Characteristics of Laser-Induced Surface and Bulk Damage of Large-Aperture Deuterated Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate at 351 nm

Deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate damage performance at 351nm is studied on a large-aperture laser system. Bulk and rear-surface damage are initiated under the 3 omega fluences of 6.7 J/cm(2) and 3 J/cm(2), and show different growth characteristics under multiple laser irradiations with the fluence of 6 J/cm(2). The size and number of bulk damage keep unchanged once initiated. However, surface damage size also does not grow, while surface damage number increases linearly with laser shots. Different damage thresholds and growth behaviors suggest different formations of bulk and surface damage precursors. The cause of surface damage is supposed to be near-surface absorbing particles buried under the sol-gel coating.