Effect of laser ablation on the conductivity and laser-induced damage threshold of fused silica components

Abstract

When irradiated by high-power lasers, fused silica optical component can be ablated, which seriously affects their laser-conducing capability and service life. Numerical simulations have been applied to investigate the ablation process, laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), and propagation loss of fused silica optical component. The depth of the ablation crater increases linearly with the duration of irradiation, while the rate of development in the width of the ablation crater gradually decreases. The LIDT of the front surface of the fused silica optical component will significantly decrease, while the propagation loss of the fused silica component will have a considerable increase when the front surface of fused silica is damaged under laser irradiation. The propagation loss and the LIDT of the fused silica’s front surface are 26.49, 21.19, 20.60, 16.83, and 16.41[Formula: see text]GW/cm2 and 0.41, 1.02, 2.24, 3.46, and 5.31[Formula: see text]dB, respectively, after 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s of ablation. This work provides novel opportunities for investigating the intrinsic mechanism of laser-induced damage to fused silica, and offers guidance for the future development of fused silica optical elements that are highly resistant to laser-induced damage.