Patent ID: 7256887

Claim:
A method of determining suitability of a crystalline optical material for production of an optical element, particularly for high-energy irradiation, wherein radiation-induced absorption is detected or identified in the optical material, said method comprising the steps of: a) pre-irradiating the crystalline optical material with laser radiation until rapid damage induced in the crystalline optical material with the laser radiation is saturated; b) after the pre-irradiating of step a), measuring total fluorescence produced in the crystalline optical material by excitation radiation during and/or immediately after irradiating the crystalline optical material with the excitation radiation, said total fluorescence being composed of intrinsic fluorescence and non-intrinsic fluorescence; c) determining the non-intrinsic fluorescence of the crystalline optical material in the total fluorescence measured during and/or immediately after irradiating with the excitation radiation; d) determining the intrinsic fluorescence of the crystalline optical material, said intrinsic fluorescence being a constant of said crystalline optical material; e) determining an amount ratio of said non-intrinsic fluorescence to said intrinsic fluorescence in said total fluorescence measured in step b); f) ascertaining whether or not said optical material is suitable for making said optical element according to said amount ratio determined in step e); and g) outputting whether or not said optical material is suitable for making said optical element according to said amount ratio.