Effectiveness of ion cleaning to improve the laser damage threshold of HfO2/SiO2 optical coatings for high reflection and antireflection at 527 nm and 1054 nm

Preventing contamination is vital to achieving high laser-induced damage thresholds in optical coatings. The importance of removing contamination from optical substrates has led to the development of many specialized cleaning processes, including the application of solvents, acids, mild detergents, and abrasives. To further enhance contamination removal, the substrate may be treated with ion cleaning just prior to depositing the optical coating. Ion cleaning is attractive thanks to the convenience of providing in-situ treatment to optical substrates, and also avoiding the hassle of managing hazardous chemicals or applying mechanical force to scrub off detergents and other cleaning agents. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of ion cleaning for increasing the laser-induced damage thresholds of high reflection (527 nm and 1054 nm) and antireflection (527 nm) coatings. Ion cleaning was performed using a radio frequency ion source with argon and oxygen. The coatings investigated were deposited with layers of HfO 2 and SiO 2 in an e-beam evaporation system, and are designed to withstand nanosecond pulses from a kJ-class laser.