Designing broadband dispersive mirrors in the mid-infrared spectral range: a theoretical study

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Dispersive mirrors (DMs) are crucial optical components for managing ultrashort laser pulses.
• Designing DMs for the mid-infrared (3-18 µm) spectral range presents unique challenges due to material properties and fabrication constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report design methodologies and results for dispersive mirrors operating in the 3-18 µm spectral range.
• To define admissible design specifications for mirror bandwidth and group delay variation.
• To estimate practical coating parameters for mid-infrared DMs.

Main Methods:

• Construction of admissible design domains for critical specifications.
• Analysis of several hundred dispersive mirror design solutions.
• Estimation of total coating thickness, maximum layer thickness, and layer count.

Main Results:

• Established design specifications for mid-infrared dispersive mirrors.
• Provided estimations for coating thickness and layer count, crucial for fabrication.
• Validated design approaches through extensive analysis of numerous DM solutions.

Conclusions:

• The study presents practically important results for designing mid-infrared dispersive mirrors.
• The findings offer guidance on achievable design specifications and fabrication parameters for this spectral range.