Reduction of the bulk absorption coefficient in silicon optics for high-energy lasers through defect engineering.

We engineered a factor-of-4 reduction in the bulk absorption coefficient over the 2.6-to-3.0-µm bandwidth in single-crystal Czochralski silicon optics for high-energy infrared lasers with high-temperature annealing treatments. Defect engineering adapted from the integrated circuit industry has been used to reduce the absorption coefficient across the 1.5-to-5-µm bandwidth for substrates up to 5 cm thick. A high-temperature oxygen-dispersion anneal dissolves precipitates and thermal donors that are present in the as-grown material. The process has been verified experimentally with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, infrared laser calorimetry, and Hall measurements. Reduction of the absorption coefficient results in less substrate heating and thermal distortion of the optical surface. The process is appropriate for other silicon infrared optics applications such as thermal-imaging systems, infrared windows, and spectrophotometers.