Rear-surface light intensification caused by a Hertzian-conical crack in 355-nm silica optics

Theoretical studies show that a Hertzian-conical crack can be considered to be composed of double cone faces for simplicity. In the present study, the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method is employed to quantify the electric-field distribution within the subsurface in the presence of such a defect under normal incidence irradiation. Both impurities (inside the crack) and the chemical etching have been investigated. The results show that the maximum electric field amplitude |E| max is 9.57374 V/m when the relative dielectric constant of transparent impurity equals 8.5. And the near-field modulation will be improved if the crack is filled with the remainder polishing powders or water vapor/drops. Meanwhile, the laser-induced initial damage moves to the glass-air surface. In the etched section, the magnitude of intensification is strongly dependent on the inclination angle θ. There will be a highest modulation when θ is around π/6, and the maximum value of |E| max is 18.57314 V/m. When θ ranges from π/8 to π/4, the light intensity enhancement factor can easily be larger than 100, and the modulation follows a decreasing trend. On the other hand, the modulation curves become smooth when θ > π/4 or θ < π/8.     

熔石英后表面坑点型划痕对光场调制的近场模拟

建立了坑点型划痕的旋转抛物面模型, 用三维时域有限差分方法研究了熔石英后表面坑点型划痕随深度、 宽度、 间距以及酸蚀量变化对波长λ =355 nm入射激光的调制.研究表明, 这类划痕调制最强区位于相邻两坑点的连接区, 且越靠近表面调制越强.当其宽深比为2.0---3.5、 坑点间距约为坑点宽度的1/2时, 可获得最大光场调制, 最大光强增强因子(LIEF)为11.53; 当坑点间距大于坑点宽度时, 其调制大为减弱, 相当于单坑的场调制.对宽为60δ (δ =λ/12), 深和间距均为30δ的坑点型划痕进行刻蚀模拟, 刻蚀过程中最大LIEF为11.0, 当间距小于300 nm时, 相邻坑点由于衍射形成场贯通.     

形状与位置对断点划痕场分布的影响研究

用3维时域有限差分方法分别研究了在355 nm入射激光作用下, 熔石英后表面具有不同形状 和位置的断点划痕对场分布的影响.研究表明,对于椭圆状的坑点, 当共线的轴长逐渐 增大时, 电场幅值与强点数目先增大后减小, 获得最大光强增强因子的两轴 比是1.1-1.2, 此时坑点呈近圆形. 当平行的轴长逐步增大时,电场幅值先逐渐增大, 当两轴比为0.53时趋于平缓, 而强点总数则呈"J"形曲线不断增长. 当坑点尺寸相同 但排放位置不同时, 相邻坑点的相对面积愈大, 调制愈强.     

光学元件兆声辅助化学刻蚀工艺参数优化

对传统的静态刻蚀方法进行了改进,提出了一种光学元件兆声辅助化学刻蚀新方法,并对传统静态刻蚀与兆声辅助化学刻蚀效果进行了对比分析,综合考虑刻蚀液的配比、刻蚀时间、添加活性剂种类和功率对光学元件激光损伤阈值的影响,通过正交设计实验优选出最佳的兆声辅助化学刻蚀工艺参数。结果表明：兆声清洗对各类杂质的去除效果要明显好于手工擦洗,兆声辅助化学刻蚀比传统的静态刻蚀有更高的刻蚀速率,在兆声的作用下刻蚀液能够进入到传统静态刻蚀难以进入的微裂纹中,对微裂纹等缺陷的刻蚀效果更为明显,能够将熔石英元件激光损伤阈值进一步提高。     

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.     

Effect of fused silica subsurface defect site density on light intensification

The effect of defect density on the modulation of incident laser waves is investigated. First, based on the actual defect distribution in the subsurface of fused silica, a three-dimensional (3D) grid model of defect sites is constructed. The 3D finite-difference time-domain method is developed to solve the Maxwell equations. Then the electrical field intensity in the vicinity of the defect sites in the subsurface of fused silica is numerically calculated. The relationships between the maximal electrical field intensity in fused silica and the geometry of the defect sites are given. The simulated results reveal that the modulation becomes more remarkable with an increase of the defect density. In addition, the effect of the distribution mode of defects on modulation is discussed. Meanwhile, the underlying physical mechanism is analyzed in detail.     

