Ablation and ultrafast dynamics of zinc selenide under femtosecond laser irradiation

The study on femtosecond laser-material interaction,especially the topics of laser ablation theorem and ul-trafast dynamics in the process[1-9], has been a veryrich subject in the last few decades. The spotlightsare confined to metal[4,5,9], transparent material[7], IVsemiconductors[2], and III-V compounds[3,6,8], ratherthan the II-VI compounds[10]. ZnSe is an importantluminescent II-VI semiconductor material, with a bandgap of 2.7 eV. Its transmission range is 0.5—22 μm, andit is cons…     

VUV 157 nm laser ablation of composite structures

We report on the laser ablation of composite prismatic structures using a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) 157 nm F₂ laser. Polycarbonate and CR-39 substrates have been intentionally seeded with silver wires and silicon carbide whiskers respectively. The seed particles remain attached to the underlying substrate after laser ablation, forming composite silver-polycarbonate and silicon carbide-CR-39 interfaces. Strong optical absorption at 157 nm in the polymeric substrates allows precise control over the depth between the base of the substrate and composite interface. The surface roughness of the as-received seed particles has a significant effect on the final surface quality of the ablated structures. The textured surface on the silicon carbide whiskers is resolved on the walls of the ablated structures. This is in contrast to the composite structures formed using silver wires, which have a comparatively smoother surface.     

Crystal growth of phosphor perovskite titanate thin films under excimer laser irradiation

Ca_0.997Pr_0.002TiO₃ (CPTO) thin films that show strong red luminescence were successfully prepared by means of an excimer laser assisted metal organic deposition (ELAMOD) process with a KrF laser at a fluence of 100 mJ/cm², a pulse duration of 26 ns, and a repetition rate of 20 Hz at 100°C in air. The CPTO films grew on the silica, borosilicate, and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glasses. The crystallinity of the CPTO films depended on the substrates; the films were well grown on the borosilicate and ITO glasses compared to the silica glass. To elucidate the key factors for the crystallization of the CPTO films in this process, we carried out numerical simulations for the temperature variation at the laser irradiation, using a heat diffusion equation, and compared the experimental data with thermal simulations. According to the results, we have shown that a large optical absorbance of the film and a small thermal conductivity of the substrate provide effective annealing time and temperature for the crystallization of the CPTO films, and polycrystalline intermediate layer which has a large optical absorption such as the ITO also plays a key role for the nucleation of the CPTO crystals in the ELAMOD process.     

Observation of the luminescence of singlet oxygen at λ = 1270 nm under LED irradiation of CCl4

The efficiency of singlet-oxygen generation under optical pumping of oxygen dissolved in CCl₄ has been analyzed using light-emitting diode arrays at three wavelengths (465, 525, and 625 nm), with direct recording of singlet-oxygen luminescence from the volume of irradiated solvent. The results obtained are compared with the efficiency of singlet-oxygen generation using C₆₀ dissolved in CCl₄ as a photosensitizer; it is shown that the efficiencies of singlet-oxygen generation differ by four orders of magnitude (on average) for only the radiation at the input of the solvent volume under study. The quantum yield of singlet oxygen upon direct optical excitation is about unity with respect to the optical-pump radiation absorbed in the solvent volume.     

Absolute frequency measurements of wavelength standards 532 nm, 543 nm, 633 nm and 1540 nm

This paper describes the results of absolute frequency measurements of primary wavelength standards 633 nm, 543 nm, 532 nm, (iodine stabilized) and 1540 nm (acetylene stabilized) in CMI. The values obtained with Menlo Systems femtosecond frequency comb in CMI are compared with previous measurements of the same standards in BIPM, BEV and MPQ. Measured sub-Doppler linewidths and relative intensities of several hyperfine spectral components of iodine molecule are also presented.     

Ablation efficiency of α-Al2O3 in liquid phase and ambient air by nanosecond laser irradiation

Ablation efficiency and influences of laser parameters on a material removal rate by a nanosecond laser irradiation of α-Al₂O₃ are studied in gas and liquid phases. The laser ablation in the air yields maximum material removal rate of 12 ng/pulse using a 4.6-mJ pulse energy at 4-kHz repetition rate, compared to 88 ng/pulse in the water flow. Using a specific interpulse distance and a laser repetition rate further increase material removal rate by factor of 3 and 65, respectively, owing to an optimized lattice temperature and laser pulse interactions with the generated cavitation bubble. For the ablation in the air, these parameters do not significantly affect the ablation efficiency.     

