Investigation on damage process of indium tin oxide film induced by 1064nm quasi-CW laser

Quasi-CW laser damage process of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film was investigated. The ITO film with thickness of 300 nm was deposited on fused silica substrate by magnetron sputtering. Experiments were conducted on quasi-CW laser with wavelength of 1064 nm, and the test was executed in single shot test with radiation time of 60 s. The damage morphologies were observed via optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The apparent damage started with change in color which the morphologies were visible to the naked eyes. With the power density higher than the laser induced damage threshold (LIDT), there were cracks in the center of the damage site. The temperature distribution of the ITO thin film was investigated based on the heat equation.