熔石英亚表面横向划痕调制作用的3维模拟

建立了熔石英后表面3维横向划痕模型,并采用3维时域有限差分方法对熔石英亚表面划痕周围的电场强度进行了数值模拟,分析了划痕宽度、深度、长度以及划痕倾斜角度对入射光场的调制作用,结果表明：随划痕深度和划痕长度的增加,熔石英内的最大电场强度增大,且当划痕长度达到1 μm以上时,最大电场强度趋于稳定;划痕结构因子在1～2之间的划痕较容易引起熔石英损伤;而入射激光在划痕界面和后表面之间发生内全反射时,后表面上的光强增强效果更加明显,因此减少角度范围在20.9°～45°之内的划痕能大幅提高熔石英的损伤阈值。     

Incident laser modulation of a repaired damage site with a rim in fused silica rear subsurface

Local CO2 laser treatment has proved to be an effective method to prevent the 351-nm laser-induced damage sites in a fused silica surface from exponentially growing, which is responsible for limiting the lifetime of optics in high fluence laser systems. However, the CO2 laser induced ablation crater is often surrounded by a raised rim at the edge, which can also result in the intensification of transmitted ultraviolet light that may damage the downstream optics. In this work, the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method is developed to simulate the distribution of electrical field intensity in the vicinity of the CO2 laser mitigated damage site located in the exit subsurface of fused silica. The simulated results show that the repaired damage sites with raised rims cause more notable modulation to the incident laser than those without rims. Specifically, we present a theoretical model of using dimpled patterning to control the rim structure around the edge of repaired damage sites to avoid damage to downstream optics. The calculated results accord well with previous experimental results and the underlying physical mechanism is analysed in detail.     

预处理对355 nm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。     

355 nm皮秒激光辐照下熔石英的损伤特性

利用光学元件激光损伤测试平台,测试了355 nm皮秒激光辐照下熔石英光学元件的初始损伤及损伤增长情况,并通过荧光检测分析了损伤区缺陷。研究结果表明：皮秒激光较高的峰值功率导致熔石英损伤阈值较低,前表面损伤阈值为3.98 J/cm2,后表面损伤阈值为2.91 J/cm2;前后表面损伤形貌存在较大差异,后表面比前表面损伤程度轻且伴随体内丝状损伤;随脉冲数的增加后表面损伤直径增长缓慢,损伤深度呈线性增长;皮秒激光的动态自聚焦和自散焦导致熔石英体内损伤存在细丝和炸裂点重复的现象;与纳秒激光损伤相比,损伤区缺陷发生明显改变。     

激光诱导光学材料后表面损伤的数值模拟

 采用3维时域有限差分方法和完全匹配吸收层,模拟了长方体缺陷在熔石英前后表面时对入射激光为TM波的调制作用,绘出了截面上的电场强度分布及最大电场强度随熔石英深度变化的曲线,并进行了比较和分析。结果表明：缺陷在前表面上时,后表面附近的最大电场强度2.522 41 V/m大于缺陷附近的1958 83 V/m;缺陷在后表面上时,材料中的最大电场强度为2.799 38 V/m,且出现在后表面附近。无论该缺陷在前表面还是在后表面,最大电场强度都是出现在后表面附近,表明光学材料的后表面在一定程度上更容易被损伤。     

355 nm激光作用下熔石英损伤增长

 用355 nm脉冲激光分别辐照位于熔石英前后表面的损伤点,用Mias软件采集了损伤增长的图像并测量了每脉冲辐照后损伤点的面积。实验结果表明：位于熔石英样片后表面的损伤点面积随激光辐照脉冲数呈指数增长关系,而位于前表面的损伤点面积与激光辐照脉冲次数呈线性增长关系。     

熔石英和磷酸盐钕玻璃表面三角形微裂纹对入射光的散射分析

采用时域有限差分方法(FDTD)模拟了石英玻璃和掺钕磷酸盐激光玻璃表面三角形微裂纹对入射光调制后的分布。TE模式光波入射,最大调制电场幅值出现在玻璃体内部;TM模式光波入射,最大调制电场幅值则发生在裂纹的缝隙中。两种入射光模式下,后表面的调制电场幅值增大倍数在相同裂纹条件下均比前表面大。TE模式入射时,当入射光在裂纹和玻璃表面相继发生全反射时,得到的调制电场幅值最大;后表面最大调制电场幅值随着裂纹在界面投影长度的增加、开口宽度的变大及裂纹深度的增加而分别增大。     

熔石英和磷酸盐钕玻璃表面三角形微裂纹对入射光的散射分析

 采用时域有限差分方法(FDTD)模拟了石英玻璃和掺钕磷酸盐激光玻璃表面三角形微裂纹对入射光调制后的分布。TE模式光波入射,最大调制电场幅值出现在玻璃体内部;TM模式光波入射,最大调制电场幅值则发生在裂纹的缝隙中。两种入射光模式下,后表面的调制电场幅值增大倍数在相同裂纹条件下均比前表面大。TE模式入射时,当入射光在裂纹和玻璃表面相继发生全反射时,得到的调制电场幅值最大;后表面最大调制电场幅值随着裂纹在界面投影长度的增加、开口宽度的变大及裂纹深度的增加而分别增大。     

