Surface damage morphology investigations of silicon under millisecond laser irradiation

The surface damage morphologies of single crystal silicon induced by 1064 nm millisecond Nd:YAG laser are investigated. After irradiation, the damage morphologies of silicon are inspected by optical microscope (OM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The plasma emission spectra of the damaged region are detected by the spectrometer. It is shown that surface oxidation and nitridation have occurred during the interaction of millisecond laser with silicon. In addition, the damage morphologies induced by 2 ms and 10 ns pulse width laser are compared. The damage morphology obtained by 2 ms laser is an evident crater. Three types of damage morphologies are formed at different laser energy densities. The circular concentric ripples are found surrounding the rim of the crater. The spacing of the ripples is 15 ± 5 μm. Two types of cracks are observed: linear crack and circular crack. The linear crack is observed in the center of the damaged region which propagates to the periphery of the damaged region. The circular crack is located at the rim of the crater. The damage morphology induced by 10 ns laser is surface layer damage. The periodic linear waves are generated due to the interference between the incident beam and the scattered beam. The spacing of the ripples is 1.54 μm which is close to the incident laser wavelength 1.064 μm. The linear crack is located at the center of the damaged region. Furthermore, for the same laser energy density, the dimension of the damaged region and the crater depth induced by 2 ms laser are greater than that of 10 ns laser. It indicates that the damage mechanism under millisecond pulse laser irradiation is strongly different from the case of nanosecond pulse laser.     

Effect of spot size on cone formation in a XeCl laser ablation of polyethersulfone films

Radiation from the UV excimer lasers, with the fluence above the ablation threshold, can etch the polymer surfaces by photoablation. In some cases different microstructures may appear on the surface during the laser ablation. In this paper the effect of the laser spot size on the cone formation on polyethersulfone films has been investigated. The experiments have been performed with a XeCl laser at the wavelength of 308 nm and at the fluences of 70 and 100 mJ/cm² at air. For the investigation of the effect of the laser spot size on cone formation, the samples were irradiated at two different laser spot sizes of w₁ and w₂ = 0.1 w₁. The morphology of the processed surface was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It has shown that the shape, size and density of cones change with the change of the laser spot size. Also, the number of pulses and the pulse repetition rate which are needed for threshold of cone formation are affected by the laser beam spot size on the surface.     

Periodic surface structures on crystalline silicon created by 532 nm picosecond Nd:YAG laser pulses

Creation of laser-induced morphology features, particularly laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS), by a 532 nm picosecond Nd:YAG laser on crystalline silicon is reported. The LIPSS, often termed ripples, were produced at average laser irradiation fluences of 0.7, 1.6, and 7.9 J cm⁻². Two types of ripples were registered: micro-ripples (at micrometer scale) in the form of straight parallel lines extending over the entire irradiated spot, and nano-ripples (at nanometer scale), apparently concentric, registered only at the rim of the spot, with the periodicity dependent on laser fluence. There are indications that the parallel ripples are a consequence of the partial periodicity contained in the diffraction modulated laser beam, and the nano-ripples are very likely frozen capillary waves. The damage threshold fluence was estimated at 0.6 J cm⁻².     

Surface morphologies of anthracene single crystals grown from vapor phase

The morphologies and lattice structures of anthracene single crystals grown from the vapor phase were investigated using optical microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction analysis. Common morphologies with hexagonal large planes were observed irrespective of crystal size. The observation of certain surface morphologies with a phase contrast microscopy revealed that the spiral steps originated from screw dislocations present on the (0 0 1) planes. Moreover, the center and edge of the (0 0 1) planes had large curvatures, similar to hills. Resultantly, quarter-monolayer (ML) steps were observed on the large and flat planes between both hills.     

Influence of oxygen post-treatment on laser-induced damage of antireflection coatings prepared by electron-beam evaporation and ion beam assisted deposition

Antireflection coatings at the center wavelength of 1053 nm were prepared on BK7 glasses by electron-beam evaporation deposition (EBD) and ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Parts of the two kinds of samples were post-treated with oxygen plasma at the environment temperature after deposition. Absorption at 1064 nm was characterized based on surface thermal lensing (STL) technique. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) was measured by a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 38 ps. Leica-DMRXE Microscope was applied to gain damage morphologies of samples. The results revealed that oxygen post-treatment could lower the absorption and increase the damage thresholds for both kinds of as-grown samples. However, the improving effects are not the same.     

