become origins of damage, resulting in the decrease of LIDT from 24.5J/cm^2 in air to 15.TJ/cm^2 in vacuum. The LIDT of coatings in vacuum has is slightly changed compared with the value in atmosphere after the organic contaminations are wiped off. These results indicate that organic contaminations are the main reason of the LIDT decrease in vacuum. Additionally, damage morphologies have distinct changes from vacuum to atmosphere because of the differences between the residual stress and thermal decomposability of filmy materials.     

Laser-induced damage of high reflectors for Ti:sapphire laser system

A broadband (～ 176 nm, R ＞ 98%, λ0 = 800 nm) and high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT =2.4 J/cm2) TiO2/HfO2/SiO2 high reflector (HR) for Ti:sapphire chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) laser system is fabricated by the electron beam evaporation. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of TiO2 and HfO2 films are calculated from single-layer films' transmittance spectra. The properties of HR are mainly determined by the high refractive index material. The high refractive index leads to wide bandwidth. A low extinction coefficient indicates low absorption and high LIDT. The possible damage mechanism of HR is discussed.     

Overcoat dependence of laser-induced damage threshold of 355 nm HR coatings

A series of HR coatings, with and without overcoat, were prepared by electron beam evaporation using the same deposition process. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) was measured by a 355 nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 8 ns. Damage morphologies of samples were observed by Leica-DMRXE Microscope. The stress was measured by viewing the substrate deformation before and after coatings deposition using an optical interferometer. Reflectance of the samples was measured by Lambda 900 Spectrometer. The theoretical results of electric field distributions of the samples were calculate by thin film design software (TFCalc). It was found that SiO₂ overcoat had improved the LIDT greatly, while MgF₂ overcoat had little effect on the LIDT because of its high stress in the HR coatings. The damage morphologies were different among HR coatings with and without overcoats.     

表面层对1 064 nm高反射镜损伤阈值影响

采用电子束蒸发的方法制备了３种具有不同表面层材料及结构的中心波长为1 064 nm的零度高反镜,３种膜系表面层分别为1/4波长光学厚度的HfO2,1/2波长光学厚度的SiO2,以及1/4波长光学厚度的SiO2。光谱测试表明：三者在1 064 nm处均有较高的反射率（高于99.8%）,利用热透镜的方法测量得到３个膜系辐照激光正入射情况下,薄膜对光的吸收比例分别为3.0×10-6,5.0×10-6和6.5×10-6,其损伤阈值分别为32.5,45.2和28.4 J/cm2。并在膜层内部电场分布和膜层材料物理特性的基础上分析了３种不同表面层膜系吸收和损伤阈值差别的原因。     

真空退火对355nm Al2O3/MgF2高反射薄膜性能的影响

 采用电子束蒸发沉积技术制备了355nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ 高反射薄膜，并在真空中进行不同温度梯度的退火，用X射线衍射（XRD）观察了薄膜微结构的变化，用355nm Nd：YAG脉冲激光测试了薄膜的激光损伤阈值，用Lambda 900光谱仪测试了薄膜的透过和反射光谱。结果表明在工艺条件相同的条件下真空退火过程对薄膜的性能有很大的影响，退火温度梯度越小的样品，吸收越小，阈值越大，并且是非晶结构。选择合适的真空退火过程可以减少355nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ 高反射膜的膜层吸收，提高薄膜的激光损伤阈值。     

SiO2/HfO2高反射膜的研制

主要讨论了电子束蒸发SiO2/HfO2薄膜的面形控制和损伤性能。研究了电子束蒸发工艺参数对薄膜应力以及面形的影响;分析了制备工艺对薄膜吸收、节瘤缺陷密度的影响,测量了制备薄膜的损伤阈值。研究结果表明:调整SiO2蒸发时的氧分压可以有效地将薄膜的应力控制在-250~-50 MPa。同时采用金属Hf蒸发可以显著地将节瘤缺陷密度从12.6 mm-2降低至2.7 mm-2,同时将损伤阈值从30 J/cm2提高至55 J/cm2。     

Accumulation effect of SiO_2 protective layer on multi-shot laser-induced damage in high-reflectivity HfO_2/SiO_2 coatings

The accumulation effects in high-reflectivity(HR) HfO2/SiO2 coatings under laser irradiation are investigated.The HR HfO2/SiO2 coatings are prepared by electron beam evaporation at 1 064 nm.The laser-induced damage threshold(LIDT) are measured at 1 064 nm and at a pulse duration of 12 ns,in 1-on-1 and S-on-1 modes.Multi-shot LIDT is lower than single-shot LIDT.The laser-induced and native defects play an important role in the multi-shot mode.A correlative theory model based on critical conduction band electron density is constructed to elucidate the experimental phenomena.     

SiO2内保护层对LiB3O5晶体倍频增透膜损伤阈值的影响

利用离子辅助电子束沉积方法在LiB3O5基底上镀制了不加SiO2内保护层和加SiO2内保护层的倍频增透膜,测量了两类薄膜在波长1 064 nm多脉冲辐照下的激光损伤阈值,获得了两种不同的损伤形貌,并对损伤原因作了初步探讨。实验结果表明：保护层的加入把由基底膜层界面缺陷吸收所决定的阈值改变到由HfO2膜层内缺陷吸收所决定的阈值,显著提高了倍频增透膜的抗激光损伤能力。     

SiO2内保护层对LiB3O5晶体倍频增透膜损伤阈值的影响

 利用离子辅助电子束沉积方法在LiB₃O₅基底上镀制了不加SiO₂内保护层和加SiO₂内保护层的倍频增透膜，测量了两类薄膜在波长1 064 nm多脉冲辐照下的激光损伤阈值，获得了两种不同的损伤形貌，并对损伤原因作了初步探讨。实验结果表明：保护层的加入把由基底膜层界面缺陷吸收所决定的阈值改变到由HfO₂膜层内缺陷吸收所决定的阈值，显著提高了倍频增透膜的抗激光损伤能力。     

一种用于Yb:YAG激光器的波长分离膜的研制

以1 030 nm高反,940,980 nm高透的波长分离膜作为实例,为提高该薄膜元件的波长分离效果,从膜系的优化方面做了一系列的研究,诸如采用带通滤光片的设计思想,在膜堆两侧加入了匹配层,调整膜堆的周期厚度,并用膜系设计软件对通带作进一步的优化.通过这一系列的优化设计后,利用RF双离子束溅射工艺在BK7玻璃基底上沉积样品薄膜,并在基底背面加镀通带增透膜.结果显示,透射带在940和980 nm处的透过率分别为97.73%和93.63%,反射带在1 030 nm的反射率为99.99%.对所制备的样品薄膜进行了激光损伤阈值测量,得到了35 J/cm2(1 064 nm,12 ns)的结果.