激光诱导光学材料后表面损伤的数值模拟

采用3维时域有限差分方法和完全匹配吸收层,模拟了长方体缺陷在熔石英前后表面时对入射激光为TM波的调制作用,绘出了截面上的电场强度分布及最大电场强度随熔石英深度变化的曲线,并进行了比较和分析。结果表明：缺陷在前表面上时,后表面附近的最大电场强度2.522 41 V/m大于缺陷附近的1958 83 V/m;缺陷在后表面上时,材料中的最大电场强度为2.799 38 V/m,且出现在后表面附近。无论该缺陷在前表面还是在后表面,最大电场强度都是出现在后表面附近,表明光学材料的后表面在一定程度上更容易被损伤。     

横向划痕对光场调制的近场模拟

熔石英亚表面划痕对入射激光的近场调制是导致光学元件低阈值损伤的主要因素之一. 用三维时域有限差分方法研究了连续横向划痕的近场分布, 对比了尖锐截面与光滑截面场调制的差异, 着重探讨了光场调制与划痕宽深比R的关系. 研究表明: 酸蚀后的光滑截面有助于减弱近场调制, 这类划痕的R>10.0时调制较弱且相互接近, R<5.0时调制显著增强. 当R取1---3时, 亚表面的调制达最大值, 最大电场幅值为入射波幅值的4.3倍. 当R取1.0---3.5时, 缺陷附近有80%以上取样点的最大电场幅值超过入射波幅值的2倍. 随着深度的增大, 强场区具有明显的"趋肤效应": 位于划痕正下方的强场区首先往左右两侧移动, 然后移向抛物口界面以及水平界面, 同时衍生出的多条增强线诱导整个亚表面层的光场增强.     

Improvement of laser damage thresholds of fused silica by ultrasonic-assisted hydrofluoric acid etching

Polished fused silica samples were etched for different durations by using hydrofluoric(HF) acid solution with HF concentrations in an ultrasonic field. Surface and subsurface polishing residues and molecular structure parameters before and after the etching process were characterized by using a fluorescence microscope and infrared(IR) spectrometer, respectively. The laser induced damage thresholds(LIDTs) of the samples were measured by using pulsed nanosecond laser with wavelength of 355 nm. The results showed that surface and subsurface polishing residues can be effectively reduced by the acid etching process, and the LIDTs of fused silica are significantly improved. The etching effects increased with the increase of the HF concentration from 5 wt.% to 40 wt.%. The amount of polishing residues decreased with the increase of the etching duration and then kept stable. Simultaneously, with the increase of the etching time, the mechanical strength and molecular structure were improved.     

光学元件亚表面缺陷的损伤性检测方法

在磨削、研磨和抛光加工过程中产生的微裂纹、划痕、残余应力等亚表面缺陷会导致熔石英元件抗激光损伤能力下降,如何快速、准确地检测亚表面损伤成为光学领域亟待解决的关键问题。采用HF酸蚀刻法、角度抛光法和磁流变斜面抛光法对熔石英元件在研磨加工中产生的亚表面缺陷形貌特征及损伤深度进行了检测和对比分析,结果表明,不同检测方法得到的亚表层损伤深度的检测结果存在一定差异,HF酸蚀刻法检测得到的亚表面损伤深度要比角度抛光法和磁流变斜面抛光法检测结果大一些。且采用的磨粒粒径越大,试件表面及亚表面的脆性断裂现象越严重,亚表面缺陷层深度越大。     

非晶熔石英表面等离子体刻蚀过程 中的表面晶化研究

本工作采用电子回旋共振(ECR)低压等离子体刻蚀技术, 刻蚀非晶熔石英表面. Ar/CF₄为反应气体刻蚀后再经O等离子体钝化, 非晶熔石英表面出现晶化现象. 晶化层约几百纳米厚. Ar/CF₄在ECR的电磁场作用下产生F离子与C离子, F离子使熔石英表面的Si-O共价键断裂, 并释放出O离子. C离子与O离子迅速键合生成CO₂, 而被断键的Si原子与四个F原子键合生成气态SiF₄. 熔石英原始表面被去除的同时, 在新的表面留下大量不饱和Si原子. 不饱和Si原子在高温条件下被O等离子钝化, 形成结晶态α 方石英.     

熔石英再沉积层结构的纳米级表征和杂质分析

利用原子力显微镜观察熔石英不同蚀刻时间的表面形貌,结合二次离子质谱分析,研究了熔石英的再沉积层结构和杂质分布。结果表明,熔石英表面深度10 nm的再沉积层内存在大量微裂纹和杂质,经蚀刻展开形成nm级划痕和坑点,其分布随着深度增加呈指数衰减。根据nm级划痕密度、宽深比随蚀刻深度变化的规律,估算出再沉积层厚度,估算结果与二次离子质谱测得的杂质嵌入深度基本一致。杂质元素嵌入深度与抛光微裂纹分布特征的关联性表明,杂质很有可能藏匿在抛光微裂纹中。