Ultrashort-pulse laser irradiation of metal films: the effect of a double-peak laser pulse

The optical properties of blue-violet InGaN light-emitting diodes under normal and reversed polarizations are numerically studied. The best light-emitting performance under normal and reversed polarization is obtained in a single quantum-well structure and double quantum-well structure, respectively. The key factors responsible for these phenomena are presumably the carrier concentration distribution and the amount of carriers in quantum wells. The turn-on voltage of light-emitting diodes under reversed polarization is lower than that of light-emitting diodes under normal polarization, due mainly to lower potential heights for electrons and holes in the active region.     

Ablation and surface modifications of PMMA using a laser-plasma EUV source

Surface modification and micro-structuring of polymers for different application is mainly performed using ultraviolet (UV) radiation from excimer lamps or excimer lasers. In this case, however, the radiation penetration depth may exceed 100 μm, thereby degrading the polymer deep inside. On the other hand, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is absorbed in a layer approximately 100 nm thick only. In this work, the radiation from a laser-plasma EUV source based on a double-stream gas-puff target is focused with a gold-coated ellipsoidal collector for surface modification of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The spectrum of the focused radiation consists of a narrow feature with maximum at 10 nm and a long-wavelength tail up to 70 nm. The PMMA samples are mounted in the focal plane of the EUV collector or at some distance downstream this plane and irradiated for 10–60 s with 10-Hz repetition rate. The irradiated polymer samples were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. When the EUV fluence exceeds 10 mJ/cm², smooth ablation of PMMA was obtained. For lower fluences but close to this value, strong surface modifications appeared.     

Production of microstructures in wide-band-gap and organic materials using pulsed laser ablation at 157 nm wavelength

New results on three-dimensional microstructuring of fused silica, sapphire, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride, and PTFE using pulsed laser ablation at 157 nm wavelength are presented. A largely automated high-precision fluorine laser micromachining station was used for the investigations.     

157nm氟化物光学薄膜制备

为了研制低损耗、高性能的157nm薄膜,研究了常用的六种宽带隙氟化物薄膜材料.制备和研究了六种氟化物单层膜,并以不同高低折射率材料对,设计制备了157nm高反膜和增透膜;讨论和比较了不同氟化物材料对所组成的高反膜和增透膜的反射率、透射率、光学损耗等特性.结果表明,采用NdF3/AlF3材料对设计制备的157nm高反膜的透过率为1.7%,反射率接近93%,散射损耗为2.46%,已经与吸收损耗相当;以AlF3/LaF3材料对设计制备的157nm增透膜的剩余反射率低于0.17%.     

157 nm氟化物光学薄膜制备

为了研制低损耗、高性能的157 nm薄膜,研究了常用的六种宽带隙氟化物薄膜材料.制备和研究了六种氟化物单层膜,并以不同高低折射率材料对,设计制备了157 nm高反膜和增透膜|讨论和比较了不同氟化物材料对所组成的高反膜和增透膜的反射率、透射率、光学损耗等特性.结果表明,采用NdF3/AlF3 材料对设计制备的157 nm高反膜的透过率为1.7%,反射率接近93%,散射损耗为2.46%,已经与吸收损耗相当|以AlF3/LaF3材料对设计制备的157 nm增透膜的剩余反射率低于0.17%.     

Laser induced incandescence determination of the ratio of the soot absorption functions at 532 nm and 1064 nm in the nucleation zone of a low pressure premixed sooting flame

In this work, the two-excitation wavelength laser induced incandescence (LII) method has been applied in a low-pressure premixed methane/oxygen/nitrogen flame (equivalence ratio 2.32) to determine the variation of the ratio of the soot absorption functions at 532 nm and 1064 nm E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm) along the flame. This method relies on the comparison of LII signals measured upon two different excitation wavelengths (here 532 nm and 1064 nm) and with laser fluences selected in such a way that the soot particles are equally laser-heated. The comparison of the laser fluences at 532 nm and 1064 nm leads to an easy determination of E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm). The reliability of the method is demonstrated for the first time in a low pressure flame in which the soot nucleation zone can be spatially resolved and which contains soot particles acting differently with the laser fluence according to their residence time in the flame. The method is then applied to determine the profile of E(m,532 nm)/E(m,1064 nm) along the flame. A very important decrease of this ratio is observed in the region of nascent soot, while the ratio remains constant at high distance above the burner. Implication on temperature determination from spectrally resolved measurement of flame emission is studied.     

