Parameters That Determine the Damage Threshold
A damage threshold is not one number. It is the product of at least five variables, each contributing to the figure printed on a datasheet.
Substrate preparation, surface roughness, coating architecture, and defect density all directly influence how much fluence a coating can survive. Test methodology does not change the physical threshold itself, but it changes what the reported number means. A figure measured S-on-1 at 10 Hz tells you something different from one measured 1-on-1, even for the same physical component.
This is why two mirrors quoted at the same wavelength and reflectivity can behave very differently under real fluence. A coating with excellent spectral performance but poor stress control or one deposited without adequate control over layer uniformity will often fail below its rated threshold once it is driving a high-energy system.
At Manx Precision Optics Ltd. (MPO), coating design, material selection and coating process are chosen to meet the LIDT, stress, scatter, environmental, and spectral demands of each application. MPO uses electron beam, ion-assisted deposition or magnetron-sputtered processes depending on what the coating requires. For ultrashort pulse infrared systems, MPO metal and metal-hybrid mirrors combine broad reflectivity bandwidth with low GDD, protected by oxide-based overcoats to prevent degradation of the underlying metal layer.
About Manx Precision Optics
Manx Precision Optics (MPO) manufactures optical components and precision optics. The company offers customized products as well as a wide range of off-the-shelf components at highly competitive prices. The main categories of MPO’s standard products are:
- Laser line mirrors
- Ultrafast laser mirrors
- Roof mirrors
- Polarization optics
- Large optics
- Lenses
- Etalons
- AR-coated windows
- Uncoated optical substrates
MPO works with customers to determine the most suitable optical coatings for their specific applications. With years of experience and an intimate knowledge of thin film coatings design, MPO can produce customized, quality coatings according to unique specifications.
To request more information or a quotation for Manx Precision Optics products, contact IL Photonics.