Studies on surface pitting during laser assisted removal of translucent ellipsoidal particulates from metallic substrates

We report on the manifestation of field enhanced surface absorption during laser assisted removal of translucent particulates of ellipsoidal geometry from a metallic substrate surface. The surface pitting caused due to this effect has been experimentally probed as a function of the ratio of minor to major axis of the ellipsoid and the behavioral trend has been theoretically interpreted by invoking the principle of geometrical optics. The study also includes the effect of fluence and wavelength of the incident coherent radiation on the surface pitting. Probing of the surface topography has helped gain insight into the formation of multiple pits by a single particulate following its removal post laser exposure.     

Acoustic substrate expansion in modelling dry laser cleaning of low absorbing substrates

Acoustic expressions have been derived for the thermal expansion of substrate surfaces due to irradiation by an exponential laser pulse. The result of acoustic effects on three substrates (silicon, glass and silica) with different absorptions has been calculated.It has been shown that for substrates having relatively low absorptions, like silica and glass, acoustic considerations substantially reduce thermal expansion of the substrate caused by irradiation by nanosecond laser pulses relative to a quasi-static expansion model. In particular, the expansion of the substrate occurs over a much longer time frame than when the quasi-static approximation holds. Consequently, acceleration of the substrate surface is greatly reduced and laser cleaning threshold fluences for particle removal are increased.The predictions of the model of Arnold et al. when developed for acoustic considerations give reasonable agreement with experimentally found threshold fluences for alumina particles on silica and glass substrates although it underestimates the ratio of the threshold cleaning fluences of silica and glass. This could be due to the model underestimating the contribution of surface expansion to the laser cleaning process. The influence of multiple reflections in the substrate and departure from one dimensionality in the heat conduction on the threshold fluence was found to be insignificant. Thermal contact between the particle and the substrate was also found to have little effect on laser cleaning threshold fluences. Another mechanism that may enhance surface expansion is the 3D focussing of radiation by the particles. PACS 42.62.Cf; 81.65.Cf; 42.55.Lt     

A high-sensitivity in situ optical diagnostic technique for laser cleaning of transparent substrates

A differential optical transmission technique has been used to monitor in situ the efficiency of laser cleaning for the removal of sub-micrometer-sized particles on substrates transparent at the monitoring wavelength. This technique has been applied to the removal of sub-micrometer polystyrene particles on polyimide substrates using laser pulses of 30 ps duration at 292 nm while probing the material transmission at 633 nm. The sensitivity achieved -1/10⁴ for the transmission changes induced upon single-pulse laser exposure – allows us to monitor the removal of just a few sub-micron-sized particles from the probed region inside the irradiated area. Received: 2 October 2002 / Accepted: 7 October 2002 / Published online: 29 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +33-3/87844082, E-mail: nchaoui@iut.univ-metz.fr RID="**" ID="**"Present address: Laboratoire de Chimie et Applications, Institut Universitaire de Technologie de Metz, Département Chimie, Rue Victor Demange, 57500 Saint-Avold, France     

Modelling laser cleaning of low-absorbing substrates: the effect of near-field focussing

A three-dimensional model for laser cleaning of spherical, transparent particles on low-absorbing substrates has been developed. It takes into account near-field focussing of the laser radiation by the particles. The intensity distribution under a particle was found using Mie theory together with the geometrical optics approximation. This permits the estimation of the beam width at the substrate surface and the focal distance of the radiation coming from the spherical particle. These parameters are used to find the distribution of intensity within the low-absorbing substrate from the formula for a focussed Gaussian beam. This is in contrast with most other models of laser cleaning, which assume that all absorption occurs at the surface of the substrate. The energy criterion was used to calculate the threshold fluence. The model predicts threshold fluences of the order of 10³ J/cm² for silica spheres having a diameter of the order of a micron on silica substrates, assuming adhesion by van der Waals force. As this is well above the damage threshold for silica, it effectively predicts that laser cleaning of silica spheres from silica will be impossible. For glass slides the threshold fluence is predicted to be a factor of 10^-4 times smaller than that for silica slides (about 0.1 J/cm²). This is due to the much higher absorption of glass compared to that of silica at 248 nm. PACS 42.62.Cf; 81.65.Cf     

Removal of doped poly(methylmetacrylate) from tungsten and titanium substrates by femto- and nanosecond laser cleaning