An investigation of long pulsed laser induced damage in sapphire

The formation of keyhole and transverse section of a laser-cut kerf with slight stripe undulations by a 1064 nm ms pulse laser on (0 0 0 1) sapphire was investigated. The morphologies of keyhole and transverse section surfaces were evaluated by SEM, and the composition of transverse section of laser-cut kerf was evaluated by EDS, XRD and XPS. The time scale for onset of vaporization and the keyhole depth with different laser pulse energies were calculated. The result suggests that the depth of keyhole is approximately directly proportional to laser pulse energy. On sapphire transverse section surface, the element ratio of Al to O deviates from the stoichiometry of sapphire, perhaps due to the oxygen removal from surface.     

Preparation and characterization of C54 TiSi2 nanoislands on Si (1 1 1) by laser deposition of TiO2

We present the preparation of C54 TiSi₂ nanoislands on Si (1 1 1) with a method of the pulsed laser deposition of titanium oxide thin films. The TiO₂ thin films with nominal thicknesses of 1 nm on Si (1 1 1) were annealed at 850 °C for about 4 h in situ. The X-ray diffraction patterns and the X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate that the nanoislands are in C54 TiSi₂ phase. The characterization using a scanning tunneling microscope shows that the nanoislands with triangular, polygonal and rod-like shapes on Si (1 1 1) exhibit the Volmer-Weber growth mode. The sizes of the polygonal islands distribute in two separated ranges. For the small islands, they have a narrow lateral size distribution centered at 4 nm and a height range in 0.6-3.6 nm, while for the large islands, their lateral sizes are in the range of 12-40 nm and the heights in the range of 4-9 nm. The sizes of the well-shaped triangular islands are intermediate with the lateral sizes in range of 5-20 nm and the heights of 2-3.5 nm. The rod-like islands are about 50-200 nm in length, 5 nm in height and about 15-20 nm in width. The origination of the various shapes of the nanoislands is attributed to the symmetry of Si (1 1 1) substrate and the lattice mismatch between the C54 TiSi₂ and the Si (1 1 1) surface.     

Investigation of structural and optical properties of ZnO films co-doped with fluorine and indium

Undoped ZnO film and ZnO films, which are co-doped with F and In (FIZO) at different concentrations, were synthesized by sol–gel technique and the effects of co-doping of F and In on structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated. The concentration ratio of [F]/[Zn] was altered from 0.25 to 1.75 with 0.50 step at.% mole and [In]/[Zn] was altered from 0.25 to 1.00 with 0.25 step at.% mole. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the films have polycrystalline nature and the (0 0 2) preferred orientation is the stronger peak. No extra phases involving zinc, fluorine and indium compounds were observed even at high F and In content. The grain size of undoped ZnO and FIZO thin films varied between 15 and 20 nm with a small fluctuation. From the SEM images, although the undoped ZnO had a smooth and particle-shaped surface, FIZO films had nanofiber-networks shapes over the surface with average size of 500 nm. The surface morphologies and crystallite sizes for the F and In doped films were slightly different from than those of undoped film. From the optical study, a slight shrinkage of band gap was backwardly observed from 3.36 to 3.25 eV with the increasing of F and In content.     

Studies of craters’ dimension for long-pulse laser ablation of metal targets at various experimental conditions

Long pulse laser shots of the PALS iodine laser in Prague have been used to obtain metal target ablation at various experimental conditions. Attention is paid mainly to the dependencies of the crater diameter on the position of minimum laser-focus spot with regard to the target surface, by using different laser wavelengths and laser energies. Not only a single one, but two minima, independently of the wavelength, of the target irradiation angle and of the target material, were recorded. Significant asymmetries, ascribed to the non-linear effects of intense laser beam with pre-formed plasma, were found, too. Estimations of ejected mass per laser pulse are reported and used to calculate the efficiency of laser-driven loading. Results on metal target ablation and crater formation at high intensities (from 2 × 10¹³ to 3 × 10¹⁶ W/cm²) are presented and compared. Crater depth, crater diameter and etching yield are reported versus the laser energy, in order to evaluate the ablation threshold fluence.     

Formation of periodic structures by laser ablation of metals in liquids

Experimental results are presented on ablation of metals (W, Cu, brass and bronze) in a liquid environment (e.g., ethanol or water) by irradiation with either a pulsed copper vapor laser (0.51 μm) or a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1.06 μm). The target material is ejected into surrounding liquid in the form of nanoparticles. In a certain range of laser parameters (fluence and number of laser shots) the surface of the solid target is composed of micro-cones having a regular structure. The distance between neighboring micro-cones in the structure depends on the laser spot size. The structures allow the observation of up-conversion of the laser frequency due to generation of the second harmonics in the eye retina.     

