Influence of ion beam cleaning on properties of HfO2 thin films

In this paper, we introduced the applications of ion beam cleaning in the preparation of HfO₂ laser films. The characteristics of refractive index and laser-induced damage threshold were measured. The results showed that the refractive index and laser-induced damage thresholds of HfO₂ films with ion beam cleaning are higher than untreated sample. The refractive index range of HfO₂ films with ion beam assisted cleaning is 2.05-1.96 in the 400nm to 900nm wavelength range. The refractive index range of samples without ion beam cleaning is 1.98-1.87 in the same wavelength range. Their laser-induced damage thresholds was 1.75J/cm² and 1.25J/cm², respectively. Shows that ion beam cleaning is a simple and effective technology to improve laser-induced damage thresholds.