The influence of different laser pulse lengths on the removal of a polymer layer from metal substrates was investigated. As model systems, doped poly(methylmetacrylate) (PMMA) on titanium and tungsten substrates were selected.The ablation threshold and irradiation spot morphology of titanium and tungsten were compared for femtosecond (fs) and nanosecond (ns) laser irradiation and different pulse numbers. Nanosecond laser treatment resulted in a non-homogeneous surface morphology for both titanium and tungsten substrates. Femtosecond irradiation of tungsten revealed a homogeneous ablation spot with little changes in the surface morphology. For titanium, the formation of columnar structures within the irradiation spot was observed.Two different dopant concentrations were used for PMMA to achieve an equal linear absorption coefficient for the femto- and nanosecond laser wavelengths of 790 and 1064 nm. The best results were achieved for the removal of doped PMMA by femtosecond laser irradiation, where only a minimal modification of the metal surface was detected. In the case of nanosecond laser exposure, a pronounced change of the structure was observed, suggesting that damage-free cleaning of the selected metal may only be possible using femtosecond laser pulses. Different experimental parameters, such as laser fluence, pulse repetition rate and sample speed were also investigated to optimize the cleaning quality of doped PMMA from tungsten substrates with femtosecond laser pulses.     

Comparative evaluation of UV-vis-IR Nd:YAG laser cleaning of beeswax layers on granite substrates

The beeswax treatment applied in the sixties to prevent rain water from penetrating the outer stone surface of valuable granitic Galician monuments is contributing to the acceleration of the superficial degradation process of these monuments. At present, the northern sector of the renaissance frieze in the Cloister of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is one of the most representative examples.Conventional wax removal methods (water, chemical and mechanical cleaning) can possibly destruct important details of the relief. Therefore laser removal is considered as a good alternative.In this work, we report systematic investigations of the effect of laser cleaning at different Nd:YAG laser wavelengths (266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm) on representative samples of the real historical surfaces.Laser removal of beeswax on granite at neither of the four wavelengths of the Nd:YAG laser is not a layer by layer removal process. For each irradiance and wavelength there is a maximum thickness that can be completely removed by a single pulse. Above this thickness the waxy material is not removed, although it undergoes thermal modifications; since the fraction of radiation that reaches the granite substrate is not enough to trigger the ejection of material.Our results show that the wax-granite interface plays a fundamental role in granite cleaning, and when the wax is weakened by absorption of radiation at 266 nm, the removal process becomes more efficient.     

Infrared steam laser cleaning

Steam Laser Cleaning with a pulsed infrared laser source is investigated. The infrared light is tuned to the absorption maximum of water (λ=2.94 μm, 10 ns), whereas the substrates used are transparent (glass, silicon). Thus a thin liquid water layer condensed on top of the contaminated substrate is rapidly heated. The pressure generated during the subsequent phase explosion generates a cleaning force which exceeds the adhesion of the particles. We examine the cleaning threshold in single shot experiments for particles sized from 1 μm down to 300 nm.     

激光清洗实时监测技术研究

针对目前在研激光清洗的实时监测问题进行实验和分析。得出两个结论:激光清洗具有传统方法无法具有的优越性,可以节省大量人力物力成为新型清洗方法而受到重视,激光清洗在设备维修保养中显示了良好的应用前景。激光清洗过程中产生的声发射信号包含了清洗过程的大量信息,利用声发射检测系统可以对激光清洗过程实时监控。     

Characterization of laser cleaning of limestone

The precise and controlled cleaning of polluted limestone sculpture by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is described. Acoustic monitoring of the cleaning process is used to demonstrate the selective removal of black crusts from stone surfaces. Results are also presented which show that by applying a thin layer of water to the surface of the crust prior to irradiation, cleaning can be achieved at a lower energy than with normal laser cleaning. The probability of damage to the underlying stone is, therefore, reduced.     

Acoustic laser cleaning of silicon surfaces

We investigate the detachment of small particles from silicon surfaces by means of acoustic waves generated by laser-induced plasma formation at the back side of the sample. It is demonstrated that sufficiently high acoustic intensities can be reached to detach particles in the submicron regime. In order to study this “acoustic laser cleaning” in more detail, we have developed an interference technique which allows one to determine the elongation and acceleration of the surface with high temporal resolution, the basis for an analysis of the nanomechanical detachment process, which takes place on a temporal scale of nanoseconds. We find that the velocity of the detaching particles is significantly higher than the maximum velocity of the substrate surface. This indicates that not only inertial forces, but also elastic deformations of the particles, resulting from the acoustic pulse, play an important role for the cleaning process. PACS 81.65.Cf; 68.35.Np     

Plasma ignition thresholds in UV laser ablation plumes

Ultraviolet (UV) laser thresholds for plasma ignition on solid targets predicted from electron-neutral collisional heating are generally much higher than those observed experimentally. This inconsistency was reconciled by Rosen, et al. [2], who showed that excited-state photoionization played a key role in long-pulse UV laser breakdown. Here we develop a related model but with emphasis on pulses of ~10 ns duration. Experimental results are also reported for titanium, copper, silicon, and ferulic acid targets in vacuum, irradiated with combinations of the XeF, KrF, and ArF lasers for comparison with predictions.     

