A statistical study of the relationship between surface quality and laser induced damage

Trey Turner; Quentin Turchette; Alex R. Martin

doi:10.1117/12.976631

4 December 2012 A statistical study of the relationship between surface quality and laser induced damage

Trey Turner, Quentin Turchette, Alex R. Martin

Proceedings Volume 8530, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2012; 85300R (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.976631
Event: SPIE Laser Damage, 2012, Boulder, Colorado, United States

Abstract

Laser induced damage of optical components is a concern in many applications in the commercial, scientific and military market sectors. Numerous component manufacturers supply “high laser damage threshold” (HLDT) optics to meet the needs of this market, and consumers pay a premium price for these products. While there’s no question that HLDT optics are manufactured to more rigorous standards (and are therefore inherently more expensive) than conventional products, it is not clear how this added expense translates directly into better performance. This is because the standard methods for evaluating laser damage, and the underlying assumptions about the validity of traditional laser damage testing, are flawed. In particular, the surface and coating defects that generally lead to laser damage (in many laserparameter regimes of interest) are widely distributed over the component surface with large spaces in between them. As a result, laser damage testing typically doesn’t include enough of these defects to achieve the sample sizes necessary to make its results statistically meaningful. The result is a poor correlation between defect characteristics and damage events. This paper establishes specifically why this is the case, and provides some indication of what might be done to remedy the problem.

Citation Download Citation

Trey Turner, Quentin Turchette, and Alex R. Martin "A statistical study of the relationship between surface quality and laser induced damage", Proc. SPIE 8530, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2012, 85300R (4 December 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.976631

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available