Laser-induced fluorescence of high-purity fused silica irradiated by arf excimer laser

Elucidating the nature of light fluorescence of point defects in laser modified fused silica is important for controlling the evolution of laser damage and for designing an effective damage mitigation procedure in excimer laser applications. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of high-purity irradiated by ArF excimer laser is studied experimentally. LIF bands of high-purity fused silica centered at 281nm, 478nm and 650nm are detected simultaneously. Furthermore, the dependence of intensities of LIF signals of the sample on laser power is presented. LIF signals show a squared dependence on power density, which indicates that laser-induced defects are formed mainly via two-photon absorption processes.