Laser operation at high repetition rate of 100 kHz in Nd:GdVO4 under 879 nm diode-laser pumping

Highly efficient continuous-wave and acousto-optically Q-switched laser emission in Nd:GdVO₄ crystal, end-pumped at 879 nm into the laser emitting level, are reported. A maximum cw output power of 13.3 W is obtained, corresponding to the slope efficiency of 74.6% in absorbed power; an average output power of 12.1 W, a pulse width of 20.3 ns and a peak power of about 6 kW are reached at 100 kHz in A-O Q-switched operation. PACS  42.55.-f; 42.55.Xi; 42.60.Gd     

Nanometric size control and treatment of historic paper manuscript and prints with laser light at 157 nm

Laser cleaning of historic paper infected by foxing is far more effective at 157 nm than in other laser wavelengths because at 157 nm localized photo-dissociation of organic matter is taking place at low laser energy. In addition spatial control over exposed areas with resolution better than 100 nm is possible at this wavelength. In order to optimize the methods of laser cleaning of historic paper, foxing ablation experiments at 157 nm indicate that infected paper areas can be removed with controllable spatial resolution in the nanometer scale. In addition foxing samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. It was found that biological activity was present on paper areas containing traces of iron. PACS  87.50.Hj; 42.62.-b; 87.15.Mi     

Interference effects in 157 nm laser ablated cones in polycarbonate and application to spatial coherence measurement

Conical structures formed in 157 nm laser-ablated polycarbonate exhibit a well-defined fringe structure with a period of a few 100 nm surrounding the cone base. Experiments and modelling studies of the interference produced by these micro-conical mirrors are shown to provide a means of measuring the spatial coherence of the highly multi-mode 157 nm laser.     

Investigation of Cr-atom clustering in Fe‒Cr model alloys under irradiation

Irradiation-induced microstructure in Fe?Cr model alloys, 0.5 MeV-He ion-irradiated at room temperature, was investigated by atom probe tomography (APT). The APT results showed the formation of Cr-atom clustering depending on the ion-penetration depth. Although the Cr-atom clustering was observed in the irradiation damaged zone, this effect was not dominant in the less-damaged zone. In addition, we performed computer simulations using the Metropolis–Monte Carlo (MMC) method for investigating the tendency to form Cr-atom clustering in binary Fe?Cr alloys. The simulation results revealed the formation of Cr-atom clustering. The degree of Cr-atom clustering for the APT analysis and the MMC simulation was verified by plotting the Cr?Cr radiation distribution function. It was found that the number of Cr atoms, located in the first and second nearest-neighboring sites, increased significantly. Both results support the formation of Cr-clustering, which is believed to be a source of radiation hardening. The application of two techniques, APT and the MMC simulation, provided complementary information on the radiation-induced microstructure.     

On the direct formation of HO2 radicals after 248 nm irradiation of benzene C6H6 in the presence of O2

We present in this work the direct observation of HO₂ radicals after irradiation of benzene C₆H₆ at 248 nm in the presence of O₂. HO₂ radicals have been unambiguously identified using the very selective and sensitive detection of continuous wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (cw-CRDS) coupled to a laser photolysis reactor. HO₂ radicals were detected in the first vibrational overtone of the OH stretch at 6638.20 cm^-1, using a DFB diode laser. This reaction might be important because 248 nm photolysis of H₂O₂ has often been used in the past for studying the OH^•-initiated degradation of C₆H₆, often using a large excess of C₆H₆ over H₂O₂. The possible importance of the title reaction with respect to these former laboratory studies has been quantified through comparison with HO₂ ^• signals obtained from 248 nm photolysis of H₂O₂: one obtains under our conditions (excess O₂ and total pressure of 6.6 kPa helium) from the 248 nm irradiation of identical initial concentrations [C₆H₆]=[H₂O₂] the following relative initial radical concentrations: [HO₂ ^•]=(0.28±0.05)×[OH^•]. Experiments with various O₂ concentrations have revealed that the origin of the HO₂ radicals is not the reaction of H-atoms with O₂, but must originate from the reaction of O₂ with excited C₆H₆ ^*. The quantum yield of C₆H₆ ^* formation has been deduced to ϕ=0.2±0.1. PACS  42.62.Fi; 82.20.Pm; 82.33.Tb