Femtosecond laser micromachining of grooves in indium phosphide

Femtosecond laser micromachining of indium phosphide is investigated using 150 fs light pulses at a center wavelength of 800 nm. The ablation rate for micromachining of grooves is investigated as a function of pulse energy, feed rate, number of passes over the same groove, and the light polarization relative to the cutting direction. A logarithmic dependence of the groove depth on the laser fluence is observed with two regimes characterized by different ablation rates and different thresholds. The groove depth is found to be inversely proportional to the feed rate or equivalently linearly proportional to number of pulses delivered per unit area. With multiple passes over the same groove the depth increases linearly up to about 20 consecutive passes. Above 20 passes the ablation rate decreases until a depth limit is approached. The best results in terms of groove geometry and depth limit are obtained with the polarization of the beam perpendicular to the cutting direction. PACS 42.62.Cf; 79.20.Ds; 81.20.Wk     

Numerical model and experimental demonstration of high precision ablation of pulse CO_2 laser

To reveal the physical mechanism of laser ablation and establish the prediction model for figuring the surface of fused silica, a multi-physical transient numerical model coupled with heat transfer and fluid flow was developed under pulsed CO_2 laser irradiation. The model employed various heat transfer and hydrodynamic boundary and thermomechanical properties for assisting the understanding of the contributions of Marangoni convention,gravitational force, vaporization recoil pressure, and capillary force in the process of laser ablation and better prediction of laser processing. Simulation results indicated that the vaporization recoil pressure dominated the formation of the final ablation profile. The ablation depth increased exponentially with pulse duration and linearly with laser energy after homogenous evaporation. The model was validated by experimental data of pulse CO_2 laser ablation of fused silica. To further investigate laser beam figuring, local ablation by varying the overlap rate and laser energy was conducted, achieving down to 4 nm homogenous ablation depth.     

Vaporization and Plasma Shielding during High Power Nanosecond Laser Ablation of Silicon and Nickel

A thermal model to describe the high-power nanosecond pulsed laser ablation is presented. It involves the vaporization and the following plasma shielding effect on the whole ablation process. As an example of Si target, we obtainthe time evolution of the calculated surface temperature, ablation rate and ablation depth. It can be seen that plasma shielding plays a more important role in the ablation process with time. At the same time, the ablation depth with laser fluence based on different models is shown. Moreover, we simulate the pulsed laser irradiation Ni target. The evolution of the transmitted intensity and the variation of ablation depth per pulse with laser fluence are performed. Under the same experimental conditions, the numerical results calculated with our thermal model are more in agreement with the experimental data.     

Atmospheric pressure argon plasma-assisted enhancement of laser ablation of aluminum

In this paper, we present a hybrid laser-plasma ablation method for material processing applications. For this purpose, a coaxial configuration consisting of a low-temperature atmospheric pressure argon plasma beam and a Nd:YAG-laser at a wavelength of 355 nm was used. Both pure laser ablation and hybrid laser-plasma ablation experiments were performed on aluminum at different laser energies and numbers of laser pulses. In the case of hybrid ablation, both the depth and volume ablation rates were increased significantly in comparison to pure laser ablation. This effect is described by a linear interrelationship of both the ablation rate and the particularly applied laser energy and is thus due to energetic synergies. Such behavior can be explained by the de-excitation of argon plasma species and an accompanying energy deposition at the generated debris and the sample surface. The energetic effect was found to abate with increasing ablation depth. However, considerable improvements in terms of ablation rate are achieved in the near-surface depth range of approx. 500 microns.     

超快贝塞尔光束在硫化锌晶体表面制备纳米孔

硫化锌(ZnS)晶体是重要的宽光谱红外窗口材料,高深径比纳米孔的超快激光制造技术为中红外波导傅立叶变换光谱仪等光子器件的实现提供了重要的技术途径。本文采用中心波长为1030 nm、重复频率为100 kHz、脉冲宽度为223 fs~20 ps可调的Yb:KGW激光光源,用石英锥镜产生高斯-贝塞尔光束,并用4f系统构建了40倍缩束的超快激光直写系统。在能量为36~63μJ,脉宽为12.5~20 ps的情况下,在ZnS晶体上成功刻写了直径为80~320 nm的纳米孔结构。通过聚焦离子束(FIB)剥蚀和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)成像确定了纳米孔隙表面形貌、直径及深度信息。研究了激光脉冲能量、脉冲宽度对纳米孔隙的影响。结果表明,在20 ps脉冲宽度、48μJ脉冲能量的激光参数下,纳米孔隙的深度约为270μm。     

Effects of laser operating parameters on metals micromachining with ultrafast lasers

