1064-nm Fabry-Perot transmission filter laser damage competition

Abstract

Narrow-bandwidth Fabry-Perot transmission filters are used in telecommunications, fiber lasers 1 , and for diode pumped alkali lasers (DPAL) 2 . Because of their interference properties, extremely high standing-wave electric fields occur at peak transmission. For this study, the filters met a minimum transmission of 90% and were spectrally centered within an angle tuning range of 10-30 degrees. A blind laser damage test assured sample and submitter anonymity. The participants selected the coating materials, design, spectral bandwidth, cleaning method, and deposition method. Laser damage testing was performed at a wavelength of 1064 nm using a raster scan method on a single testing facility to enable a direct comparison among the participants. Pulse length scaling relationships were explored by laser damage testing at a 3.5-ns and 18-ns pulse length. The results show that the spectral bandwidth had the strongest relationship to the laser damage threshold. Other parameters such as deposition processes, cleaning method, coating materials, and layer count were also explored.