M.J. Soileau received his PhD in Quantum Electronics from the University of Southern California, is currently Professor of Optics, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics and is the Vice President for Research. His research interests include the nonlinear optical properties of materials and laser-induced damage. He is a Fellow of IEEE, the SPIE--The International Optical Engineering Society, and the Optical Society of America. He has been elected as a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 2007. He is also a recipient of OSA Esther Hoffman Beller Award (2007), SPIE Gold Medal Award (2008) and the National Academy of Inventors Fellow (2013).

    Four years ago the world celebrated the 50TH Anniversary of the demonstration of the first laser by Ted Maiman. This celebration was appropriate since this discovery is the starting point for incredible scientific breakthroughs, exotic and mundane applications, and a huge fraction of the world’s economy enabled by lasers/photonics/optics. Some exciting applications envisioned in the early days after Maiman’s announcement are now so mundane to be almost invisible to the general public (in manufacturing, in commerce, in defense, etc.). Even more applications NOT envisioned are now commonplace (in entertainment, communications, and the core technologies that enable microelectronics manufacturing, the internet, etc.). Among applications envisioned earlier, but yet not realized, is laser-driven inertial confinement fusion energy. In most cases, the dividing line between applications promised and those realized is the availability of optical components (mirrors, lenses, beansplitters, polarizers, etc.) that can function in the extreme electromagnetic environment within laser devices and in the needed optical delivery systems. This critical dividing line is laser-induced damage (LID) to the optical materials used to make the lasers and laser systems. Conversations with laser pioneers reveal that almost coincident with laser action in Maiman’s laser was LID in its output coupler, a simple thin film of partially transparent silver. Also common in early lasers was LID to the surfaces of laser rods and other optical surfaces. According to Professor Michael Bass, a pioneer in the field of nonlinear optics (NLO), LID was such a common problem that laser scientists had to keep spare laser rods on hand in order to keep working as damaged rods were being refurbished. There was a great leap in scientific activity and discovery following Maiman’s success. New laser types were pursued, new laser media were discovered, the discovery of Q-swatching resulted in orders of magnitude reduction of pulse-widths, and what seemed like astronomical increases in peak power output, and orders of magnitude spread in laser output wavelengths. It quickly became apparent, though, that practical success would depend on advances in materials growth and preparation, new technology for surface finishing and crystal growth, new technology for thin film deposition, and the development of needed characterization technology for measurement of absorption and scattering. New diagnostic techniques to properly analyze LID were also needed so that improvements can be made to allow the field to flourish. The 47th Conference on Materials for High Power Lasers in Boulder, CO, USA, aka, Boulder Damage Symposium, concluded just a few weeks ago. That conference has chronicled the advancements in understanding of LID and improvements in optical components that in turn allowed lasers and applications to progress. However, LID still limits laser output and applications. Often systems are designed to the limits allowed by LID. In this talk progress in LID is reviewed and current limits in performance are examined.