title: Improving the performance of high-laser-damage-threshold, multilayer dielectric pulse-compression gratings through low-temperature chemical cleaning.
abstract: A low-temperature chemical cleaning approach has been developed to improve the performance of multilayer dielectric pulse-compressor gratings for use in the OMEGA EP laser system. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results guided the selection of targeted cleaning steps to strip specific families of manufacturing residues without damaging the grating's fragile 3D profile. Grating coupons that were cleaned using the optimized method consistently met OMEGA EP requirements on diffraction efficiency and 1054 nm laser-damage resistance at 10 ps. The disappearance of laser-conditioning effects for the highest-damage-threshold samples suggests a transition from a contamination-driven laser-damage mechanism to defect-driven damage for well-cleaned components.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA. hhow@lle.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Heather P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Anthony F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: Justin G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dressler
authors.forename: Nicholas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Terrance J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Alexei A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kozlov
authors.forename: Ian R T
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Manwaring
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Semyon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papernov
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rigatti
authors.forename: Alycia N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: Ansgar W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Slaney
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Brittany N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Jacobs