Effects of wet etch processing on laser-induced damage of fused silica surfaces

Colin L. Battersby; Lynn Matthew Sheehan; Mark R. Kozlowski

doi:10.1117/12.344412

7 April 1999 Effects of wet etch processing on laser-induced damage of fused silica surfaces

Colin L. Battersby, Lynn Matthew Sheehan, Mark R. Kozlowski

Proceedings Volume 3578, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1998; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.344412
Event: Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1998, 1998, Boulder, CO, United States

Abstract

Laser-induced damage of transparent fused silica optical components by 355 nm illumination occurs primarily at surface defects produced during the grinding and polishing processes. These defects can either be surface defects or sub-surface damage. Wet etch processing in a buffered hydrogen fluoride solution has been examined as a tool for characterizing such defects. A study was conducted to understand the effects of etch depth on the damage threshold of fused silica substrates. The study used a 355 nm, 7.5 ns, 10 Hz Nd:YAG laser to damage test fused silica optics through various wet etch processing steps. Inspection of the surface quality was performed with Nomarski microscopy and Total Internal Reflection Microscopy. The damage test data and inspection results were correlated with polishing process specifics. The result show that a wet etch exposes sub-surface damage while maintaining or improving the laser damage performance. The benefits of a wet etch must be evaluated for each polishing process.

Citation Download Citation

Colin L. Battersby, Lynn Matthew Sheehan, and Mark R. Kozlowski "Effects of wet etch processing on laser-induced damage of fused silica surfaces", Proc. SPIE 3578, Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 1998, (7 April 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.344412

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