Influence of Crystal Anistropy on Composite Window Design for Reducing Thermal Distortion.

摘要

The authors investigate the potential of layered composites and coatings for reducing thermal lensing from laser windows. A generalization of the aberration function formalism of Born and Wolf which accounts for birefringence effects is obtained,and applied to analyze representative 10.6micrometers window materials. The results indicate the possibility of reduction in aberrations by as much as several orders of magnitude in appropriate cases. It appears likely that crystalline orientation effects can play a crucial role in determining the suitability of composites.