Effect of HF etching on the surface quality and laser-induced damage of fused silica

The surface hardness of polished and HF etched fused silica has been investigated by nanoindentation technique. The results of polished fused silica indicate that the hardness of surface layer is greater than that of the bulk material. The difference should be attributed to the polishing induced deformation of the thin surface layer. The various removal depths of surface layer by HF etching has been confirmed by the surface hardness results. The initial laser damage threshold and damage possibility of unetched and etched samples were also measured. The results show a great improvement of damage resistance by slight etching and a reduction by excess etching. The correlation between surface hardness and damage threshold indicates that the mechanical strength plays an important role in the initiation of laser-induced damage. ► Surface exhibits higher hardness than bulk material for the polished fused silica. ► Surface hardness of fused silica first increases and then reduces after HF etching. ► Mechanical strength plays an important role in the initiation of LID.