As a consequence of its statistical nature, the measurement of the laser-induced damage threshold holds always risks to over- or underestimate the real threshold value. As one of the established measurement procedures, the results of S-on-1 (and 1-on-1) tests outlined in the corresponding ISO standard 21 254 depend on the amount of data points and their distribution over the fluence scale. With the limited space on a test sample as well as the requirements on test site separation and beam sizes, the amount of data from one test is restricted. This paper reports on a way to treat damage test data in order to reduce the statistical error and therefore measurement uncertainty. Three simple assumptions allow for the assignment of one data point to multiple data bins and therefore virtually increase the available data base.

An approach for the measurement of the laser-induced damage threshold with two wavelengths combined was made while testing antireflective coatings for the wavelengths 266 and 532 nm. Samples were made of Al2O3/SiO2 and HfO2/SiO2 ion beam sputtered films. The results show that adding radiation of a second wavelength might lead to a significant reduction of the threshold. The damage morphology of single and dual wavelength tests is very similar and does not suggest an altered damage mechanism. Further investigations indicated that the dual wavelength threshold is a function of the temporal delay of the two pulses.

In an effort to develop next generation UV frequency conversion systems, several steps have to be considered. One aspect crucial for the final conversion stage is a durable coating which shows high resistance for all incident wavelengths. In the regular case, two wavelengths are involved in the generation of the fourth harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser. For a conversion process involving the wavelengths 532nm and 266nm, model AR-coating designs have been developed and tested including SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , and HfO 2 deposited in an IBS process. During the testing, procedures have been applied that involve both wavelengths at the same time. As in the application, the exit surface is exposed to visible and UV laser radiation, a qualifying test needs to account for these conditions as well.

No abstract