Effect of Process Parameters on Laser Damage Threshold of TiO₂ Coatings

We investigate the laser damage behaviour of an electron-beam-deposited TiO₂ monolayer at different process parameters. The optical properties, chemical composition, surface defects, absorption and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of films are measured. It is found that TiO₂ films with the minimum absorption and the highest LIDT can be fabricated using a TiO₂ starting material after annealing. LIDT is mainly related to absorption and is influenced by the non-stoichiometric defects for TiO₂ films. Surface defects show no evident effects on LIDT in this experiment.