Dynamics of secondary contamination from the interaction of high-power laser pulses with metal particles attached on the input surface of optical components.

We investigate the interaction of 355-nm and 1064-nm nanosecond laser pulses with nominally spherical metallic particles dispersed on the input surface of transparent substrates or high-reflectivity (HR) multilayer dielectric coatings, respectively. The objective is to elucidate the interaction mechanisms associated with contaminant-induced degradation and damage of transparent and reflective optical elements for high-power laser systems. The experiments involve time-resolved imaging capturing the dynamics of the interaction pathway, which includes plasma formation, particle ejection, and secondary contamination by droplets originating from the liquefied layer of the particle. The results suggest that HR coatings are more susceptible to secondary contamination by liquid droplets produced by the particles because of the different geometry of excitation and the location of plasma initiation. Modeling results focus on better understanding the melting of the particle surface, leading to ejections of liquid droplets and the pressure applied to the substrate, leading to mechanical damage.

Simulation of internal stress waves generated by laser-induced damage in multilayer dielectric gratings.

Multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings used in ultrahigh-intensity laser systems often exhibit a laser-induced damage performance below that of their constituent materials. Reduced performance may arise from fabrication- and/or design-related issues. Finite element models were developed to simulate stress waves in MLD grating structures generated by laser-induced damage events. These models specifically investigate the influence of geometric and material parameters on how stress waves can lead to degradation of material structural integrity that can have adverse effects on its optical performance under subsequent laser irradiation: closer impedance matching of the layer materials reduces maximum interface stresses by ~20% to 30%; increasing sole thickness from 50 nm to 500 nm reduces maximum interface stresses by ~50%.

Nano-indentation and laser-induced damage testing in optical multilayer-dielectric gratings.

We demonstrate how a nanomechanical test identifies areas of mechanical field concentration as being comparable to areas where optical fields are known to be concentrated, in the special context of laser-induced damage testing (LIDT) of diffractive gratings of silica deposited on optical multilayers. The nano-indentation response of the diffraction gratings is measured in a new mode that allows for the extraction of a measurable metric characterizing the brittleness of the gratings, as well as their ductility. We show that lower LIDTs are positively correlated with an increased grating brittleness, and therefore identify a nanomechanical approach to describe LIDTs. We present extensive numerical simulations of nano-indentation tests and identify different deformation modes including stretching, shear concentration, and bending as precursors to mechanical failure in the nano-indentation test. The effects of geometrical inhomogeneities on enhanced stress generation in these gratings are specifically examined and addressed, and we show the agreement between nanomechanical testing and analytical interpretation of these inhomogeneities.

Acidic magnetorheological finishing of infrared polycrystalline materials.

Chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) ZnS is an example of a polycrystalline material that is difficult to polish smoothly via the magnetorheological finishing (MRF) technique. When MRF-polished, the internal infrastructure of the material tends to manifest on the surface as millimeter-sized "pebbles," and the surface roughness observed is considerably high. The fluid's parameters important to developing a magnetorheological (MR) fluid that is capable of polishing CVD ZnS smoothly were previously discussed and presented. These parameters were acidic pH (∼4.5) and low viscosity (∼47 cP). MRF with such a unique MR fluid was shown to reduce surface artifacts in the form of pebbles; however, surface microroughness was still relatively high because of the absence of a polishing abrasive in the formulation. In this study, we examine the effect of two polishing abrasives-alumina and nanodiamond-on the surface finish of several CVD ZnS substrates, and on other important IR polycrystalline materials that were finished with acidic MR fluids containing these two polishing abrasives. Surface microroughness results obtained were as low as ∼28 nm peak-to-valley and ∼6-nm root mean square.

Nano-indentation of single-layer optical oxide thin films grown by electron-beam deposition.

Mechanical characterization of optical oxide thin films is performed using nano-indentation, and the results are explained based on the deposition conditions used. These oxide films are generally deposited to have a porous microstructure that optimizes laser induced damage thresholds, but changes in deposition conditions lead to varying degrees of porosity, density, and possibly the microstructure of the thin film. This can directly explain the differences in the mechanical properties of the film studied here and those reported in literature. Of the four single-layer thin films tested, alumina was observed to demonstrate the highest values of nano-indentation hardness and elastic modulus. This is likely a result of the dense microstructure of the thin film arising from the particular deposition conditions used.

