Geometrical characteristics and damage morphology of nodules grown from artificial seeds in multilayer coating

Nodules have been planted in an HfO2/SiO2 multilayer system with absorptive gold nanoparticle seeds located on the surface of a substrate. The topography of nodules was scanned by an atomic force microscope and imaged by a scanning electron microscope. The underlying characteristics of nodules were revealed by a focused ion beam. The cross-sectional profiles reveal that nodules grown from small seeds have a continuous boundary and better mechanical stability. A laser-induced damage test shows that nodules decrease the laser-induced damage threshold by up to 3 times. The damage pits are exclusively caused by nodular ejection and triggered by the absorptive seeds. The distribution of electric field and average temperature rise in the nodules were analyzed. Theoretical results met experimental results very well. The strong absorptive seed and microlens effect of the nodule play important roles in laser-induced damage of a planted nodule. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America