This work is motivated by the present efforts in chirped pulse amplification near infrared lasers.  Interference coatings on critical components fail at extremely low fluence, thus limiting power extraction from the amplifiers.  We use ion beam sputtering to produce  thin film multilayers of amorphous oxides We specialize in understanding the materials optical and structural properties and in optimizing them to achieve high laser damage resistance.   Understanding the laser damage behavior of these coatings structures is paramount to increasing laser pulse energy.