180 femtoseconds (1 kHz) and 10 picoseconds (1-50 kHz) ultrafast laser micro-structuring of the metals Ti alloy, Al and Cu have been studied for the purpose of industrial application. The effects of some key laser operating parameters were investigated. The evolution of surface morphology revealed that laser pulses overlap in a range around the spatial FWHM can help to achieve optimal residual surface roughness. While observed ablation rate (unit: μm³ per pulse) changed dramatically with repetition rate due to the combined effects of plasma absorption, residual thermal energy and phase transition, higher throughput can be achieved with higher repetition rate. This study also indicated that residual surface roughness is almost independent of repetition rate at 10 ps temporal pulse length. The ablation depth is approximately proportional to the number of overscan; however, machining accuracy deteriorates, especially for femtosecond laser processing and metals with low thermal conductivity and short electron-phonon coupling time.     

微激光冲击DZ17G合金的表面完整性影响研究

为了在不影响柱状晶组织的前提下改善DZ17G定向凝固合金的力学性能,采用微激光冲击强化方法进行表面处理,通过X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜和显微硬度计,测试分析微激光冲击对DZ17G定向凝固合金表面完整性的影响。试验结果表明:在水下无吸收保护层微激光冲击处理后,合金表面发生了烧蚀、熔融,1次冲击后形成光滑熔融区,但随着冲击次数增加而形成了大量微小烧蚀孔洞和难熔颗粒;表层组织仍由和两相组成,柱状晶内形成了高密度位错和位错缠结,但未发生晶粒细化;硬度在深度上呈梯度分布,冲击1次后硬化层深度仅为100 m,表面硬度值达到503 HV,提高了22.7%,而且硬度值和硬化层深度都随着冲击次数增加而增大。     

Glass processing using the fourth harmonic of nanosecond pulse Nd:YAG laser

Ablation processing of borosilicate glass was carried out using the fourth harmonic of the Q-switch Nd:YAG laser. The dependency of the ablation depth on irradiation pulse energy density and the dependency of the ablation depth on irradiation spot size were investigated. The average ablation depth increased with an increase in irradiation pulse energy density. When the irradiation pulse energy density was the same, the ablation depth of the focused beam with a large spot diameter was deeper than that of the focused beam with a small spot diameter. To shorten the processing time, an increase in the irradiation pulse energy density and use of a large spot size focused beam are effective. Using area scanning together with line scanning, a rectangular through hole (sub-mm size) without cracks or chips was formed in borosilicate glass of 140 μm in thickness. PACS 52.38.Mf; 42.70.Ce; 42.62.Cf     

Dynamics of ultrashort pulsed laser radiation induced non-thermal ablation of graphite

We report on the dependence of a laser radiation induced ablation process of graphite on the applied pulse duration of ultrashort pulsed laser radiation smaller than 4 ps. The emerging so-called non-thermal ablation process of graphite has been confirmed to be capable to physically separate ultrathin graphitic layers from the surface of pristine graphite bulk crystal. This allows the deposition of ablated graphitic flakes on a substrate in the vicinity of the target. The observed ablation threshold determined at different pulse durations shows a modulation, which we ascribe to lattice motions along the c axis that are theoretically predicted to induce the non-thermal ablation process. In a simple approach, the ablation threshold can be described as a function of the energy penetration depth and the absorption of the applied ultrashort pulsed laser radiation. Based on the analysis of the pulse duration dependence of those two determining factors and the assumption of an invariant ablation process, we are able to reproduce the pulse duration dependence of the ablation threshold. Furthermore, the observed pulse duration dependences confirm the assumption of a fast material specific response of graphite target subsequent to optical excitation within the first 2 ps.     

Thermal model for nanosecond laser sputtering at high fluences

The vaporization effect and the following plasma shielding generated by high-power nanosecond pulsed laser ablation are studied in detail based on the heat flux equation. As an example of Si target, we obtain the time evolution of the calculated surface temperature, ablation rate and ablation depth by solving the heat flow equations using a finite difference method. It can be seen that plasma shielding plays a more important role in the ablation process with time. At the same time, the variation of ablation depth per pulse with laser fluence is performed. Our numerical results are more agreed with the experiment datum than other simulated results. The result shows that the plasma shielding is very important.     

