Ag nanoparticles obtained by pulsed laser ablation in water: surface properties and SERS activity

We studied the surface properties and reactivity of silver nanoparticles obtained by picosecond or nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in water and with 1064‐nm wavelength. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy results and subsequent modelling by Mie theory indicated the presence of an oxide layer on the nanoparticle surface, which favours the colloidal stability, but reduces the interaction with the environment. The oxide layer is also responsible for the reduced surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of these colloids with respect to those obtained by chemical reduction. However, SERS activation can be efficiently obtained by addition of chloride ions to the colloids, leading to SERS enhancement factors that are comparable with those of the chemically prepared counterparts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒成核区位置的确定

为了确定纳米Si晶粒气相成核的位置，采用XeCl准分子激光器，在10Pa氩气环境下，烧蚀高阻抗单晶Si靶，在距离等离子羽正下方2.0cm处、与其轴线平行放置一系列单晶Si或玻璃衬底，沉积制备了纳米Si薄膜. X射线衍射、Raman散射、扫描电子显微镜和原子力显微镜结果均显示，纳米Si晶粒只在距靶约0.5—2.8cm平行距离范围内的样品上形成，在此范围内，随着离靶平行距离的增大，所形成的纳米Si晶粒的平均尺寸逐渐减小，并且晶粒尺寸的分布也发生变化. 根据成核区起始和终止的突变特征，结合晶粒形成后的平抛运动规律，对晶粒气相成核的位置进行了估算. 关键词： 纳米Si晶粒 脉冲激光烧蚀 成核区     

Ar环境气压对脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒平均尺寸的影响

采用XeCl脉冲准分子激光器，烧蚀高阻抗单晶Si靶，在1—500 Pa的Ar气环境下沉积制备了纳米Si薄膜. x射线衍射谱测量证实，纳米Si晶粒已经形成.利用扫描电子显微镜观测了所形成纳米Si薄膜的表面形貌，结果表明，随着环境气压的增加，所形成的纳米Si晶粒的平均尺寸增大，气压为100 Pa时达到最大值20 nm，而后开始减小. 从晶粒形成动力学角度，对实验结果进行了定性分析. 关键词： 纳米Si晶粒 脉冲激光烧蚀 表面形貌     

外加气流对脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒尺寸分布的影响

提出一种控制脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒尺寸分布的新方法。在10 Pa的Ar环境中,采用脉冲激光烧蚀高阻抗单晶硅靶沉积制备了纳米Si晶薄膜。在羽辉正上方2.0 cm,距靶0.3～3.0 cm范围内的不同位置引入氩气流,在烧蚀点正下方2.0 cm处水平放置单晶Si（111）衬底来收集制备的纳米Si晶粒。利用扫描电子显微镜观察样品表面形貌,并对衬底不同位置上纳米Si晶粒进行统计。结果表明：在不引入气流时,晶粒的尺寸随靶衬间距的增加先增大后减小,晶粒尺寸峰值出现在距靶1.7 cm处;引入气流后,晶粒尺寸分布发生变化,在距靶1.7 cm引入气流时晶粒尺寸峰值最大,在距靶3.0 cm引入气流时晶粒尺寸峰值最小,且出现晶粒尺寸峰值的位置随着引入气流位置的增加而增大。     

Design and experimental characterisation of a DC-excited CW/repetitively pulsed sealed off CO2 laser

This paper reports the design procedure and experimental study of a sealed off CO₂ laser. Simple algorithms for threshold and steady state excitation voltage calculation, resonator design and its temperature dependent operation are presented. The sealed off CO₂ laser was operated both in CW and pulsed modes and found stable both thermodynamically and optically. Frequency limits for pulsed operation regarding maximum and minimum output energy ranges are determined. Different aspects of CO₂ laser studied include threshold excitation voltages, temperature dependent efficiency, optical power saturation limitations, pulsed and steady state discharge currents for optimum gases mixture combinations. The laser has successfully been constructed, operated and tested for different applications within the limits of its maximum output power of 14 W.     

Effects of some synthesis parameters on the structure of titania nanoparticles obtained by laser pyrolysis

The preparation of TiO₂ nanoparticles by CO₂ laser pyrolysis of TiCl₄ (vapor)-based gas mixtures was investigated as a function of laser power and influence of the oxidizer. Increased crystallinity and crystallite dimensions as well as increase of the rutile fraction are observed at moderate flow increase in the flow rate of the oxidizing agent.     

Nonlinear dynamics of the dual-wavelength CO2 laser

Theoretical studies have been made of the nonlinear-dynamic modes of operation of a dual-wavelength CO₂ laser with continuous pumping by electric discharge and loss modulation in one of the lasing channels. It is shown that by varying the modulation depth and frequency, it is possible to control, over a fairly wide range, the time and energy parameters of lasing in both channels, going from regular to chaotic modes of operation. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 316–321, May–June, 2000.     

