English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Laser-induced damage on fused silica optics remains a major issue that limits the promotion of energy output of large laser systems. Subsurface impurity defects inevitably introduced in the practical polishing process incur strong thermal absorption for incident lasers, seriously lowering the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Here, we simulate the temperature and thermal stress distributions involved in the laser irradiation process to investigate the effect of impurity defects on laser damage resistance. Then, HF-based etchants (HF:NH4F) are applied to remove the subsurface impurity defects and the surface quality, impurity contents and laser damage resistance of etched silica surfaces are tested. The results indicate that the presence of impurity defects could induce a dramatic rise of local temperature and thermal stress. The maximum temperature and stress can reach up to 7073 K and 8739 MPa, respectively, far higher than the melting point and compressive strength of fused silica, resulting in serious laser damage. The effect of impurity defects on laser damage resistance is dependent on the species, size and spatial location of the defects, and CeO2 defects play a dominant role in lowering the LIDT, followed by Fe and Al defects. CeO2 defects with radius of 0.3 μm, which reside 0.15 μm beneath the surface, are the most dangerous defects for incurring laser damage. By HF acid etching, the negative effect of impurity defects on laser damage resistance could be effectively mitigated. It is validated that with HF acid etching, the number of dangerous CeO2 defects is decreased by more than half, and the LIDT could be improved to 27.1 J/cm2.

Effect of Polishing-Induced Subsurface Impurity Defects on Laser Damage Resistance of Fused Silica Optics and Their Removal with HF Acid Etching