Removal of laser-induced contamination on ALADIN laser optics by UV/ozone cleaning

Nils Bartels; Paul Allenspacher; Wolfgang Riede; Helmut Schröder; Denny Wernham

doi:10.1117/12.2535772

20 November 2019 Removal of laser-induced contamination on ALADIN laser optics by UV/ozone cleaning

Nils Bartels, Paul Allenspacher, Wolfgang Riede, Helmut Schröder, Denny Wernham

Proceedings Volume 11173, Laser-induced Damage in Optical Materials 2019; 111731C (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2535772
Event: SPIE Laser Damage, 2019, Broomfield (Boulder area), Colorado, United States

Abstract

The ESA satellite Aeolus was successfully launched into space in August 2018 and measures global wind profiles using the Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument (ALADIN). ALADIN features a high-power UV laser source emitting nanosecond pulses at a wavelength of 355 nm. A crucial step in the development of ALADIN was the mitigation of laser-induced contamination (LIC). In this work we assess the opportunity of removing LIC deposits using UV/ozone cleaning with a mercury lamp. We find that UV/ozone cleaning is a very effective tool for removing laser-induced molecular contamination induced by the volatile components of a material mix representative of the ALADIN laser. Furthermore, we show that optical surfaces on which a contamination is removed via UV/ozone cleaning behave similar to pristine optical surfaces with respect to their susceptibility to subsequent LIC as well as laser-induced damage. These results demonstrate that UV/ozone cleaning is a useful and safe way of cleaning optical surfaces after ground-based thermal vacuum/lifetime testing.

Citation Download Citation

Nils Bartels, Paul Allenspacher, Wolfgang Riede, Helmut Schröder, and Denny Wernham "Removal of laser-induced contamination on ALADIN laser optics by UV/ozone cleaning", Proc. SPIE 11173, Laser-induced Damage in Optical Materials 2019, 111731C (20 November 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2535772

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available