Development progress of meter-scale large-aperture high-power laser optical components

Background The development of laser inertial confinement fusion (ICF) driver facilities toward higher energy, larger aperture, and higher repetition rates has imposed increasingly stringent requirements on optical components, including sub-nanometer surface figure accuracy, meter-scale uniformity, high laser-induced damage resistance, and batch-to-batch consistency. Fabrication and evaluation of large-aperture optical components have become critical challenges for the advancement of next-generation high-power laser systems.

Purpose This review aims to summarize the recent research progress of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in addressing the requirements of laser fusion drivers, with a focus on the entire technological chain of large-aperture optical components.

Methods The key technologies developed in five major areas are systematically reviewed, including precision manufacturing, high-performance optical coatings, pulse compression gratings, high-power pulsed xenon flashlamps, and high-precision metrology. The review covers data-driven deterministic polishing and sub-aperture polishing techniques for suppressing mid-spatial-frequency errors, fabrication technologies for broadband polarization and low-stress reflective coatings, reflective static full-aperture exposure methods for large-aperture gratings, reliability enhancement of metal-sealed xenon flashlamps, and advanced measurement techniques including in-situ absolute calibration and wavefront stitching interferometry.

Results The reviewed technologies have been validated through corresponding samples, optical components, and experimental platforms. These achievements provide essential technical support for the manufacturing and performance evaluation of meter-scale optical components used in high-power laser facilities.

Conclusions Future challenges are discussed, including full-spectrum error control, coordinated suppression of coating defects and stress, manufacturing consistency of ultra-large-aperture components, and traceable precision metrology. These developments provide valuable guidance for the technological selection and engineering implementation of critical optical components in future high-power laser fusion systems.