Thermomechanical model to assess stresses developed during elevated-temperature cleaning of coated optics.

A thermomechanical model is developed to estimate the stress response of an oxide coating to elevated-temperature chemical cleaning. Using a hafnia-silica multilayer dielectric pulse compressor grating as a case study, we demonstrate that substrate thickness can strongly affect the thermal stress response of the thin-film coating. As a result, coatings on large, thick substrates may be susceptible to modes of stress-induced failure (crazing or delamination) not seen in small parts. We compare the stress response of meter-scale optics to the behavior of small-scale test or "witness" samples, which are expected to be representative of their full-size counterparts. The effects of materials selection, solution temperature, and heating/cooling rates are explored. Extending the model to other situations, thermal stress results are surveyed for various combinations of commonly used materials. Seven oxide coatings (hafnia, silica, tantala, niobia, alumina, and multilayers of hafnia-silica and alumina-silica) and three glass substrates (BK7, borosilicate float glass, and fused silica) are examined to highlight some interesting results.

Fracture mechanics of delamination defects in multilayer dielectric coatings.

During the fabrication of multilayer-dielectric (MLD) thin-film-coated optics, such as the diffraction gratings used in OMEGA EP's pulse compressors, acid piranha cleaning can lead to the formation of chemically induced delamination defects. We investigate the causes of these defects and describe a mechanism for the deformation and failure of the MLD coating in response to hydrogen peroxide in the cleaning solution. A fracture mechanics model is developed and used to calculate the crack path that maximizes the energy-release rate, which is found to be consistent with the characteristic fracture pattern observed in MLD coating delamination defects.

Loose abrasive lapping hardness of optical glasses and its interpretation.

We present an interpretation of the lapping hardness of commercially available optical glasses in terms of a micromechanics model of material removal by subsurface lateral cracking. We analyze data on loose abrasive microgrinding, or lapping at fixed nominal pressure, for many commercially available optical glasses in terms of this model. The Schott and Hoya data on lapping hardness are correlated with the results of such a model. Lapping hardness is a function of the mechanical properties of the glass: The volume removal rate increases approximately linearly with Young's modulus, and it decreases with fracture toughness and (approximately) the square of the Knoop hardness. The microroughness induced by lapping depends on the plastic and elastic properties of the glass, depending on abrasive shape. This is in contrast to deterministic microgrinding (fixed infeed rate), where it is determined from the plastic and fracture properties of the glass. We also show that Preston's coefficient has a similar dependence as lapping hardness on glass mechanical properties, as well as a linear dependence on abrasive size for the case of brittle material removal. These observations lead to the definition of an augmented Preston coefficient during brittle material removal. The augmented Preston coefficient does not depend on glass material properties or abrasive size and thus describes the interaction of the glass surface with the coolant-immersed abrasive grain and the backing plate. Numerical simulations of indentation are used to locate the origin of subsurface cracks and the distribution of residual surface and subsurface stresses, known to cause surface (radial) and subsurface (median, lateral) cracks.

Twyman effect mechanics in grinding and microgrinding.

In the Twyman effect (1905), when one side of a thin plate with both sides polished is ground, the plate bends: The ground side becomes convex and is in a state of compressive residual stress, described in terms of force per unit length (Newtons per meter) induced by grinding, the stress (Newtons per square meter) induced by grinding, and the depth of the compressive layer (micrometers). We describe and correlate experiments on optical glasses from the literature in conditions of loose abrasive grinding (lapping at fixed nominal pressure, with abrasives 4-400 µm in size) and deterministic microgrinding experiments (at a fixed infeed rate) conducted at the Center for Optics Manufacturing with bound diamond abrasive tools (with a diamond size of 3-40 µm, embedded in metallic bond) and loose abrasive microgrinding (abrasives of less than 3 µm in size). In brittle grinding conditions, the grinding force and the depth of the compressive layer correlate well with glass mechanical properties describing the fracture process, such as indentation crack size. The maximum surface residual compressive stress decreases, and the depth of the compressive layer increases with increasing abrasive size. In lapping conditions the depth of the abrasive grain penetration into the glass surface scales with the surface roughness, and both are determined primarily by glass hardness and secondarily by Young's modulus for various abrasive sizes and coolants. In the limit of small abrasive size (ductile-mode grinding), the maximum surface compressive stress achieved is near the yield stress of the glass, in agreement with finite-element simulations of indentation in elastic-plastic solids.

