Generation and detection of superstrong shock waves during ablation of an aluminum surface by intense femtosecond laser pulses

Superstrong shock waves of multimegabar level generated during ablation of an aluminum surface by intense (<1 PW/cm²) femtosecond laser pulses have been detected by observing the propagation of a shock wave in air from the ablated surface to a broadband piezoelectric receiver. The estimated initial pressure and velocity of the shock wave (ablation plume) agree well with data obtained earlier by various methods for shock waves propagating inside ablated targets.     

飞秒激光烧蚀金属靶的冲击温度

在明确飞秒激光与物质相互作用过程冲击温度概念的基础上, 讨论了飞秒激光烧蚀铝靶和铜靶过程中的冲击温度与其他物理量的关系, 利用飞秒激光烧蚀金属的双温模型提取了冲击温度的绝对值, 基于非傅里叶热传导模型计算了冲击温度的分布. 此项研究结果对飞秒激光安全加工含能材料有借鉴意义. 关键词： 飞秒激光 含能材料 烧蚀 冲击温度     

Simulation of ultrashort double-pulse laser ablation

In this paper, we study the mechanisms of femtosecond double-pulse laser ablation of metals. It was previously shown experimentally that the crater depth monotonically drops when the delay between two successive pulses increases. For delays longer than the time of electron-ion relaxation the crater depth can be even smaller than that produced by a single pulse. The results of the performed hydrodynamic simulation show that the ablation can be suppressed due to the formation of the second shock wave. The modeling results of the double-pulse ablation obtained for different delays correlate with the experimental findings.     

Water-assisted femtosecond laser ablation for fabricating three-dimensional microfluidic chips

When the femtosecond laser focused in the water, the breakdown will be induced. The generated high-speed jet and shock wave can be used to etch silica glass for fabricating three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic chips. We present a simple and practical method to produce 3D multilayer microfluidic chips in silica glass. This method offers high design flexibility and fabricating feasibility. We also introduce a convenient cleaning method for diluting and ejecting the ablated debris from microchannel. Therefore, the femtosecond laser induced high-speed jet and shock wave can be used to fabricate complex microfluidic chips in silica glass. Experimental results show that the diameter of microchannel is uniform and the complexity of the microfluidic chip is under control. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate the feasibility of the fabricating process by using the water-assisted femtosecond laser ablation.     

Direct observation of the temperature field during ablation of materials by multiple femtosecond laser pulses

We report a direct observation of the temperature field on a steel specimen during ablation by multiple femtosecond laser pulses using an infrared thermography technique. From the experimental results and simulation study of the temperature field, we quantified the deposited thermal power into the specimen during the ablation process. We found that more than two thirds of the incident laser power was deposited in the steel specimen when ablated by multiple femtosecond laser pulses. This result provides further understanding of the heating effect in materials processing by ultrashort laser pulses.     

Nanoparticles size modifications during femtosecond laser ablation of nickel in vacuum

Nanoparticles were synthesized by irradiating a nickel target with femtosecond laser pulses in high vacuum, and subsequently analyzed. The proof-of-principle experiments aim to modify the size characteristics of the produced nanoparticles. For nickel it is found that: (i) ultraviolet laser pulses lead to a remarkable change in the nanoparticles size distribution with respect to visible laser pulses; (ii) irradiation of the femtosecond pulses induced ablation plume with a second, delayed ultraviolet laser pulse can change the size characteristics of the produced nanoparticles.     

大气环境下飞秒激光对铝靶烧蚀过程的研究

利用时间分辨的光阴影成像技术研究了在大气环境下飞秒激光烧蚀铝靶的动态过程. 在入射激光能量为4 mJ, 激光光斑超过1 mm时, 激光烧蚀区表面物质以近似平面冲击波形式向外喷射; 在同样激光能量下、激光光斑较小时(约0.6 mm), 激光烧蚀区以近似半球型冲击波形式向外喷射. 当激光能量比较大时(7 mJ), 发现空气的电离对于激光烧蚀靶材有着重要影响. 在光轴附近烧蚀产生的喷射物具有额外的柱状和半圆型的结构, 叠加在平面冲击波结构上.     