Uniform thin films of TiO2 nanoparticles deposited by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation

We report morphological and optical properties of a colloidal TiO₂ nanoparticle film, deposited on a quartz substrate by using the Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. Atomic Force Microscopy demonstrated that a good uniformity of the deposition can be obtained. The presence of agglomerates with dimensions of about 1 μm in size was noticed. Form UV-vis transmission spectra, recorded in the 200-800 nm range, the optical constants and the energy gap were determined besides the film thickness. The optical constants resulted in agreement with the values reported in literature for TiO₂ nanoparticle thin films.     

Kinetic modelling of electrooptically Q-switched CO2 laser

In this paper, a six-temperature model for CO₂ lasers is used to describe the process of the dynamic emission in the electrooptically Q-switched laser. The dissociation of CO₂ molecules, the electron excitation and the energy-transfer of vibrational levels and the rotational relaxation of rotational levels are involved. The calculated pulse waveforms are in good agreement with the experiment.     

电场中不同能量密度激光烧蚀制备纳米硅晶粒分布特性

在室温和10 Pa氩气环境中,引入平行于靶面方向的直流电场,通过改变脉冲激光能量密度烧蚀单晶硅靶,在与羽辉轴线呈不同角度的衬底上沉积纳米硅晶薄膜。利用扫描电子显微镜和拉曼散射谱对沉积样品进行分析,结果表明：随着激光能量密度的增加,位于相同角度衬底上的晶粒尺寸和面密度逐渐变大;在同一激光能量密度下,零度角处衬底上的晶粒尺寸和面密度最大,且靠近接地极板处的值比与之对称角度处略大。通过朗缪尔探针对不同能量密度下烧蚀羽辉中硅离子密度变化的诊断、结合成核区内晶粒成核生长动力学过程,对晶粒分布特性进行了分析。     

Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation with spatial filtering

With the rise in demand for miniaturized features with better acute edge acuity and negligible thermal damage zone, one of the key vital areas lies in the refinement of the quality of the laser beam itself. Spatial filter is routinely used in optical micromachining systems to smoothen the Gaussian profile of the machining spot in order to obtain a feature of the desired quality. However, its profile smoothening effect has never been investigated for femtosecond pulsed laser micromachining process since the extremely high peak power of femtosecond pulses will cause damage on the filtering aperture of spatial filter. During the development of an acousto-optical micromachining system using femtosecond pulses, we found that if the damage of the filtering aperture can be circumvented, spatial filter can improve the machining quality of femtosecond pulse ablation, especially when ablation is conducted at low-fluency range (just above the ablation threshold fluency). In this paper, we investigate and demonstrate both the improvement and potential that beam refinement can bring about. In our experiment, a series of test patterns were ablated with a 400 nm second-harmonic Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser of 150 fs duration at varying pulse energy ranging from 31 to 39 nJ. The specimen used in the experiment is a platinum- (Pt) sputtered coating of 100 nm thickness on a quartz substrate. The results show a significant improvement in the constancy of the shape as well as the size of ablated feature, revealing an improved beam profile and beam energy distribution due to spatial filtering.     

Amplitude-detuning characteristic of a CO2 laser with biharmonic loss modulation

The nonlinear response of a CO₂ laser to biharmonic loss modulation was theoretically investigated for tuning of the radiation frequency within the limits of the amplification band. It is shown that the value and form of the amplitude-detuning characteristic (and, consequently, the temporal and energy parameters of the laser radiation) can be controlled within sufficiently wide limits by changing the modulation frequency and the phase shift of oscillations. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 43–47, January–February, 1999.     

液相激光烧蚀合成ZnO及Zn/ZnO纳米颗粒及其光致发光性能

利用532 nm脉冲激光对沉浸在去离子水及十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)水溶液中的金属锌靶进行液相激光烧蚀,合成了ZnO纳米颗粒和Zn/ZnO核壳结构的纳米粒子. 应用X射线衍射仪,透射电子显微镜,紫外可见光分光光度计和荧光光度计表征产物的微观结构和光学性能,并探讨其形成机理. 结果表明:在去离子水中分别烧蚀2 h和4 h生成的ZnO纳米粒子的平均粒径分别为43 nm和19 nm. 激光的长时间作用可以使纳米粒子粒径减小. 在0.005 mol/L的SDS水溶液中合成了Zn/ZnO核壳结构的纳米粒子,这是由于S 关键词： 脉冲激光烧蚀 ZnO纳米粒子 核壳结构 光致发光     

