The 3-day SPIE Laser Damage Symposium is held in Boulder, Colorado every year. This event is an opportunity for the exchange of information on the current R&D results of high-power and high-energy lasers; the symposium’s main focus is on optical materials and coatings.
The symposium includes a competition for the most powerful coating: The SPIE Committee defines the layer specifications for production. In 2015, the following requirements were set:
- Reflection > 99.5%
- GDD < ± 100 fs²
- Wavelength l = 773 nm ± 50 nm
- Angle of incidence: 45°, p - polarization
- Pulse length: 150 ps; repetition rate 500 Hz
- Laboratory environment
(25°±2°C, 40% ± rel. humidity)
The damage threshold and the change in group delay dispersion (GDD) of the laser optics that were sent in were tested.
Sixteen companies/institutes from six countries participated in the challenge this year and sent a total of thirty-three samples into the competition. Most of the companies were from Germany and the U.S.A.; LASER COMPONENTS participated for the sixth year in a row. The test results remain anonymous to the general public; only the companies themselves learn how their products scored in the overall comparison. The SPIE Laser Damage Competition is thus an excellent opportunity to test product quality in a comparison of competing products.