Features of the generation of a collisionless electrostatic shock wave in a laser-ablation plasma

The appearance of a density bump is experimentally revealed in an electrostatic shock wave during the ablation of an aluminum foil by a femtosecond laser pulse. The numerical simulation shows that this phenomenon can be explained by the generation of a packet of ion acoustic waves under the action of high-energy electron flows in a collisionless plasma. It is found that, for the formation and maintenance of the dense plasma layer in the shock wave, the contributions of accelerated ions overtaking it and wave-captured ions of the background plasma formed by a nanosecond laser prepulse in the process of ablation are significant.     

Application of time-resolved digital holographic microscopy in studies of early femtosecond laser ablation

We studied evolution of femtosecond laser ablation by employing novel method of time-resolved off-axis digital holographic microscopy. Phase and amplitude profiles of early shock front and ablation plume dynamics of irradiated tempered steel were reconstructed from the digital holograms. In order to gain additional information, digital holographic microscopy was combined with plasma emission imaging. By using both techniques simultaneously we studied material response to multi-pulse irradiation, shock wave propagation, ablation plume formation and plasma emission. The significant changes in ablation performance were observed when using multi-pulse irradiation if compared to widely investigated single-shot regime.     

Nanosecond and femtosecond ablation of La0.6Ca0.4CoO3: a comparison between plume dynamics and composition of the films

Thin films of La_0.6Ca_0.4CoO₃ were grown by pulsed laser ablation with nanosecond and femtosecond pulses. The films deposited with femtosecond pulses (248 nm, 500 fs pulse duration) exhibit a higher surface roughness and deficiency in the cobalt content compared to the films deposited with nanosecond pulses (248 nm, 20 ns pulse duration). The origin of these pronounced differences between the films grown by ns and fs ablation has been studied in detail by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy and imaging. The plumes generated by nanosecond and femtosecond ablation were analyzed in vacuum and in a background pressure of 60 Pa of oxygen. The ns-induced plume in vacuum exhibits a spherical shape, while for femtosecond ablation the plume is more elongated along the expansion direction, but with similar velocities for ns and fs laser ablation. In the case of ablation in the background gas similar velocities of the plume species are observed for fs and ns laser ablation. The different film compositions are therefore not related to different kinetic energies and different distributions of various species in the plasma plume which has been identified as the origin of the deficiency of species for other materials.     

Optodynamic energy conversion efficiency during laser ablation on metal surfaces measured by shadow photography

In this investigation, we used high-speed shadow photography to observe fast optodynamic phenomena such as shock waves and the ablation of flat metal surfaces. These phenomena were induced in air by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1,064 nm) with a pulse duration of 4 ns and an excitation pulse energy between 10 and 55 mJ. For a good spatial resolution of the shadowgraphs, we used short illumination pulses (30 ps) from a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser (λ = 532 nm). Using the shadowgraphs of the shock wave expansion into a half-space, we measured the optodynamic energy conversion efficiency, defined as the ratio between the mechanical energy of the shock wave and the excitation pulse energy. This efficiency increases with an increasing excitation pulse energy. We also present the characteristic shadowgraphs of the ablation of a black-painted metal surface, where the macroscopic material particles are clearly visible. They follow the shock wave and eventually overtake it. As a result, the shape of the shock wave, which normally expands concentrically into the half-space, has an altered form. The presented results reveal the phenomenon of the laser ablation of coated metal surfaces.     

飞秒激光在空气和水中对硅片烧蚀加工的实验研究

采用1 kHz,800 nm,50 fs—24 ps的钛宝石激光脉冲对单晶硅样品在空气和水溶液环境中的烧蚀加工特性进行了研究.实验观察到了超短脉冲激光在空气氛围中烧蚀形成的双层环状结构,分析揭示了加工区域中心和边缘的烧蚀物理机制分别为热熔化和库仑爆炸,并测量了双层环状结构半径随入射激光能量、脉冲数及持续时间等的变化关系,结果表明获取较大深-宽比的加工效果需选择小能量脉冲激光的多次作用.在水溶液环境中,实验发现飞秒激光在样品表面诱导产生了亚微米量级的多孔状结构,而皮秒激光则更容易实现对硅表面的非热性去除.这是由于激光诱导的光机械应力和空泡效应随脉冲宽度变大而增强所致,在实验上确立了区分这两种不同加工状态的临界脉冲宽度. 关键词： 飞秒激光 硅片 激光加工     

Elimination of cracking during UV laser ablation of SrTiO3 single crystals by employing a femtosecond laser

We have performed a comparative study of UV laser ablation of SrTiO₃ with nanosecond- and sub-picosecond sources, respectively. The experiments were performed with lasers at a wavelength of 248 nm and pulse durations of 34 ns and 500 fs. Femtosecond ablation turns out to be more efficient by one order of magnitude and eliminated the known problem of cracking of SrTiO₃ during laser machining with longer pulses. In addition, the cavities ablated with femtosecond pulses display a smoother surface with no indication of melting and well-defined, sharp edges. These effects can be explained by the reduced thermal shock effect on the material by using ultrashort pulses.     

