Development of transmission optics for high-power tea co2 lasers and methods of increasing laser-radiation resistance of materials for high-power ir optics

The results of analytical and experimental investigations aimed at increasing laser-radiation resistance of materials for IR optics and developing high-power optics for microsecond TEA CO2 lasers with energy per pulse up to 12-25 kJ and gas-dynamic CO2 lasers with energy per pulse up to 130 kJ are presented. It is demonstrated that the integrated approach that combines the improvement of already existing technological methods and the development of novel technological methods for refining the parameters of materials for transmission IR optics (including techniques of growth of single crystals, strain hardening, and laser, ionic, and chemical treatment), the design and optimization of optical units (including the development of segmented transmission optics, the improvement of optical schemes for spatial formation of laser beams, the use of fast-response physical effects to screen optical elements from high-power fluxes of laser radiation) is necessary to solve this problem. © 2001 Plenum Publishing Corporation.