Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings
Substrate cleaning prior to coating has a strong influence on the performance of the optical component. Exemplary, none or inadequate cleaning reduces the resistance against laser irradiation drastically. Especially in laser components coated with anti-reflective layers, the interface between substr...
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doaj-58d6ac4404fd468a9062bd64a2fcce472020-11-28T00:08:12ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-11-01108496849610.3390/app10238496Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective CoatingsThomas Gischkat0Daniel Schachtler1Igor Stevanovic2Zoltan Balogh-Michels3Roelene Botha4Andreas Bächli5Marco Cucinelli6André Mocker7Martin Gutsche8Sven Günther9Philipp Alder10Bernd Eiermann11RhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandRhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandRhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandRhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandRhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandRhySearch, The Rhine Valley Research- and Innovation Center, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandOST—Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandOST—Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandOST—Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Werdenbergstrasse 4, 9471 Buchs SG, SwitzerlandWZW Optic AG, Wegenstrasse 18, 9436 Balgach, SwitzerlandUCM AG, Langenhagstrasse 25, 9424 Rheineck, SwitzerlandWZW Optic AG, Wegenstrasse 18, 9436 Balgach, SwitzerlandSubstrate cleaning prior to coating has a strong influence on the performance of the optical component. Exemplary, none or inadequate cleaning reduces the resistance against laser irradiation drastically. Especially in laser components coated with anti-reflective layers, the interface between substrate and coating is one of the most limiting factors. This study investigates different precision cleaning processes and their influence on the laser resistance of ion-beam sputtered anti-reflective coatings. Therefore, a SiO<sub>2</sub>/Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> multilayer anti-reflective coating for a wavelength of 1064 nm and a normal angle of incidence was deposited onto high-quality fused silica substrates. Prior to deposition, the substrates were cleaned with various cleaning processes using different solutions and ultrasonic frequencies. To characterize the cleaned surface quality, the surfaces were analyzed with respect to root-mean-square (RMS) roughness and particle density. Laser damage was measured using a 1064 nm ns-pulsed laser test bench. It was found that an alcoholic pre-clean is recommendable to prevent laser damage caused by organic films remaining from the polishing process. The applied ultrasonic frequencies strongly influenced the particle density down to the sub-micrometer range and in consequence, the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Ultrasonic cleaning at excessive power levels can reduce laser resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/23/8496ultrasonic cleaninglaser-induced damageLIDTanti-reflective coatingfused silicaSiO<sub>2</sub> |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Thomas Gischkat Daniel Schachtler Igor Stevanovic Zoltan Balogh-Michels Roelene Botha Andreas Bächli Marco Cucinelli André Mocker Martin Gutsche Sven Günther Philipp Alder Bernd Eiermann |
spellingShingle |
Thomas Gischkat Daniel Schachtler Igor Stevanovic Zoltan Balogh-Michels Roelene Botha Andreas Bächli Marco Cucinelli André Mocker Martin Gutsche Sven Günther Philipp Alder Bernd Eiermann Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings Applied Sciences ultrasonic cleaning laser-induced damage LIDT anti-reflective coating fused silica SiO<sub>2</sub> |
author_facet |
Thomas Gischkat Daniel Schachtler Igor Stevanovic Zoltan Balogh-Michels Roelene Botha Andreas Bächli Marco Cucinelli André Mocker Martin Gutsche Sven Günther Philipp Alder Bernd Eiermann |
author_sort |
Thomas Gischkat |
title |
Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings |
title_short |
Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings |
title_full |
Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings |
title_fullStr |
Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings |
title_full_unstemmed |
Substrate Cleaning Processes and Their Influence on the Laser Resistance of Anti-Reflective Coatings |
title_sort |
substrate cleaning processes and their influence on the laser resistance of anti-reflective coatings |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Applied Sciences |
issn |
2076-3417 |
publishDate |
2020-11-01 |
description |
Substrate cleaning prior to coating has a strong influence on the performance of the optical component. Exemplary, none or inadequate cleaning reduces the resistance against laser irradiation drastically. Especially in laser components coated with anti-reflective layers, the interface between substrate and coating is one of the most limiting factors. This study investigates different precision cleaning processes and their influence on the laser resistance of ion-beam sputtered anti-reflective coatings. Therefore, a SiO<sub>2</sub>/Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> multilayer anti-reflective coating for a wavelength of 1064 nm and a normal angle of incidence was deposited onto high-quality fused silica substrates. Prior to deposition, the substrates were cleaned with various cleaning processes using different solutions and ultrasonic frequencies. To characterize the cleaned surface quality, the surfaces were analyzed with respect to root-mean-square (RMS) roughness and particle density. Laser damage was measured using a 1064 nm ns-pulsed laser test bench. It was found that an alcoholic pre-clean is recommendable to prevent laser damage caused by organic films remaining from the polishing process. The applied ultrasonic frequencies strongly influenced the particle density down to the sub-micrometer range and in consequence, the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Ultrasonic cleaning at excessive power levels can reduce laser resistance. |
topic |
ultrasonic cleaning laser-induced damage LIDT anti-reflective coating fused silica SiO<sub>2</sub> |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/23/8496 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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