The effect of various HF‐based etching processes on the laser damage resistance of scratched fused silica surfaces has been investigated. Conventionally polished and subsequently scratched fused silica plates were treated by submerging in various HF‐based etchants (HF or NH4F:HF at various ratios and concentrations) under different process conditions (e.g., agitation frequencies, etch times, rinse conditions, and environmental cleanliness). Subsequently, the laser damage resistance (at 351 or 355 nm) of the treated surface was measured. The laser damage resistance was found to be strongly process dependent and scaled inversely with scratch width. The etching process was optimized to remove or prevent the presence of identified precursors (chemical impurities, fracture surfaces, and silica‐based redeposit) known to lead to laser damage initiation. The redeposit precursor was reduced (and hence the damage threshold was increased) by: (1) increasing the SiF62− solubility through reduction in the NH4F concentration and impurity cation impurities, and (2) improving the mass transport of reaction product (SiF62−) (using high‐frequency ultrasonic agitation and excessive spray rinsing) away from the etched surface. A 2D finite element crack‐etching and rinsing mass transport model (incorporating diffusion and advection) was used to predict reaction product concentration. The predictions are consistent with the experimentally observed process trends. The laser damage thresholds also increased with etched amount (up to ∼30 μm), which has been attributed to: (1) etching through lateral cracks where there is poor acid penetration, and (2) increasing the crack opening resulting in increased mass transport rates. With the optimized etch process, laser damage resistance increased dramatically; the average threshold fluence for damage initiation for 30 μm wide scratches increased from 7 to 41 J/cm2, and the statistical probability of damage initiation at 12 J/cm2 of an ensemble of scratches decreased from ∼100 mm−1 of scratch length to ∼0.001 mm−1.

The optical damage threshold of indentation-induced flaws on fused silica surfaces was explored. Mechanical flaws were characterized by laser damage testing, as well as by optical, secondary electron, and photoluminescence microscopy. Localized polishing, chemical leaching, and the control of indentation morphology were used to isolate the structural features that limit optical damage. A thin defect layer on fracture surfaces, including those smaller than the wavelength of visible light, was found to be the dominant source of laser damage initiation during illumination with 355 nm, 3 ns laser pulses. Little evidence was found that either displaced or densified material or fluence intensification plays a significant role in optical damage at fluences >35 J/cm(2). Elimination of the defect layer was shown to increase the overall damage performance of fused silica optics.

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Modeling the lifetime of a fused silica optic is described for a multiple beam, MJ-class laser system. This entails combining optic processing data along with laser shot data to account for complete history of optic processing and shot exposure. Integrating with online inspection data allows for the construction of a performance metric to describe how an optic performs with respect to the model. This methodology helps to validate the damage model as well as allows strategic planning and identifying potential hidden parameters that are affecting the optic's performance.

Previous studies have identified two significant precursors of laser damage on fused silica surfaces at fluenes below ~35J/cm 2 , photoactive impurities in the polishing layer and surface fractures. In the present work, isothermal heating is studied as a means of remediating the highly absorptive, defect structure associated with surface fractures. A series of Vickers indentations were applied to silica surfaces at loads between 0.5N and 10N creating fracture networks between ~10m and ~50m in diameter. The indentations were characterized prior to and following thermal annealing under various time and temperature conditions using confocal timeresolved photo-luminescence (CTP) imaging, and R/1 optical damage testing with 3ns, 355nm laser pulses. Significant improvements in the damage thresholds, together with corresponding reductions in CTP intensity, were observed at temperatures well below the glass transition temperature (T g ). For example, the damage threshold on 05.N indentations which typically initiates at fluences <8 J/cm 2, could be improved >35 J/cm 2 through the use of a ~750 °C thermal treatment. Larger fracture networks required longer or higher temperature treatment to achieve similar results. At an annealing temperature >1100°C, optical microscopy indicates morphological changes in some of the fracture structure of indentations, although remnants of the original fracture and significant deformation was still observed after thermal annealing. This study demonstrates the potential of using isothermal annealing as a means of improving the laser damage resistance of fused silica optical components. Similarly, it provides a means of further understanding the physics associated with optical damage and related mitigation processes.

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We investigate the role of defects in laser-induced damage of fused silica and of silica coatings produced by e-beam and PIAD processes which are used in damage resistant, multi-layer dielectric, reflective optics. We perform experiments using 1053 nm, 1-60 ps laser pulses with varying beam size, number of shots, and pulse widths in order to understand the characteristics of defects leading to laser-induced damage. This pulse width range spans a transition in mechanisms from intrinsic material ablation for short pulses to defect-dominated damage for longer pulses. We show that for pulse widths as short as 10 ps, laser-induced damage properties of fused silica and silica films are dominated by isolated absorbers. The density of these precursors and their fluence dependence of damage initiation suggest a single photon process for initial energy absorption in these precursors. Higher density precursors that initiate close to the ablation threshold at shorter pulse widths are also observed in fused silica, whose fluence and pulse width scaling suggest a multiphoton initiation process. We also show that these initiated damage sites grow with subsequent laser pulses. We show that scaling laws obtained in more conventional ways depend on the beam size and on the definition of damage for ps pulses. For this reason, coupling scaling laws with the density of precursors are critical to understanding the damage limitations of optics in the ps regime.

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