Deep drilling on a silicon plate with a femtosecond laser: experiment and model analysis

The ablation rate when drilling fine holes having large aspect ratios in silicon substrates with femtosecond laser pulses was estimated from mechanically ground cross sections of the ablated holes. The ablation rate shows a dramatic change at the depth at which the laser pulse reaches a certain fluence, which is nearly constant when the initial laser fluence was varied from 14.5 to 59.4 J/cm². The ablation rate, threshold fluence, in three fluence domains, and the transition fluences at which the ablation rate shows a dramatic change, were derived. However, when a pulse energy of 200 μJ was used a much greater ablation rate was obtained, suggesting that another fluence domain for larger ablation rates exists. The experimentally obtained hole depths as a function of shot numbers were reproduced by a theoretical model, which incorporates laser pulse attenuation in the holes that is the same as that in waveguides for some attenuation coefficient and ablation rates for three fluence domains. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.65.Re; 78.40.Fy; 78.47.+p; 81.20.Wk     

Pulse laser ablation at water–air interface

We studied a new pulse laser ablation phenomenon on a liquid surface layer, which is caused by the difference between the refractive indices of the two materials involved. The present study was motivated by our previous study, which showed that laser ablation can occur at the interface between a transparent material and a gas or liquid medium when the laser pulse is focused through the transparent material. In this case, the ablation threshold fluence is reduced remarkably. In the present study, experiments were conducted in water and air in order to confirm this phenomenon for a combination of two fluid media with different refractive indices. This phenomenon was observed in detail by pulse laser shadowgraphy. A high-resolution film was used to record the phenomenon with a Nd:YAG pulse laser with 10-ns duration as a light source. The laser ablation phenomenon on the liquid surface layer caused by a focused Nd:YAG laser pulse with 1064-nm wavelength was found to be followed by the splashing of the liquid surface, inducing a liquid jet with many ligaments. The liquid jet extension velocity was around 1000 m/s in a typical case. The liquid jet decelerated drastically due to rapid atomization at the tips of the ligaments. The liquid jet phenomenon was found to depend on the pulse laser parameters such as the laser fluence on the liquid surface, laser energy, and laser beam pattern. The threshold laser fluence for the generation of a liquid jet was 20 J/cm². By increasing the incident laser energy with a fixed laser fluence, the laser focused area increased, which eventually led to an increase in the size of the plasma column. The larger the laser energy, the larger the jet size and the longer the temporal behavior. The laser beam pattern was found to have significant effects on the liquid jet’s velocity, shape, and history.     

Optodynamic study of multiple pulses micro drilling

This paper describes an analysis of pulsed lasers micro-drilling of different metals. Study focuses to an optodynamic phenomenon which appears as thermal effects induced by laser light pulses and leads to dynamic process manifested as ultrasonic shock waves propagating into the sample material. The shock waves are detected by a non-contact optical method by using arm compensated Michelson. Monitoring of the main parameters of the micro drilling such as material ablation rate and efficiency was realized by analysis of the optodynamic signals. The process is characterized by decreasing ablation rate that leads to the finite hole depth. The experimental part of study comprehends a comparison between various metals. In order to describe decreasing ablation rate a theoretical model based on the energy balance is proposed. It considers the energy/heat transfer from the laser beam to the material and predicts a decreasing drilling rate with an increasing number of successive laser pulses. According to the proposed model, the finite depth of the hole appears as a consequence of the increasing surface area through which the energy of the laser beam is conducted away to the material around the processed area. Decreasing ablation rate and the finite hole depth predicted by model were in good agreement with the experimental results.     

飞秒双脉冲激光照射金属薄膜的热行为

通过双温方程对飞秒单脉冲与双脉冲照射金薄膜进行了计算模拟分析,得到了金靶的电子温度和晶格温度随着时间空间的变化。在同样激光能量密度下,单脉冲与双脉冲使得金膜温度的变化表明双脉冲使得更多的激光能量渗透到靶材内部,这些能量可以使得烧蚀深度更深,有利于提高激光烧蚀靶材的效率。计算结果显示随着激光能量密度的增加熔化面深度逐渐增加,单脉冲与双脉冲熔化面深度的变化明显不同。在激光能量密度高于损伤阈值附近,单脉冲的烧蚀深度大于双脉冲的烧蚀深度,随着激光能量密度增加,双脉冲的烧蚀深度将大于单脉冲的烧蚀深度。     

Plasma-mediated ablation of biofilm contamination

Ultra-short pulsed laser removal of thin biofilm contamination on different substrates has been conducted via the use of plasma-mediated ablation. The biofilms were formed using sheep whole blood. The ablation was generated using a 1.2 ps ultra-short pulsed laser with wavelength centered at 1552 nm. The blood contamination was transformed into plasma and collected with a vacuum system. The single line ablation features have been measured. The ablation thresholds of blood contamination and bare substrates were determined. It is found that the ablation threshold of the blood contamination is lower than those of the beneath substrates including the glass slide, PDMS, and human dermal tissues. The ablation effects of different laser parameters (pulse overlap rate and pulse energy) were studied and ablation efficiency was measured. Proper ablation parameters were found to efficiently remove contamination with maximum efficiency and without damage to the substrate surface for the current laser system. Complete removal of blood contaminant from the glass substrate surface and freeze-dried dermis tissue surface was demonstrated by the USP laser ablation with repeated area scanning. No obvious thermal damage was found in the decontaminated glass and tissue samples.     

