Optical characterization of damage resistant kilolayer rugate filters

Melanie L. Elder; Kenneth S. Jancaitis; David Milam; Jack H. Campbell

doi:10.1117/12.57241

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1 June 1991 Optical characterization of damage resistant kilolayer rugate filters

Melanie L. Elder, Kenneth S. Jancaitis, David Milam, Jack H. Campbell

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Proceedings Volume 1441, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1990; (1991) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.57241
Event: Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1990, 1990, Boulder, CO, United States

Abstract

Multilayer dielectric optical coatings produced by high temperature plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PCVD) have been previously shown to have very high surface and bulk damage thresholds (above 40 J/cm). Because these experimental coatings are deposited on tubular substrates conventional wavelength scanning cannot accurately measure the coating peak reflectance and bandwidth. Measurement of the variation of transmittance with incidence angle at fixed wavelength permits analysis of the coating spectral response. The results indicate that the PCVD coatings behave as nearly " ideal" rugate ifiters. Their optical performance agrees weliwith that predicted fora rugateby Southwell''s coupled-wave theory and by the characteristic-matrix model. These 1000-layer-pair filters have maximum reflectances exceeding 99. 9 peak reflectance wavelengths within 0. 5 of the design wavelength and FWHM bandwidths narrower than 10 mm Minor perturbations to the ideal rugatesinusoidal profile do not appredably affect the coating optical perfonnance. Comparison with calculations suggest that the only significant deviation of th ePCVD structure from that of an ideal rugate is a small (0. 7) drift in the index period. Excellent optical performance and high damage resistance makes PCVD rugate coatings potentially useful for several high power laser applications.

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Melanie L. Elder, Kenneth S. Jancaitis, David Milam, and Jack H. Campbell "Optical characterization of damage resistant kilolayer rugate filters", Proc. SPIE 1441, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1990, (1 June 1991); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.57241

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