Frequency laser damage of Mo mirrors

Laser tests were performed on first mirror (FM) prototypes manufactured from single crystal and polycrystal Mo and with reflective Mo coatings on Mo substrate. Data on laser damage thresholds under the influence of the frequency-operated pulsed YAG laser (1064 nm wavelength, 12.5 Hz repetition rate, 10–30 mJ per pulse energy, 12 ns pulse duration) were obtained for single laser shot and after about 2.2×105 laser shots. The output beam of the laser operating in the TEMoo mode has a Gaussian profile. The single shot damage thresholds were measured and were equal to 2±0.4 J/cm2 for polycrystal Mo and Mo/Mo mirrors, 3±0.5 J/cm2 for single crystal Mo mirror. The long-time effect of frequency-operated YAG laser on mirror reflectivity was studied. It was shown that diffusion scattering is a very sensitive instrument to check the surface condition. Different types of Mo mirrors show various values of multipulse laser damage threshold. It may be connected as with initial quality of the surface and with different structures of the reflection layer for investigated samples of Mo. The degradation of a single crystal Mo mirror under multiple pulse laser irradiation is described with good accuracy by a predictive model for multipulse laser damage of metal mirrors [Appl. Optics 30–36 (1991) 5239] up to 1.5×105 laser pulses.