Laser-damage growth characteristics of fused silica under 1064- and 532-nm laser irradiation

The laser-damage growth characteristics of initial damage sites play an important role in investigating the laser-induced damage mechanisms and determining the lifetime of the optics in application. We investigate the damage growth behaviors of fused silica under 1064, and 532-nm nanosecond-pulsed laser irradiation. The relationships between the sizes of initial damage sites and the laser fluence, as well as the initial damage morphology evolutions and the laser shot numbers, are discussed. Moreover, the growth characteristics of the initial damage sites generated by the same fluence but under different subsequent fluence irradiation are compared with those of initial damage sites generated by different fluence but under the same subsequent fluence irradiation. Finally, the differences between the damage morphologies and the growth features at the same conditions under different wavelengths are also provided and discussed.