In-process monitoring techniques for laser cleaning

Diverse in-process monitoring techniques based on acoustic, chromatic and intelligent approaches have been developed for laser cleaning not only to achieve the sound-cleaned surface but also to control the process in an automatic manner. The cleaning of various materials such as copper, marble, paper have also been carried out by using Q-switched Nd:YAG radiation. The process was successfully monitored by detecting the acoustic emission induced by laser–surface interactions during laser cleaning. Novel surface monitoring was achieved by chromatic modulation technique. The monitoring of laser fluence based on neural network logic was carried out by means of the recognition of acoustic spectrum patterns. The prediction system of surface damage has been also developed using fuzzy rule base in the same way as a human expert. These techniques may provide unique information for characterising the process as well as a promise of successful applications for laser cleaning techniques in real practical fields.     

空气中激光清洗过程的等离子体光谱分析

在空气环境下,激光诱导等离子体光谱用于激光清洗状态的在线分析快速而准确。该文利用中阶梯光栅光谱仪探测脉冲激光器作用于干净及表面污染的铜币样品产生的等离子体光谱谱线,这些谱线中不但包含了清晰的铜原子发射谱线,还包含空气中氧气和氮气与激光作用产生分解效应的原子谱线。为了消除单次测量的不确定性,分析了多次测量的分布恒定的氧原子和氮原子谱线的统计规律,表明强度分布规律一致,且相对标准差基本相同,可以采用单次测量的光谱图变化表示清洗过程中状态。表面污染的铜币光谱图中包含多元素原子谱线和连续谱线,清洗干净铜币的光谱图连续谱线消失且只有铜元素谱线,观察谱线变化就可以表明样品是否被清洗干净。     

重频激光作用下碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料热损伤规律

 运用热化学分析、扫描电子显微技术等手段,分析了碳纤维增强环氧树脂基复合材料在ms量级重频激光辐照下的损伤形式,研究了峰值功率密度、辐照时间、重复频率和脉冲宽度等对复合材料烧蚀规律的影响。研究结果表明：在激光辐照过程中,复合材料树脂基体在300 ℃开始裂解;由于裂解气体的保护作用,碳纤维不发生氧化,而是在汽化点（3 300 ℃）汽化烧蚀;复合材料热烧蚀率随峰值功率密度和重复频率提高而增大,随辐照时间增加而减小,最终均趋于定值;增加脉冲宽度可以提高辐照区峰值温度,降低碳纤维损伤的功率密度阈值。     

Scanning the laser beam for ultrafast pulse laser cleaning of paint

Aligned arrays of N₂-encapsulated multilevel branched carbon nanotubes were synthesized using a simple one step CVD method by pyrolysis of ferrocene and acetonitrile. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and elemental mapping studies reveal that gaseous nitrogen was encapsulated in the carbon nanotubes. Batch-type pyrolysis of catalysts induced flow fluctuation of the reaction gases, resulting in the growth of branched junctions. Molecular nitrogen extruded rapidly along conical catalyst particles inducing N₂ encapsulation inside the branched nanotubes. PACS 07.78.+s; 61.46.+w; 81.07.De; 81.15.Gh     

重频激光作用下碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料热损伤规律

运用热化学分析、扫描电子显微技术等手段,分析了碳纤维增强环氧树脂基复合材料在ms量级重频激光辐照下的损伤形式,研究了峰值功率密度、辐照时间、重复频率和脉冲宽度等对复合材料烧蚀规律的影响。研究结果表明：在激光辐照过程中,复合材料树脂基体在300 ℃开始裂解;由于裂解气体的保护作用,碳纤维不发生氧化,而是在汽化点（3 300 ℃）汽化烧蚀;复合材料热烧蚀率随峰值功率密度和重复频率提高而增大,随辐照时间增加而减小,最终均趋于定值;增加脉冲宽度可以提高辐照区峰值温度,降低碳纤维损伤的功率密度阈值。     

Universal threshold for the steam laser cleaning of submicron spherical particles from silicon

The efficiency of the "steam laser cleaning" process is examined. For the investigation of the physics of particle removal from the particularly interesting surface of silicon we have deposited well-characterized spherical polymer and silica particles of different diameters ranging from several tens to hundreds of nanometers on commercial wafers. As a result of our systematic study we observe a sharp threshold of the steam cleaning process at 110 mJ/cm² (5=532 nm, FWHM=7 ns) which is independent of the size (for particles with diameters as small as 60 nm) and material of the particles. An efficiency above 90% after 20 cleaning steps is reached at a laser fluence of 170 mJ/cm². Experiments with irregularly shaped alumina particles exhibit the same threshold as for spherical particles.