Multipulse irradiation of silicon by femtosecond laser pulses: Variation of surface morphology

The multipulse interaction of ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulses with silicon and generation of surface structures in a large area spot (?1 mm²) has been studied. The evolution of multiscale structures at the constant fluence strongly depends on the number of pulses, N. For N < 200, the “carpet-like” pattern of nano-, and micro-spikes is generated by the bubble explosion in a thin surface foam layer. The accumulation of bubbles and their explosion due to repetition of laser pulses cause damped membrane-like oscillations of the silicon surface. For 200 ≤ N, bifurcation of surface morphology takes place: (i) the surface tension waves of the wavelength ∼200 μm appear in the peripheral region of the spot. Generated by the surface thermal gradient in the liquid foam layer, they spread from the hot centerline towards the periphery of the spot. The change of their wavelength with propagation distance indicates onset of the Eckhaus instability caused by the phase modulation in multipulse interaction. (ii) Deep caverns appear in a highly superheated silicon layer in the central region of the spot due to the fast gas-liquid phase separation and the fragmentation process.     

A study of Ni-based WC composite coatings by laser induction hybrid rapid cladding with elliptical spot

Ni-based WC composite coatings by laser induction hybrid rapid cladding (LIHRC) with elliptical spot were investigated. Results indicate that the efficiency using the elliptical spot of 6 mm × 4 mm (the major and minor axis of laser beam are 6 mm and 4 mm, respectively, the major axis is parallel to the direction of laser scanning) is higher than that using the elliptical spot of 4 mm × 6 mm (the major axis is perpendicular to the direction of laser scanning). The precipitated carbides with the blocky and bar-like shape indicate that WC particles suffer from the heat damage of “the disintegration pattern + the growth pattern”, whichever elliptical spot is used at low laser scanning speed. However, at high laser scanning speed, the blocky carbides are only formed if the elliptical spot of 6 mm × 4 mm is adopted, showing that WC particles present the heat damage of “the disintegration pattern”, whereas the fine carbides are precipitated when the elliptical spot of 4 mm × 6 mm is used, showing that WC particles take on the heat damage of “the radiation pattern”. Especially, the efficiency of LIHRC is increased much four times higher than that of the general laser cladding and crack-free ceramic-metal coatings can be obtained.     

Epitaxial growth of YSZ buffer layer for YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductor by reel-to-reel pulsed laser deposition

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) buffer layers were deposited on CeO₂ buffered biaxially textured Ni-W substrate by reel-to-reel pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for the application of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (YBCO) coated conductor and the influence of substrate temperature and laser energy on their crystallinity and microstructure were studied. YSZ thin films were prepared with substrate temperature ranging from 600 to 800 °C and laser energy ranging from 120 to 350 mJ. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate how thin film structure and surface morphology depend on these parameters. It was found that the YSZ films grown at substrate temperature below 600 °C or laser energy above 300 mJ showed amorphous phase, the (0 0 1) preferred orientation and the crystallinity of the YSZ films were improved with increasing the temperature, but the surface roughness increased simultaneously, the SEM images of YSZ films on CeO₂/NiW tapes showed surface morphologies without micro-cracks. Based on these results, we developed the epitaxial PLD-YSZ buffer layer process at the tape transfer speed of 3-4 m/h by the reel-to-reel system for 100 m class long YBCO tapes.     

Synthesis of ZnO nanowires by pulsed laser deposition in furnace

ZnO nanowires were fabricated on Au coated (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates by using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a ZnO target in furnace. ZnO nanowires have various sizes and shapes with a different substrate position inside a furnace. The length and the diameter of these ZnO nanowires were around 3-4 μm and 120-200 nm, respectively, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The diameter control of the nanowires was achieved by varying the position of substrates. The ultraviolet emission of nanowires from the near band-edge emission (NBE) was observed at room temperature. The formation mechanism and the effect of different position of substrates on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanowires are discussed.     

Breakdown limits of optical multimode fibers for the application of nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm and 1064 nm wavelength

For many applications, optical multimode fibers are used for the transmission of powerful laser radiation. High light throughput and damage resistance are desirable. Laser-induced breakdown at the end faces of fibers can limit their performance. Therefore, the determination of laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDT) at the surface of fibers is essential.Nanosecond (1064 nm and 532 nm wavelength) single-shot LIDT were measured according to the relevant standard on SiO₂ glass preforms (Suprasil F300) as basic materials of the corresponding fibers. For 10 kinds of fused silica fibers (FiberTech) with core diameters between 180 μm and 600 μm, an illumination approach utilizing a stepwise increase of the laser fluence on a single spot was used. For both wavelengths, the LIDT values (0% damage probability) obtained by means of the two methods were compared. The influence of surface preparation (polishing) on damage resistance was investigated. For equal surface finishing, a correlation between drawing speed of the fibers and their surface LIDT values was found. In addition to the surface measurements, bulk LIDT were determined for the preform material.     

