LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Laser resonator mirrors

How are mirrors we use in bathrooms, dressing

tables etc manufactured?
Ag is deposited on ‘glass’ (soft glass) through a
chemical reaction and silver coating is protected
by a coat of paint
Back surface of the mirror is coated so both light
incident on the mirror and reflected one has to
pass through the glass “substrate”
Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only
 LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Mirrors for scientific equipment

1. Substrate is carefully polished; accuracy depends
on application-mirrors used in lasers are
polished to l/20
2. Front coated mirrors; coating done in a vacuum
chamber evacuated to 10-6 to 10-10 torr (mm of
Hg) pressure.
3. Coating materials are Al, Au and gold for “visible
region” Gold, silver, Al etc R~90%
4. Thickness monitoring normally not needed as
“natural adhesion “ determines the coating
thickness
Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only
 LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Reflectivity requirements of laser mirrors

1. One of the resonator mirror( back mirror)
should 100% reflecting-as close to it as possible.
2. Output coupler in some lasers should be with
reflectivity of the order of 99.5%
In single atom laser mirrors with R=99.9999 or
so are needed
Both these requirements cannot be achieved
through “single element” coatings.
‘multi-layer dielectric coatings’-multi million
US$ industry world over.
Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only
LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Thin films

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Reflection from soap bubble

Fresnel formula for

n1 reflection at the interface
n2 of n1 and n2
R = (n1-n2)2/(n1+n2)2
For glass n= 1.5, air
=1 R = 4%
Phase change on reflection
If n1< n2 phase changes by 180o
n1Lecture
>n2 no phase change
on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only
LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Conditions for reflection and transmission

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Effect of film thickness

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Multilayer coatings

Computer modeling and simulations

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only
LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Typical BB 3 layer coating

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

l/4 stack of HL
refractive index
materials.
Typically 20 or
more layers can
give ~100%R

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only

LPU/PHY 803/Laser Technology Autumn Term 2010-11

Typical deposition chamber

Lecture on laser mirrors for internal use in LPU only