The organic silicone oil applied over the surface of a fused silica glass or Kaliumdihydrogenphosphat (KDP) nonlinear optical crystal was changed to an inorganic glass by the photochemical oxidization using a Xe₂ excimer lamp in the air. As a result, the thin film acquired a characteristic of high power laser tolerance equivalent to quartz. Dimethylsiloxane silicone oil was spin-coated on the surfaces of a fused silica substrate and KDP to form a film of 100-nm thickness; which were irradiated with the Xe₂ excimer lamp light (wavelength 172 nm, power density 10 mW/cm²) for 60 minutes in oxygen atmosphere. The films were further irradiated with the Nd: YAG laser of ω (1.06 μm) or 2ω (0.503 μm), and the laser damage test (J/cm²/10 ns) was conducted. The laser damage threshold of the photo-oxidized 100 nm thick film formed on the fused silica substrate was 72 J/cm² in ω and 107 J/cm² in 2ω. On the KDP substrate, the laser damage threshold of the thin film was 32.4J/cm² in ω and 32.6 J/cm² in 2ω.

Date Published: 30 December 2008
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7132, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2008, 71320K (30 December 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.804435

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7132:
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2008
Gregory J. Exarhos; Detlev Ristau; M. J. Soileau; Christopher J. Stolz, Editor(s)