A simplified predictive model for high-fluence ultra-short pulsed laser ablation of semiconductors and dielectrics

Ultra-short pulsed laser ablation is a very complicated process and a predictive model is very desirable for process design and optimization in practical applications. However, the molecular dynamics or hydrodynamic models, although they are powerful and necessary tools for the study of the fundamental physics, are time-consuming and difficult to apply for practical applications. In this paper, a predictive, simplified and easy to apply model has been developed for high-fluence ultra-short laser ablation of semiconductors and dielectrics. Unlike many other simplified models, this model does not involve any free adjustable variables. The model predictions agree well with experimental measurements for femtosecond laser ablation, while the model is not very applicable for pulse durations more than ∼10 ps.     

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.     

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.     

Ion implantation induced by Cu ablation at high laser fluence

High energy laser plasma-produced Cu ions have been implanted in silicon substrates placed at different distances and angles with respect to the normal to the surface of the ablated target. The implanted samples have been produced using the iodine high power Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS) using 438 nm wavelength irradiating in vacuum a Cu target. The high laser pulse energy (up to 230 J) and the short pulse duration (400 ps) produced a non-equilibrium plasma expanding mainly along the normal to the Cu target surface. Time-of-flight (TOF) technique was employed, through an electrostatic ion energy analyzer (IEA) placed along the target normal, in order to measure the ion energy, the ion charge state, the energy distribution and the charge state distribution. Ions had a Boltzmann energy distributions with an energy increasing with the charge state. At a laser fluence of the order of 6 × 10⁶ J/cm², the maximum ion energy was about 600 keV and the maximum charge state was about 27+.In order to investigate the implantation processes, Cu depth profiles have been performed with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) of 1.5 MeV helium ions, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with 3 keV electron beam and 1 keV Ar sputtering ions in combination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface analysis results indicate that Cu ions are implanted within the first surface layers and that the ion penetration ranges are in agreement with the ion energy measured with IEA analysis.     

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 of thin gold film

Laser micromachining on 1000 nm-thick gold film using femtosecond laser has been studied. The laser pulses that are used for this study are 400 nm in central wavelength, 150 fs in pulse duration, and the repetition rate is 1 kHz. Plano-concave lens with a focal length of 19 mm focuses the laser beam into a spot of 3 μm (1/e² diameter). The sample was translated at a linear speed of 400 μm/s during machining. Grooves were cut on gold thin film with laser pulses of various energies. The ablation depths were measured and plotted. There are two ablation regimes. In the first regime, the cutting is very shallow and the edges are free of molten material. While in the second regime, molten material appears and the cutting edges are contaminated. The results suggest that clean and precise microstructuring can be achieved with femtosecond pulsed laser by controlling the pulse energy in the first ablation regime.     

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.      

Picosecond and femtosecond pulsed laser ablation and deposition of quasicrystals

A Nd:glass laser with pulse duration of 250 fs and 1.3 ps has been used to evaporate a Al₆₅Cu₂₃Fe₁₂ quasicrystalline target. The gaseous phase obtained from the ablation process has been characterised by several techniques such as emission spectroscopy, quadrupole mass spectrometry and ICCD imaging, used to study the plume composition, energy and morphology. The results show that the ablation processes in the short-pulse regimes are very different to the nanosecond one. In particular the plume angular distribution shows a characteristic high cosine exponent and the composition is completely stoichiometric and independent from the laser fluence. Furthermore the mass spectra indicate the presence of clusters, both neutral and ionised and the emission from the target suggest a rapid thermalisation leading to the melting of the surface. To clarify the ablation process some films have been deposited, on oriented silicon, at different experimental conditions and analysed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray diffraction. The analyses show the presence of nanostructured films retaining the target stoichiometry but consisting of different crystalline and non crystalline phases. In particular the nanostructure supports the hypothesis of the melting of the target during the ablation and a mechanism of material ejection is proposed for both picosecond and femtosecond regimes.     

