Nanolaminate-based design for UV laser mirror coating
(PHYSorg.com Physics)

The demand for laser-resistant mirror coatings is increasing in inertial confinement fusion, extreme light infrastructure and other laser applications. The ideal UV laser mirror (UVLM) coating requires high reflectivity with large bandwidth and high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Unfortunately, these requirements are difficult to satisfy simultaneously. This is due, for example, to the fact that high reflectivity requires high refractive index (n) materials, while higher n materials tend to have a smaller optical bandgap and therefore a lower LIDT. Traditionally, UVLMs were achieved by deposition of laser-resistant layers on highly reflective layers. However, compromises are made for the seemingly contradictory requirements.