Damage performance of TiO2/SiO2 thin film components induced by a long-pulsed laser

In order to study the long-pulsed laser induced damage performance of optical thin films, damage experiments of TiO₂/SiO₂ films irradiated by a laser with 1 ms pulse duration and 1064 nm wavelength are performed. In the experiments, the damage threshold of the thin films is measured. The damages are observed to occur in isolated spots, which enlighten the inducement of the defects and impurities originated in the films. The threshold goes down when the laser spot size decreases. But there exists a minimum threshold, which cannot be further reduced by decreasing the laser spot size. Optical microscopy reveals a cone-shaped cavity in the film substrate. Changes of the damaged sizes in film components with laser fluence are also investigated. The results show that the damage efficiency increases with the laser fluence before the shielding effects start to act.     

Surface morphologic and structural analysis of IR irradiated silver

The microstructural morphological changes in laser irradiated targets are investigated. Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, ∼12 ns nominal, 1.1 MW) is used to irradiate 4 N pure (99.99%) fine polished and annealed silver samples in ambient air and under vacuum ∼10⁻⁶ Torr. The laser spot size and power density at tight focus are 12 μm and 3×10¹¹ W/cm², respectively. SEM micrographs and X-ray diffractograms of the exposed and unexposed targets reveal the surface texture and structural changes, respectively. Amongst the ablation mechanisms involved, exfoliation and hydrodynamic sputtering are found to be dominant. Surface modifications appear in the form of craters and ripples formation. Heat is conducted non-uniformly through narrow channels at the surface. Thermal stresses induced by the laser do not disturb inter planar distance of the target. On the other hand irradiation causes significant variations in grain size and diffracted X-rays intensities.     

Influence of substrate temperature on properties of MgF2 coatings

Thermal boat evaporation was employed to prepare MgF₂ single-layer coatings upon both JGS1 and UBK7 substrates at different substrate temperatures. Microstructure, transmittance and residual stress of these coatings were measured by X-ray diffraction, spectrophotometer, and optical interferometer, respectively. Measurement of laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of the samples was performed at 355 nm, 8 ns pulses. The results showed that high substrate temperature was beneficial to crystallization of the film. Above 244 °C, the refractive index increased gradually with the substrate temperature rising. Whereas, it was exceptional at 210 °C that the refractive index was higher than those deposited at 244 and 277 °C. The tensile residual stresses were exhibited in all MgF₂ films, but not well correlated with the substrate temperature. In addition, the stresses were comparatively smaller upon JGS1 substrates. A tendency could be seen that the LIDTs reached the highest values at about 244 °C, and the films upon JGS1 had higher LIDTs than those upon UBK7 substrates at the same temperature. Meanwhile, the damage morphologies showed that the laser damage of the coating resulted from an absorbing center at the film-substrate interface. The features of the damages were displayed by an absorbing center dominated model. Furthermore, the reason of the difference in LIDT values was discussed in detail.     

Picosecond acoustics in vegetal cells: Non-invasive in vitro measurements at a sub-cell scale

A 100 fs laser pulse passes through a single transparent cell and is absorbed at the surface of a metallic substrate. Picosecond acoustic waves are generated and propagate through the cell in contact with the metal. Interaction of the high frequency acoustic pulse with a probe laser light gives rise to Brillouin oscillations. The measurements are thus made with lasers for both the opto-acoustic generation and the acousto-optic detection, and acoustic frequencies as high as 11 GHz can be detected, as reported in this paper. The technique offers perspectives for single cell imaging. The in-plane resolution is limited by the pump and probe spot sizes, i.e. ∼1 μm, and the in-depth resolution is provided by the acoustic frequencies, typically in the GHz range. The effect of the technique on cell safety is discussed. Experiments achieved in vegetal cells illustrate the reproducibility and sensitivity of the measurements. The acoustic responses of cell organelles are significantly different. The results support the potentialities of the hypersonic non-invasive technique in the fields of bio-engineering and medicine.     

Accumulation morphology on the surface of stainless steel irradiated by a nanosecond Nd:YAG pulsed laser

In this study, results in the irradiation of stainless steel AISI 304 in air with nanosecond laser pulses at laser irradiation power density 4×10⁷ W/cm² are reported. Laser processing parameters, such as wavelengths 532 and 1064 nm, pulse duration 20 ns and repetition rate 10 Hz were used. It is shown that the surface morphology of the stainless steel is related to the number of pulses applied to the same spot. The following surface morphological changes were observed: (i) occurrence of the micro-grains microstructures at wavelengths 532 and 1064 nm after 10 000 pulses irradiation and (ii) occurrence of vermiform-like microstructures at wavelength 1064 nm after 1000 pulses irradiation. Generally, it is concluded that irradiation due to several consecutive pulses caused significant damage and enhanced the stainless steel surface roughness.