Effect of UV laser conditioning on fused silica in vacuum

The effect of laser conditioning on the fused silica was investigated by laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) tests with Nd:YLF laser. The fused silica was pre-irradiated with pulses or raster scans methods by 351 nm and 8–10 ns laser prior to S-on-1 damage testing in vacuum. The damage threshold of fused silica after UV laser conditioning increased by a factor of 1.4. The laser conditioning mechanism was discussed.