Abstract

High performance laser mirrors exhibit a decrease in visible reflectance over time when exposed to the ultraviolet radiation emanating from a gaseous laser plasma. This drop in reflectance can lead to cessation of laser action in the worst cases, and unpredictable system performance in any case. Ideally the mirrors would maintain a constant high reflectance for an indefinite time period. An acceptable alternative would be for the mirror reflectance to degrade slightly over a short time to a then-constant value.

© 1987 Optical Society of America