Study of femtosecond ablation on aluminum film with 3D two-temperature model and experimental verifications

In this paper, a 3D two-temperature model is introduced to investigate femtosecond ablation on aluminum film. 3D temperature evolutions for both electrons and lattice are obtained, which present us a vivid view of the energy transformation process during femtosecond ablation. Simulated 3D ablation craters irradiated by a single pulse with different energy are acquired, from which we can easily and precisely predict crater depth and radius before ablation takes place. In the experiment we measure the radii of the craters ablated by pulses with different energy and numbers delivered from a chirped pulse amplification Ti: sapphire system. The threshold fluence for both single and multi pulses are obtained. Comparisons are made between results of the experiment and relative simulated calculations show the reliability of our proposed calculation model.     

飞秒激光烧蚀固体靶的冲击压强

在明确飞秒激光与物质相互作用过程中冲击压强和冲击温度概念的基础上, 讨论了飞秒激光烧蚀铝、铜、硅三种固体靶过程中的冲击压强与其他物理量的关系, 利用飞秒激光烧蚀固体靶的时间分辨泵浦探测阴影图提取了冲击压强的绝对值. 此项研究结果对飞秒激光安全加工含能材料以及飞秒激光推进技术有重要意义. 关键词： 飞秒激光 含能材料 冲击压强 冲击温度     

Laser-assisted nanostructuring of Silicon in liquid environment

Formation of surface nanostructures on a Silicon target immersed into liquids is experimentally studied under its ablation by femtosecond laser pulses. Nanotexturing of Silicon upon its exposure to delayed femtosecond pulses and double exposure method is investigated. Two different types of morphological features are observed, namely periodic ripples and nanostructures. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows that the density of nanostructures as well as their morphology depends on such parameters as fluence and the delay time between pulses and reaches its maximum at delay of 1 ps. Two-dimensional homogenous array of nanostructures is formed by laser ablation in liquids using double-exposure method. Possible applications of generated nanostructures are discussed.     

Ablation of metals by ultrashort laser pulses: Theoretical modeling and computer simulations

Laser ablation of metals by femto- and picosecond pulses is analytically and numerically studied within the framework of the plasma model for the ablated material. Ablation is initiated by high-power thermal and hydrodynamic waves which propagate into the irradiated material. Analytical expressions for the thermal ablation and for the ablation by the shock wave are obtained. Numerical simulations with the computer code RAPID are in good agreement with analytical results. Translated from Preprint No. 64 of the P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (1996).     

Field-free molecular orientation induced by combined femtosecond single- and dual-color laser pulses：The role of delay time and quantum interference

The coherent control of field-free molecular orientation of CO with combined femtosecond single- and dual-color laser pulses has been theoretically studied. The effect of the delay time between the femtosecond single- and dual-color laser pulses is discussed, and the physical mechanism of the enhancement of molecular orientation with pre-alignment of the molecule is investigated. It is found that the basic mechanism is based on the creation of a rotational wave packet by the femtosecond single-color laser pulse. Furthermore, we investigate the interference between multiple rotational excitation pathways following pre-alignment with femtosecond single-color laser pulse. It is shown that such interference can lead to an enhancement of the orientation of CO molecule by a factor of 1.6.     

Femtosecond laser micromachining and biological therapy

Nonlinear micromachining with femtosecond laser pulses has attracted much attention in microphotonics and biophotonics. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of optical elements in bulk transparent materials, direct welding between transparent substrates, and subcellular ablation in living cells by focusing femtosecond laser pulses.     

Shock-wave generation upon axicon focusing of femtosecond laser radiation in transparent dielectrics

It is shown experimentally that the axicon focusing of intense femtosecond laser pulses in transparent dielectrics leads to efficient excitation of shock waves. A method is developed for measuring the dynamics of shock waves, which uses a frequency-chirped probe pulse and has high spatial (～1 μm) and time (～10 ps) resolutions. The initial stage of the evolution of an intense (up to 10 GPa) shock wave is studied by this method.