The Aerospace Corporation

Jesse D Fowler

Bruce H Weiller

Randy M Villahermosa

Jon Victor Osborn

Josh A Conway

Systems and methods for preventing or reducing contamination enhanced laser induced damage (C-LID) to optical components are provided including a housing enclosing an optical component, a container configured to hold a gas phase additive and operatively coupled to the housing; and a delivery system configured to introduce the gas phase additive from the container into the housing and to maintain the gas phase additive at a pre-selected partial pressure within the housing. The gas phase additive may have a greater affinity for the optical component than does a contaminant and may be present in an amount sufficient to inhibit laser induced damage resulting from contact between the contaminant and the optical component. The housing may be configured to maintain a sealed gas environment or vacuum.

Systems and methods for preventing or reducing contamination enhanced laser induced damage (C-LID) to optical components using gas phase additives

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for inhibiting contamination enhanced laser induced damage (CELID) based on fluorinated self-assembled monolayers (F-SAMs) disposed on optics. For example, a coating for inhibiting CELID to an optic disposed in a sealed gas environment or vacuum may include an F-SAM that includes a fluorinated hydrocarbon tail group covalently bound to the optic by a head group. The coating may be formed by heating the optic and a liquid-phase precursor of the F-SAM to generate a gas-phase precursor, and exposing the heated optic to the gas-phase precursor for a period of time sufficient for the gas-phase precursor to coalesce at and covalently bond to the optic and form the F-SAM. The optic may include silica, and the F-SAM may include a siloxane group covalently bound to the silica.

Systems and methods for inhibiting contamination enhanced laser induced damage (CELID) based on fluorinated self-assembled monolayers disposed on optics

A stroboscopic imaging interferometer system includes an environmental chamber having a novel viewing window equipped with a rigidly integrated beam splitter and piezo actuated reference mirror for illuminating a device providing an object beam and reference mirror for providing a reference beam, upon the reflection of both beams, produces interference of the object beam by the reference beam for providing absolute phase observations of the device, that may be a MEMS device under test.

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Cypress, CA, United States of America

Jesse D Fowler