Fused silica based optical fibers are broadly used for beam delivery in laser technology, mostly for continuous lasers. However, powerful pulsed beams are still very challenging for optical fiber technology; in particular in the field of pulsed lasers providing ns-length pulses or shorter at high repetition rate. According to the current knowledge, laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of optical fiber surfaces does not achieve values generally represented for properly treated fused silica. Therefore, broader testing and understanding of optical fibers surface laser induced damage threshold and influencing factors is a key in utilization of optical fibers in pulsed lasers.
