We report on the laser damage resistance of ion beam-sputtered oxide materials (Al2O3, Nb2O5, HfO2, SiO2, Ta2O5, ZrO2) and mixtures of Al2O3-SiO2, Nb2O5-SiO2, HfO2-SiO2, Ta2O5-SiO2, and ZrO2-SiO2, irradiated by single 500 fs pulses at 1030 nm. Laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), refractive index, and bandgaps of the single-layer coatings are measured. For pure oxide materials a linear evolution of the LIDT with bandgap is observed. The results are in accordance with our simulations based on photo-ionization and avalanche-ionization. In the case of mixtures, however, deviations from the previous behaviors are evidenced. The evolution of the LIDT as a function of the refractive index is analyzed, and an empirical description of the relation between refractive index and LIDT is proposed.

We report on the correlation between the laser damage resistance, the optical and the physical properties of Sc(2)O(3)/SiO(2) mixture coatings. Several sets of samples with ten different mixture ratios have been prepared by ion-beam sputtering. The atomic compositions of the mixture thin films are quantified employing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiles. Laser-induced damage thresholds are determined with single subpicosecond pulses (500 fs) at 1030 nm. Furthermore, Son1 multishot measurements are realized in the ultraviolet wavelength range (355 nm) at pulse durations of 5 ns. In addition, the influence of two different substrate polishing qualities on the radiation resistance of the composite thin films is discussed.

Material mixtures offer new possibilities for synthesizing coating materials with tailored optical and mechanical properties. We present experimental results on mixtures of HfO2, ZrO2, and Al2O3, pursuing applications in UV coating technology, while the mixtures are prepared by magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, plasma ion-assisted deposition (PIAD), and electron beam evaporation without assistance. The properties investigated include the refractive index, optical gap, thermal shift, and mechanical stress. The first high reflectors for UV applications have been deposited by PIAD.

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