Dependence of the damage and transmission properties of fused silica fibers on the excimer laser wavelength

The damage and transmission properties of selected commercially available fused silica fibers have been measured as a function of excimer laser wavelength. Two-photon absorption and color center formation in fused silica currently limit the use of these fibers at the excimer wavelengths of 193 nm (ArF) and 248 nm (KrF).