Improving laser damage resistance of 355 nm high-reflective coatings by co-evaporated interfaces

355 nm high-reflective multilayer coatings with or without coevaporated interfaces (CEIs) were prepared by electron beam evaporation under the same deposition condition. Their transmission spectra, surface roughness, and mechanical stress properties were evaluated. Elemental composition analysis of the multilayer interfaces was performed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and laser-induced damage thresholds were obtained in both 1-on-1 and 300-on-1 testing modes. The coatings with CEIs reveal a lower mechanical stress and a higher laser damage resistance when irradiated with high laser fluence, and the corresponding damage modeling indicates that CEIs can significantly decrease defect density. The resulting damage morphologies show that CEI coatings can significantly suppress coating delamination and exhibit a bulk-like damage behavior, demonstrating better damage performance against high-power lasers. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America