Laser damage mechanism of dielectric material surface by absorbing inclusion initiated thermal explosion

The major physical reason for laser induced damage of real dielectric materials, their surfaces, and thin films is laser heating of the absorbing inclusions. The role of the inclusions in the process of damage initiation is well experimentally established for both bulk damage, and surface damage of transparent dielectrics and thin films. The theoretical models of laser damage associated with the absorbing inclusions have been considered in. The model of thermal explosion most consistently considered in for the case of bulk damage is evidently most adequate for the description of laser damage physics. Despite the general nature of thermal explosion of absorbing inclusions located in the dielectric bulk, surface layer, or thin film, their characteristics (threshold temperature Te and threshold intensity Ie) may differ. This paper investigates these differences