Laser-induced damage threshold measurements of optical dielectric coatings at λ=1.06 μm

The laser-induced damage thresholds for λ=1.06 μm of commercially available (produced at Institute of Optics) dielectric optical coatings, both antireflective and high reflectance, have been determined. The dependence of the optical coatings stability on design and selection of materials has been investigated. An improvement of the coatings durability by using nonquarterwave layers in addition to the basic design of the mirrors has been obtained. The choice of the coating materials is also discussed.