Laser-Induced Damage Initiation and Growth of Optical Materials

Table 1

The relationships between the pulse length of high power and LID of components.

Laser pulse length	Damage mechanisms	Damage phenomena
Long pulse	Thermal absorption	Stress, strain, melting, and ablation
Continuous wave
Short pulse for ns level	Impact ionization	Micropits, debris
Extremely short pulse for ps level	Impact ionization	Crater, plasma, and crush
Ultrashort pulse for fs level	Multiphoton-assisted impact ionization	Crater, plasma, crush, and cracks