外加气流对脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒尺寸分布的影响

提出一种控制脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒尺寸分布的新方法。在10Pa的Ar环境中,采用脉冲激光烧蚀高阻抗单晶硅靶沉积制备了纳米Si晶薄膜。在羽辉正上方2.0cm,距靶0.3～3.0cm范围内的不同位置引入氩气流,在烧蚀点正下方2.0cm处水平放置单晶Si(111)衬底来收集制备的纳米Si晶粒。利用扫描电子显微镜观察样品表面形貌,并对衬底不同位置上纳米Si晶粒进行统计。结果表明:在不引入气流时,晶粒的尺寸随靶衬间距的增加先增大后减小,晶粒尺寸峰值出现在距靶1.7cm处;引入气流后,晶粒尺寸分布发生变化,在距靶1.7cm引入气流时晶粒尺寸峰值最大,在距靶3.0cm引入气流时晶粒尺寸峰值最小,且出现晶粒尺寸峰值的位置随着引入气流位置的增加而增大。     

A simple model for high fluence ultra-short pulsed laser metal ablation

The ultra-short laser metal ablation is a very complex process, the complete simulation of which requires applications of complicated hydrodynamics or molecular dynamics models, which, however, are often time-consuming and difficult to apply. For many practical applications, where the laser ablation depth is the main concern, a simplified model that is easy to apply but at the same time can also provide reasonably accurate predictions of ablation depth is very desirable. Such a model has been developed and presented in this paper, which has been found to be applicable for laser pulse duration up to 10 ps based on comparisons of model predictions with experimental measurements.     

Carrier storage in Ge nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser deposition

In this work, we report on the electrical characterization of Ge nanoparticles (NPs) produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature (RT) in Ar gas inert atmosphere using a shadowed off‐axis deposition geometry. Our results show that functional thin films of crystalline Ge NPs embedded between thin alumina films can be obtained on p‐type Si(100) substrates following a low temperature and short rapid thermal annealing (RTA) treatment. Metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures with and without Ge NPs embedded in the alumina were prepared for the electrical measurements. The results indicate a strong memory effect at relatively low programming voltages (±4 V) due to the presence of Ge NPs. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Remote detection of sulfur dioxide by means of a CO2 laser

The possibility of remote detection of SO₂ in the 9-μm region of the spectrum by means of a TEA CO₂ laser was theoretically and experimentally investigated with regard to the real state of the atmosphere and the contribution of background concentrations of H₂O, CO₂ and NH₃ to absorption. For sounding along short paths (2L=2 km), the method of detection of small concentrations of SO₂ (at the MPC level) with the use of the lines of the CO₂-molecule regular transitions (00^o1–02^o0 band) has been devised and experimentally tested. It is shown that in sounding along longer paths (2L=6 km), a noticeable increase in sensitivity can be achieved by the generation lines of the CO₂-molecule sequential 00^o2–02^o1 band. B. I. Stepanov Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70, F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 508–515, July–August, 1998.     

Metal absorptivity in femtosecond pulsed laser ablation

In this paper, the effect of the absorptivity of metal on femtosecond pulsed laser ablation is investigated. The formulas for the absorptivity depending on target temperature are derived from Maxwell Equations and the Lambert-Beer’s law. Based on this, a new two-temperature model is proposed to describe the femtosecond pulsed laser ablation with metal. Then, using Au as an example, a finite difference method is employed to simulate the space-dependent and time-dependent absorptivity and the target temperature. The temperature evolution of our model is compared with the result obtained form the heat conduction model taking the absorptivity as constant. It is shown that the absorptivity plays an important role in the femtosecond pulsed laser ablation. The results of this paper are helpful in choosing the best technical parameters in femtosecond pulsed laser ablation.      

A 0.2kW single-line-single-mode stable CO2 laser

Summary The performance of a high-power CO₂ laser for optical pumping is presented. Different operation conditions have been tested: internal and external optics, different reflectors and irides, different gas flow rates and gas circuits. High power, stability and tunability are the main system characteristics. The delivered power in the optimized conditions is 100 W on the 9P(36) line and 200 W on the strongest lines, with a power stability of 99% and a frequency stability within a couple of MHz in some hours. To speed up publication, the authors of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Metal thin film ablation with femtosecond pulsed laser

Micromachining thin metal films coated on glass are widely used to repair semiconductor masks and to fabricate optoelectrical and MEMS devices. The interaction of lasers and materials must be understood in order to achieve efficient micromachining. This work investigates the morphology of thin metal films after machining with femtosecond laser ablation using about 1 μm diameter laser beam. The effect of the film thickness on the results is analyzed by comparing experimental images with data obtained using a two-temperature heat transfer model. The experiment was conducted using a high numerical aperture objective lens and a temporal pulse width of 220 fs on 200- and 500-nm-thick chromium films. The resulting surface morphology after machining was due to the thermal incubation effect, low thermal diffusivity of the glass substrate, and thermodynamic flow of the metal induced by volumetric evaporation. A Fraunhofer diffraction pattern was found in the 500-nm-thick film, and a ripple parallel to the direction of the laser light was observed after a few multiple laser shots. These results are useful for applications requiring micro- or nano-sized machining.