Abrasion-resistant solgel antireflective films with a high laser-induced damage threshold for inertial confinement fusion

Abstract

To prepare abrasion-resistant antireflective (AR) films for inertial confinement fusion, four solgel routes have been investigated on polysiloxane-modified and polyvinylalcohol- (PVA-) modified SiO2 sols. As confirmed with a transmissive electron microscope, different fractal structure characteristics of the modified SiO2 particles are disclosed by small-angle x-ray scattering technology. And it is these special fractal characteristics that determine the performance of AR films on the level of internal microstructure. A Si29 magic angle spinning and nuclear magnetic resonance study has been successfully applied in explaining the fractal microstructure and its relation to the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of AR films. The films modified by PVA120000 or acetic acid-catalyzed polysiloxane have higher LIDTs than those films modified by PVA16000 or hydrochloride acid-catalyzed polysiloxane. The films from PVA-modified SiO2 sols have a stronger abrasion resistance but lower antireflection than those films from polysiloxane-modified SiO2 sols. In addition, the films from polysiloxane-modified SiO2 sols can possess high transmittance and high LIDT if the polysiloxane synthesis condition is appropriately chosen, but the abrasion resistance is not as good as that from PVA modification. If strong abrasion resistance is necessary, a possible resolution may be to choose a more appropriate hydrophilic polymer than PVA. If not, polysiloxane-modified silica sol can also work when polysiloxane is synthesized under acetic acid catalysis.