Irradiance enhancement and increased laser damage threshold in As₂S₃ moth-eye antireflective structures

It has been experimentally observed that moth-eye antireflective microstructures at the end of As2S3 fibers have an increased laser damage threshold relative to thin-film antireflective coatings. In this work, we computationally study the irradiance enhancement in As2S3 moth-eye antireflective microstructures in order to explain the increased damage threshold. We show that the irradiance enhancement occurs mostly on the air side of the interfaces and is minimal in the As2S3 material. We give a physical explanation for this behavior.