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Section 12:
Nebular™ Technology:
Nano-Structured
Anti-Refl ective
Surfaces
Damage Probability (Offline Detection)
0 20 40 60 80 100
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
Damage Probability
Fluence, J/cm2
2 x 102-on-1
Fit
LIDT
Sample Name: LDT-1_532
Wavelength: 532nm
Pulse Duration (FWHM): 5.6 ±0.3ns
Repetition Rate: 100 Hz
AOI: 0°
Polarization: Linear
Beam Diameter (1/e2): 393.3 ±4.5μm
Figure 12.1: Sample LIDT report from Lidaris of a window with
Nebular™ Technology showing a LIDT >40 J/cm2 @ 532nm, 5.6ns,
100Hz, which is signifi cantly higher than most thin fi lm coatings
Optic with
Thin-Film Coating
Optic with
Nebular™ Technology
Figure 12.2: While laser-induced damage on an optic with a thin-fi lm
coating can propagate and cause system failure, laser-induced damage
on an optic with Nebular™ Technology is non-propagating and typically
has a minimal eff ect on system performance
Nebular™ Technology is an alternative to traditional thin-fi lm anti-refl
ection (AR) coatings for high-power laser applications developed by
Edmund Optics®. Subwavelength surface structures are etched into the
optic, off ering numerous advantages over traditional coatings including
high broadband transmission and near-bulk laser-induced damage
threshold (LIDT). Laser system integrators can maximize system
throughput and reduce the likelihood of laser-induced damage by incorporating
optical components featuring Nebular™ Technology into
their systems.
Section 12.1:
LIDT of Nebular™ Technology
Applying coatings to a laser optic also typically decreases its LIDT because
of the potential for coating defects across multiple layer interfaces.
Nebular Technology™, on the other hand, does not involve depositing
any additional materials onto the optic. The LIDT of nano-structured
AR surfaces can approach that of the uncoated substrate, which is signifi
cantly higher than most traditional coatings. This is advantageous for
high-power laser applications of all pulse durations, from continuous
wave (CW) to femtosecond pulses (Figure 12.1).
When thin-fi lm coatings experience laser-induced damage, the damage
can propagate and cause system failure. When Nebular™ Technology
experiences laser-induced damage it does not propagate and eff ectively
“melts” the nanostructures back into the bulk material (Figure 12.2). This
has a minimal eff ect on system throughput and leads to systems with
high laser durability.1