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     

脉冲激光烧蚀推进技术的航天应用进展

脉冲激光烧蚀推进技术具有比冲高和推力可精确控制的特点,既可用于发射有效载荷也可用于星载动力,甚至可用小行星表面物质作为推进剂使其偏转轨道,因此,在航天领域得到越来越多关注。围绕激光单级入轨发射、同步轨道和火星轨道运输;激光微推力器用于航天器姿轨控,以及激光与电组合推进;激光烧蚀操控cm级空间碎片的轨道,以及激光烧蚀操控较大尺寸碎片的姿态;激光烧蚀偏转小行星轨道等方面,对脉冲激光烧蚀推进技术在航天领域研究现状和进展,进行了系统全面地归纳和总结,并对激光平均功率、波长、脉宽和推进剂选材等关键问题,进行了详细分析。     

激光烧蚀金属Al诱导发光的动力学研究

利用时间分辨的光谱测量技术,测定了XeCl紫外激光在不同条件下烧蚀金属Al诱导产生光谱线及其强度随时间的分布.结果表明：等离子体辐射光谱线由原子光谱线、一价离子光谱线及连续辐射背景光组成.Al原子光谱线的辐射强度与持续时间为最大,一价离子光谱线次之,以连续辐射背景光为最小.对激光烧蚀金属诱导发光的机理进行了探讨.等离子体中连续辐射背景光来自高能电子的韧致辐射和电子与离子的复合,原子光谱线和一价离子光谱线主要来自等离子体中电子与离子的复合.用此机理定性地解释了所观察到的实验现象. 关键词： 激光烧蚀 时间分辨光谱 辐射机理 金属Al     

355 nm nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser profile measurement, metal thin film ablation and thermal simulation

Laser ablation of nickel, gold and copper thin film on glass substrates has been investigated using a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 355 nm in air with a Gaussian intensity profile. The exact beam profile was measured through mechanical scanning with a photodiode. A small beam defect was observed, which can affect the machining performance at higher pulse energies. The ablation thresholds of the films were calculated from the crater diameter values. The effect of the pulse repetition rate and the film thickness was also studied. At high pulse repetition rates heat accumulation was observed and the ablation threshold decreased with the film thickness. Both cases resulted in higher diameters.     

Ablation of subsurface tumors using an ultra-short pulse laser

This paper demonstrates the novel technique of ablating subsurface tumors with minimal thermal damage to surrounding healthy tissue using a focused laser beam from an ultra-short pulse diode laser source. Experiments were performed on anesthetized healthy mice as well as mice with mammary tumors in order to demonstrate the fundamental advantages of using a focused-beam, ultra-short pulse laser to ablate subcutaneous tissues. The technique was demonstrated through histological analysis of tissue samples after irradiation of anesthetized mice with or without mammary tumors. To demonstrate the efficacy of subsurface focusing, temperature was monitored at the subsurface tumor location and at the surface in an untranslated sample while irradiating with a focused ultra-short pulsed 1552 nm laser. Results show that temperature rise was dramatically greater at the focal depth than at the surface. Irradiation at the subsurface tumor location while translated over time across the tumor location resulted in precise ablation of the tumor. This work shows that a focused-beam ultra-short pulse 1552 nm laser results in precise ablation at the desired location with high efficacy and a minimal zone of collateral thermal and/or mechanical damage.     

脉冲激光烧蚀制备纳米Si晶粒成核气压阈值及动力学研究

采用脉冲激光烧蚀技术,在室温、低压Ar气条件下通过改变气体压强及靶与衬底间距,对纳米Si晶粒成核的气压阈值进行了研究.根据扫描电子显微镜图像、拉曼散射谱和X射线衍射谱对制备样品的表征结果,确定了在室温、激光能量密度为4 J/cm²、靶与衬底间距为3 cm条件下形成纳米Si晶粒的阈值气压为0.6 Pa.结合流体力学模型和成核分区模型,对纳米晶粒的成核动力学过程进行了分析.通过Monte Carlo数值模拟,表明在气相成核过程中,烧蚀Si原子的温度和过饱和密度共同影响着纳米晶粒的成核. 关键词： 脉冲激光烧蚀 成核 气压阈值 Monte Carlo数值模拟     

