Abstract

Bulk laser-induced damage (LID) in highly transparent materials has been the subject of intense study since 1965. From the very earliest experiments there has been confiding evidence as to whether LID in the bulk of highly transparent dielectrics is an intrinsic phenomena or is dominated by defects and impurities. The problem of a detailed understanding of bulk LID is compounded by the highly nonlinear nature of this phenomenon. We summarize the results of recent studies which show the direct role of material impurities and defects in bulk LID. Specifically, we present results of experiments which support the model that assumes that bulk LID occurs by the process of multiphoton-initiated electron avalanche breakdown. The multiphoton initiation process is found to be associated with material defects and/or impurities.

© 1988 Optical Society of America