September 5, 2008--Results of a thin-film laser damage competition at the SPIE (Bellingham, WA)-sponsored Boulder Damage Symposium this month will provide perspective on how the industry is doing with the development of high laser resistance coatings. The annual event marks its 40th year in 2008, and will be held September 22-24 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) facility in Boulder, CO.

Conference Co-Chair Christopher Stolz of Lawrence Livermore National Lab will give a summary talk on the results of tests on 35 submitted samples of thin film laser damage. The samples, from companies in China, Japan, Germany, Lithuania, and the U.S., are being evaluated by Spica Technologies. "The results will show us how the industry is doing in developing high laser resistance coatings, and provide a report on the types of deposition technologies currently being made," said Stolz.

By using the same damage test setup and the same protocols for all samples, the damage competition allows a good direct comparison of the current state of the art, Stolz said. A high reflector multilayer coating type at a wavelength of 1064 nm at normal incidence was specified for the substrate submissions. A double-blind test assures sample and submitter anonymity. In addition to the laser resistance results, details of deposition processes, coating materials and layer count, and spectral results also will be shared in Stolz's summary talk.

For more information, visit spie.org/boulder-damage.xml.

Fri Sep 05 10:42:00 CDT 2008