Arresting ultraviolet-laser damage in fused silica.

The 351-nm laser-damage initiation threshold for surface damage in conventionally polished fused silica is demonstrated to be stress dependent. By circumferential application of modest loads to a sample, a controllable stress field can be established within the clear aperture of a fused-silica specimen, in response to which both the damage-initiation fluence and the crack-propagation fluence requirements are increased above those for unstressed conditions.

Crack arrest and stress dependence of laser-induced surface damage in fused-silica and borosilicate glass.

Results of experiments on stress-inhibited laser-driven crack growth and stress-delayed laser-damage initiation thresholds in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BK-7), and cleaved bulk silica are presented. A numerical model is developed to explain the crack arrest in fused silica. Good agreement is obtained between the model and a finite-element code. The crack arrest is demonstrated to be the result of the breaking of a hoop-stress symmetry that is responsible for crack propagation in fused silica.

Dependence of birefringence and residual stress near laser-induced cracks in fused silica on laser fluence and on laser-pulse number.

Measurements of birefringence induced in fused-silica specimens by a crack produced by a 351-nm/500-ps Nd:glass laser as a function of laser fluence F(L) and of number of laser shots N are presented. The varying dimensional parameter is found to be the crack depth a and can be put in the form a(mm) = (0.0096 ? 0.0021)N[(F(L)/F(exit/th)) - 1](2/3) with F(L) >/= F(exit/th)(F(exit/th) is the exit-surface damage threshold). The retardance data are converted into units of stress, thus permitting the estimation of residual stress near the crack. The results of the measured residual stress can be cast in the form varsigma(r)(MPa) approximately (. ? .)[(F(L)/F(exit/th)) - 1](1/2) N(2/3) with F(L)>/= F(exit/th). A theoretical model giving the stress field around a crack is developed for comparison and shows reasonable agreement with the experiment. Good agreement with experimental data of others is also obtained. The effect of residual stresses on fracture strength is pointed out. The results obtained show that the presence of birefringence/residual stress in a fused-silica specimen with a crack on its surface has a strong effect on fracture and should be taken into account in any formulation that involves the failure strength of optical components used in inertial-confinement-fusion experiments.

Surface microroughness of optical glasses under deterministic microgrinding.

Deterministic microgrinding of precision optical components with rigid, computer-controlled machining centers and high-speed tool spindles is now possible on a commercial scale. Platforms such as the Opticam systems at the Center for Optics Manufacturing produce convex and concave spherical surfaces with radii from 5 mm to ∞, i.e., planar, and work diameters from 10 to 150 mm. Aspherical surfaces are also being manufactured. The resulting specular surfaces have a typical rms microroughness of 20 nm, 1 µm of subsurface damage, and a figure error of less than 1 wave peak to valley. Surface roughness under deterministic microgrinding conditions (fixed infeed rate) with bound abrasive diamond ring tools with various degrees of bond hardness is correlated to a material length scale, identified as a ductility index, involving the hardness and fracture toughness of glasses. This result is in contrast to loose abrasive grinding (fixed nominal pressure), in which surface microroughness is determined by the elastic stiffness and the hardness of the glass. We summarize measurements of fracture toughness and microhardness by microindentation for crown and flint optical glasses, and fused silica. The microindentation fracture toughness in nondensifying optical glasses is in good agreement with bulk fracture toughness measurement methods.

High-repetition-rate Cr:Nd:GSGG active-mirror amplifier.

We have designed, constructed, and operated a 3.8-cm clear-aperture Cr:Nd:GSGG active-mirror amplifier. We believe this to be the first active mirror that uses a crystalline host and the largest-aperture Cr:Nd:GSGG amplifier yet reported. We have measured a small-signal gain of 1.6. The wave front has been measured and found to be less than three waves of defocus at repetition rates of up to 10 Hz. Surface displacements were measured and compared with theory. Depolarization was less than 2.5% at maximum power at any location in the clear aperture.