Study of the laser matter interaction in the femtosecond regime. Application to the analysis of the laser damage of optical thin films

摘要

We report an experimental investigation in the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of optical coatings materials. The samples are single layers of Al_2O_3, Nb_2O_5, HfO_2, SiO_2, Ta_2O_5, ZrO_2 deposited through different deposition techniques (evaporation or sputtering with/without ion assistance) and mixtures of Al_2O_3/SiO_2, Nb_2O_5/SiO_2, HfO_2/SiO_2, Ta_2O_5/SiO_2 and ZrO_2/SiO_2 on silica substrates. The LIDT is measured at 1030nm, 500fs in single shot mode. The results are expressed and compared in term of LIDT as a function of bandgap and LIDT as a function of refractive index.