Stress, absorptance and laser-induced damage threshold properties of 355-nm HR coatings

A number of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ high-reflectance (HR) coatings were prepared by electron-beam evaporation. The influences of the number of coating layers and deposition temperature on the 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings were investigated. The stress was measured by viewing the substrate deformation before and after coating deposition using an optical interferometer. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of the samples was measured by a 355-nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 8 ns. Transmittance and reflectance of the samples were measured by a Lambda 900 spectrometer. It was found that absorptance was the main reason to result in a low LIDT of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings. The stress in Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings played an unimportant role in the LIDT, although MgF₂ is known to have high tensile stress.