Picosecond pulsed laser ablation and micromachining of 4H-SiC wafers

Ultra-short pulsed laser ablation and micromachining of n-type, 4H-SiC wafer was performed using a 1552 nm wavelength, 2 ps pulse, 5 μJ pulse energy erbium-doped fiber laser with an objective of rapid etching of diaphragms for pressure sensors. Ablation rate, studied as a function of energy fluence, reached a maximum of 20 nm per pulse at 10 mJ/cm², which is much higher than that achievable by the femtosecond laser for the equivalent energy fluence. Ablation threshold was determined as 2 mJ/cm². Scanning electron microscope images supported the Coulomb explosion (CE) mechanism by revealing very fine particulates, smooth surfaces and absence of thermal effects including melt layer formation. It is hypothesized that defect-activated absorption and multiphoton absorption mechanisms gave rise to a charge density in the surface layers required for CE and enabled material expulsion in the form of nanoparticles. Trenches and holes micromachined by the picosecond laser exhibited clean and smooth edges and non-thermal ablation mode for pulse repetition rates less than 250 kHz. However carbonaceous material and recast layer were noted in the machined region when the pulse repetition rate was increased 500 kHz that could be attributed to the interaction between air plasma and micro/nanoparticles. A comparison with femtosecond pulsed lasers shows the promise that picosecond lasers are more efficient and cost effective tools for creating sensor diaphragms and via holes in 4H-SiC.     

High-pressure cell for studies of ultra-short laser impulses action on materials

A high-pressure cell has been developed for in situ studies of the behavior of materials under ultra-short impulses on a sub-picosecond timescale. This set-up allows performing experiments under controlled atmosphere between a primary vacuum up to 100 MPa. We present some primarily results on hBN.     

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     

基于双相延迟模型的飞秒激光烧蚀金属模型

为了分析飞秒激光烧蚀过程,在双相延迟模型的基础上建立了双曲型热传导模型.模型中考虑了靶材的加热、蒸发和相爆炸,还考虑了等离子体羽流的形成和膨胀及其与入射激光的相互作用,以及光学和热物性参数随温度的变化.研究结果表明:等离子体屏蔽对飞秒激光烧蚀过程有重要的影响,特别是在激光能量密度较高时;两个延迟时间的比值对飞秒激光烧蚀过程中靶材的温度特性和烧蚀深度有较大的影响;飞秒激光烧蚀机制主要以相爆炸为主.飞秒激光烧蚀的热影响区域较小,而且热影响区域的大小受激光能量密度的影响较小.计算结果与文献中实验结果的对比表明基于双相延迟模型的飞秒激光烧蚀模型能有效对飞秒激光烧蚀过程进行模拟.     

飞秒激光烧蚀铝靶产生喷射物的超快脉冲数字全息诊断

采用脉冲数字显微全息技术,对50 fs单脉冲激光烧蚀铝靶过程中的物质喷射以及等离子体演化的动态过程进行了实验研究,获得了高时空分辨的动态数字全息图.由全息图观察到了热弹力波引起的二次喷射现象,并且报道了大延迟下喷射物质对400 nm探测光所引起的干涉条纹的反常移动现象.通过对全息图进行数字再现,得到了不同延迟下探测光穿过等离子体后的二维相位分布,并运用逆Abel变换算法获得了等离子体折射率以及等效电子密度的时空演化动态过程.根据实验以及计算所得到的有关于喷射物的光学性质,对喷射物的结构和成分进行了分析. 关键词： 脉冲数字全息 飞秒激光烧蚀 超快时间分辨 等离子体     

Effect of the laser fluence on structural and optical characterization of thin CdS films synthesized by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition

CdS thin films have been grown on Si(1 1 1) and quartz substrates using femtosecond pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, photoluminescence measurement, and optical transmission spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure and optical properties of the deposited CdS thin films. The influence of the laser fluence (laser incident energy in the range 0.5–1.5 mJ/pulse) on the structural and optical characterizations of CdS thin films has been studied. The results indicate that the structure and optical properties of the CdS thin films can be improved as increasing the per pulse output energy of the femtosecond laser to 1.2 mJ. But when the per pulse output energy of the femtosecond laser is further increased to 1.5 mJ, which leads to the degradation of the structure and optical properties of the CdS thin films.