Superhydrophobic antireflective silica films: fractal surfaces and laser-induced damage thresholds

Several superhydrophobic antireflective silica films have been prepared by a solgel method that uses hexamethyl-disilizane (HMDS) as a modifier. In a high-power laser, laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs) of 23-30 J/cm(2) were obtained at 1064-nm wavelength with 1-ns pulse duration. By atomic-force microscopy and optical microscopy, the fractal surfaces of films were studied, and multifractal spectra (MFSs) were calculated both before and after laser damage. The two-sided effect of HMDS on particle growth determined the surface fractal of a particle and the multifractal structure of a film's surface. The bigger Deltaalpha was, both before and after laser damage, the lower the LIDT was. The effect of methyl groups should be included in the determination of the MFS of the LIDT. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.