Explanation of Laser-Induced Damage Behavior of Fused Silica in a Large-Aperture Laser using a Small-Aperture Damage Test

Laser-induced damage is a key lifetime limiter for optics in large laser facilities. Fused silica is tested to find the damage threshold on two different laser facilities of different apertures. The damage threshold shows that the corners of the component are less damage resistant. The acid etch on a corner does not effectively increase the damage threshold. A statistics-based model is presented to extrapolate the threshold data in a small-aperture test to predict the damage threshold under functional conditions.