Dynamic optical limiting experiments on vanadium dioxide and vanadium pentoxide thin films irradiated by a laser beam.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films are irradiated by a near-infrared continuous-wave laser beam and the dynamic optical limiting performance is measured. The temperature varying with time of the films induced by a laser beam is also recorded by an IR thermal sensor. Under the irradiation of a laser beam with an intensity of 255 W/cm2 and a spot diameter of 2 mm, the laser beam transmittance of the VO2 film decreases from 47% before phase transition to 28% after phase transition, and the response time is approximately 200 ms; the laser beam transmittance of the V2O5 film decreases from 51% before phase transition to 24% after phase transition, and the response time is approximately 40 ms. The optical limiting is realized by this laser heating-induced phase transition.