Experimentation and Investigation of Optical-Irradiation-Induced Surface Damage in Optically Nonlinear Materials

摘要

Surface and unambiguous bulk damage to optically transparent materials have been studied both experimentally and theoretically. One of the most important conclusions reached to date is that the intrinsic laser-induced damage process is characterized by a probability for damage at each incident power density. This is in contrast to the previously held view that there was a threshold power density which divided damaging levels from those which would do no damage. A model for the damaging process, based on the probability measurements and electron avalanche breakdown, has been devised. In its simplest form, this model has successfully explained the most important properties of the measured damage probability in over 10 different materials. Electron avalanche breakdown, essentially in its dc limit, has been identified as the damaging interaction between 1.06 and 0.69 micrometer radiation and transparent alkali halide crystals. (Author)