Open AccessLaser damage properties of broadband low-dispersion mirrors in sub-nanosecond laser pulse
Author(s) -
Jinlong Zhang,
Xiaoqing Bu,
Hongfei Jiao,
Bin Ma,
Xinbin Cheng,
Zhangshan Wang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.25.000305
Subject(s) - optics , laser , materials science , nanosecond , coating , optoelectronics , dispersion (optics) , pulse (music) , physics , nanotechnology , detector
Broadband low dispersion (BBLD) mirrors are an essential component in femto-second (fs) pulse laser systems. We designed and produced Ta 2 O 5 -HfO 2 /SiO 2 composite quarter-wave and non-quarter-wave HfO 2 /SiO 2 BBLD mirrors for the 30fs petawatt laser system. The laser damage properties of the BBLD mirrors were investigated in an uncompressed sub-nanosecond laser pulse. It showed that the Ta 2 O 5 -HfO 2 /SiO 2 composite BBLD mirror possessed higher LIDT due to the low electric-field intensity (EFI) in the case of the coating without artificial nodules. Nevertheless, the LIDT of the composite mirror was significantly lower than the non-quarter-wave HfO 2 /SiO 2 mirror when the nodules exist. The EFI simulation and damage morphology of the nodules analysis demonstrated that the nodule leading to the light intensification in the middle of the boundary between the nodular and the surrounding coating, thus the outermost HfO 2 /SiO 2 layers cannot protect the Ta 2 O 5 /SiO 2 layers, and resulting to the significantly low LIDT. This study shed some light on the development of high-laser-damage BBLD mirrors for pulse compression laser systems.