Evolution of the point defects involved under the action of mechanical forces on mechanically machined fused silica surfaces

Point defects with different species are concentrated on most mechanically machined fused silica optical surfaces with surface defects, which would sharply decrease the laser damage resistance under intense laser irradiation. Various point defects have distinct roles in affecting the laser damage resistance. Especially, the proportions of various point defects have not been identified, posing the challenge in relating the intrinsic quantitative relationship among various point defects. To fully reveal the comprehensive effect of various point defects, it is necessary to systematically explore the origins, evolution laws and especially the quantitative relationship among point defects. Herein, seven types of point defects are determined. The unbonded electrons in point defects are found to tend to be ionized to induce laser damage and there is a definite quantitative relationship between the proportions of oxygen-deficient point defects and that of peroxide point defects. The conclusions are further verified based on the photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra and the properties (e.g., reaction rule and structural feature) of the point defects. On basis of the fitted Gaussian components and electronic-transition theory, the quantitative relationship between PL and the proportions of various point defects is constructed for the first time. E’-Center accounts for the highest proportion among them. This work is beneficial for fully revealing the comprehensive action mechanisms of various point defects and providing new insights in elucidating the defect-induced laser damage mechanisms of optical components under intense laser irradiation from the atomic scale.