Study of short-wavelength pass dichroic laser mirror coatings with hafnia–silica mixture layers

Abstract

Hafnia/silica (HfO2/SiO2) short-wavelength pass dichroic laser mirror (DLM) coatings are widely utilized in high-power laser systems. However, the half-wave hole effect resulting from the refractive index inhomogeneity of HfO2 severely restricts the spectra and potential applications of these coatings. To address this issue, an investigation was conducted on HfO2–SiO2 mixture coatings with different proportions, which were produced by electron beam co-evaporation. Compared to the inhomogeneous growth characteristics observed in pure HfO2 coatings, the introduction of 10 % or higher SiO2 admixing in HfO2–SiO2 mixture coatings results in an amorphous structure characterized by excellent refractive index homogeneity and improved surface smoothness. Leveraging this, different DLM coatings with the objective of achieving high transmittance across the 400 to 900 nm range were designed and prepared, while ensuring high reflectance at 1064 nm. The incorporation of HfO2–SiO2 mixture layers instead of pure HfO2 layers in the mirror coatings led to a fundamental inhibition of the half-wave hole effect throughout the entire broad transmission band, resulting in a substantial improvement in the optical performance of the coatings. Moreover, by incorporating several types of HfO2–SiO2 mixture layers with different proportions in the coating stacks, the transmittance of DLM coatings in the pass band can be further increased, and the transmission fluctuations at different wavelengths can be further compressed. Additionally, compared to traditional DLM coatings with HfO2 layers, DLM coatings incorporating HfO2–SiO2 mixture layers exhibit lower roughness, higher laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) at 532 nm, and similar LIDT at 1064 nm. These results indicate a promising strategy for fabricating DLM coatings tailored for high-power laser systems.