Laser induced damage in optical materials: 7th ASTM symposium.

The Seventh ERDA-ASTM-ONR-NBS Symposium on Laser Induced Damage in Optical Materials was held at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado, on 29-31 July 1975. These Symposia are held as part of the activities in ASTM Subcommittee II on Lasers and Laser Materials, which is charged with the responsibilities of formulating standards and test procedures for laser materials, components, and devices. The Chairman of Subcommittee II is Haynes Lee, of Owens-Illinois, Inc. Co-chairmen for the Damage Symposia are Arthur Guenther of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory and Alexander J. Glass of Law-rence Livermore Laboratory. Over 150 attendees at the Symposium heard forty-five papers on topics relating fabrication procedures to laser induced damage in optical materials; on metal mirrors; in ir window materials; the multipulse, wavelength, and pulse length dependence of damage thresholds; damage in dielectric films and at exposed surfaces; as well as theoretical discussions on avalanche ionization and multiphoton processes of importance at shorter wavelengths. Of particular importance were the scaling relations developed from several parametric studies relating fundamental properties (refractive index, surface roughness etc.) to the damage threshold. This year many of the extrinsic influences tending to reduce a materials damage resistance were isolated such that measures of their egregious nature could be quantified. Much still needs to be accomplished to improve processing and fabrication procedures to allow a measurable approach to a materials intrinsic strength to be demonstrated.