The picosecond optical response of germanium is investigated by performing excitation-probe experiments on a thin, intrinsic-germanium wafer maintained at 135 K. The results of three distinct experiments are reported: (1) the transmission of a single pulse is measured as a function of irradiance, (2) the probe transmission is measured at a fixed time after excitation as a function of the excitation energy, and (3) the transmission of a probe pulse is monitored as a function of time after excitation. These experiments employ 10-picosecond laser pulses at 1.06 um and Stokes-shifted pulses at 1.55-um.

This thesis relates a technique for increasing the optical strength of NaCl and KCl single-crystal samples. The 1.06-μm pulsed laser damage thresholds were increased by factors as large as 4.6 for a bulk NaCl single-crystal sample. The bulk laser damage breakdown threshold (LDBT) of the crystal was measured prior to and after heat treatment at 800*C using a Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.06 μm. Bulk and surface LDBTs were also studied on samples annealed at 400° C. These samples showed differences in damage morphology on both cleaved and polished surfaces, and the cleaved surfaces had improved damage thresholds. However, neither the polished surfaces nor the bulk showed improved threshold at the lower annealing temperature.