Morphology studies of the metal surfaces with enhanced absorption fabricated using interferometric femtosecond ablation

Recently, the enhancing of bulk metals optical absorption with focused femtosecond pulses was demonstrated. This absorption enhancement is caused by different nano- and micro-structures which are formed during laser ablation with ultrashort pulses. In this paper we study the evolution of the surface structures using interferometric ablation and compare it to normal fs-ablation. Previously we have shown that interferometric femtosecond ablation is an efficient method to fabricate absorbing metal surfaces. In this study we ablated large areas of hole-array structures with different pulse numbers in polished stainless steel and copper samples. The evolution of surface morphology and the depth of the holes for these structured surfaces are presented. In addition, the reflectance of laser generated surface structures are measured at the wavelength range of 200–2300 nm using a standard spectrophotometer.     

In-situ Observation of Tissue Laser Ablation Using Optical Coherence Tomography

In laser ablation of biological tissue, tomography of the tissue surface is necessary for measurement of the crater shape and the crater depth. In this paper, we demonstrate in-situ observation of biological-tissue surface in laser ablation by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Depth of a crater of human tooth is measured by these OCT images, and then the ablation rate of 0.21 μm/pulse is determined.     

飞秒脉冲参量影响金属表面热特性的研究

采用有限差分法对约化后的双温方程进行数值模拟.研究了飞秒激光与金属铜相互作用时，脉冲形状对烧蚀结果的影响.结果表明：脉冲能量确定时，脉冲形状对烧蚀结果影响不大；多脉冲作用时，脉冲重复频率只有在一定范围内（随材料属性改变），脉冲间的热累积效应才存在；对传导性好的金属材料，热累积效应不明显.并实验证实了上述结果.     

Non-Thermal Laser Ablation Model for Micro-Surgical Applications

We have developed a non-thermal laser ablation model which may reduce thermal damage to neighboring structures. Based on this model, the three critical parameters for a well controlled non-thermal microsurgery are (1) the laser wavelength with its photon energy matching closely the bond dissociation energy, (2) the energy fluence must be above threshold to avoid thermal process due to non-radiative relaxation from the excited electronic states to vibrational, (3) ultra short laser pulses (few fs) to completely eliminate thermal and direct biomolecular reactions. In this model the UV laser photon dissociates the molecular bonds which leads to the splitting of longer polymer chains into small fragments. The excess energy if any may appear as kinetic energy in the polymer-fragments. The extreme rapidity of the bond breaking process reduces heat conduction. The model establishes a relationship between ablation depth per pulse, the absorption coefficient, the incident laser energy fluence, and the threshold energy fluence. The ablation depths per pulse were calculated for the polymers Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyimide for various commercially available UV lasers. It has been found that the minimum ablations depth occurs at 193 nm for both PMMA and polyimide. This assures a well defined incision with minimal thermal damage to the surrounding structures at this wavelength. There exists a definite threshold energy fluence for non-thermal ablation for any given biomolecule and below the threshold the non-radiative relaxation process may cause thermal ablation. New ultra fast lasers (few femtoseconds) (fs) will completely eliminate thermal diffusion as well as direct biomolecular reactions.     

Large area laser surface micro/nanopatterning by contact microsphere lens arrays

Laser surface micro/nanopatterning by particle lens arrays is a well-known technique. Enhanced optical fields can be achieved on a substrate when a laser beam passes through a self-assembled monolayer of silica microspheres placed on the substrate. This enhanced optical field is responsible for ablative material removal from the substrate resulting in a patterned surface. Because of the laser ablation, the microspheres are often ejected from the substrate during laser irradiation. This is a major issue impeding this technique to be used for large area texturing. We explored the possibility to retain the spheres on the substrate surface during laser irradiation. A picosecond laser system (wavelength of 515 nm, pulse duration 6.7 ps, repetition rate 400 kHz) was employed to write patterns through the lens array on a silicon substrate. In this experimental study, the pulse energy was found to be a key factor to realize surface patterning and retain the spheres during the process. When the laser pulse energy is set within the process window, the microspheres stay on the substrate during and after laser irradiation. Periodic patterns of nanoholes can be textured on the substrate surface. The spacing between the nanoholes is determined by the diameter of the microspheres. The depth of the nanoholes varies, depending on the number of laser pulses applied and pulse energy. Large area texturing can be made using overlapping pulses obtained through laser beam scanning.