Review: Research progress on nanosecond laser irradiation damage of optical films

Comparative Study of Plasma-Enhanced-Atomic-Layer-Deposited Al2O3/HfO2/SiO2 and HfO2/Al2O3/SiO2 Trilayers for Ultraviolet Laser Applications

“…Defects in the dielectric absorb laser energy, causing localized heat accumulation and thermal expansion, leading to melting or mechanical stripping of the thin film. 5 Dielectric materials have greater absorption in the UV wavelength region than in the visible and NIR wavelength regions, and defects 6−8 such as impurities and contaminations are more sensitive to UV laser irradiation, resulting in more severe thin film damage.…”

“…With the rapid development of laser technology over the past few decades, the need for low-defect and high-bandgap dielectrics with high laser damage resistance has become critical to the future of thin film optics to sustain the increasing power of laser facilities such as inertial confinement fusion, extreme light infrastructure, and laser-driven particle acceleration. , Under laser irradiation with pulse widths in the nanosecond (ns) range, damage to dielectrics in the ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) wavelength range is mainly attributed to the photothermal effect. Defects in the dielectric absorb laser energy, causing localized heat accumulation and thermal expansion, leading to melting or mechanical stripping of the thin film . Dielectric materials have greater absorption in the UV wavelength region than in the visible and NIR wavelength regions, and defects − such as impurities and contaminations are more sensitive to UV laser irradiation, resulting in more severe thin film damage.…”