Comparison of Different High and Low Index Materials in the Manufacture of High Laser Damage Threshold Mirrors at the 351 nm Wavelength

Sol-gel material based mirrors have been produced by forming alternate layers of high refractive index and low refractive index thin films. These mirrors have proven to have a high laser induced damage threshold [LIDT]. Using nitric acid stabilized zirconia derived from zirconium-n-propoxide and base catalyzed silica, a 16 layer mirror with a reflectivity of better than 94% at 351 nm and 45° angle of incidence was fabricated. This had an LIDT of 7.7 J/cm2 at 351 nm with a 0.7 ns pulse width. Crazing prevented further layers being deposited. Both spin and dip coating were attempted with dip coating yielding the best results.