Intensity distribution of a capillary-discharge 46.9 nm soft X-ray laser

We realize a Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm soft X-ray laser pumped by a capillary discharge. The study of the laserpulse-intensity distribution is important for applications of soft X-ray lasers. The intensity distribution demonstrates the gain distribution, plasma radius, and axial plasma density that contribute to the study of the laser-pulse formation. To measure the intensity in different positions of the X-ray laser spot, we moved transversally an X-ray diode (XRD) assembled with a slit. We obtain the onedimensional intensity distribution. We find a laser divergence (FWHM) of 4.0 mrad. According to the gain-guided model, we calculate the intensity distribution. The measured divergence of 4.0 mrad roughly corresponds to a plasma radius a approximately equal to 230–250 μm and on-axis electron density n _e ≈ 8.0?10¹⁸ ?9.0?10¹⁸ cm ^?3. The results of calculations indicate that the divergence of the intensity distribution increases when the plasma radius decreases and the on-axis electron density increases.     

Spallative ablation of dielectrics by X-ray laser

A short laser pulse in wide range of wavelengths, from infrared to X-ray, disturbs electron–ion equilibrium and increases pressure in a heated layer. The case where the pulse duration τ _L is shorter than acoustic relaxation time t _s is considered in the paper. It is shown that this short pulse may cause thermomechanical phenomena such as spallative ablation regardless of wavelength. While the physics of electron–ion relaxation strongly depends on wavelength and various electron spectra of substances: there are spectra with an energy gap in semiconductors and dielectrics opposed to gapless continuous spectra in metals. The paper describes entire sequence of thermomechanical processes from expansion, nucleation, foaming, and nanostructuring to spallation with particular attention to spallation by X-ray pulse.     

Characterization of the 46.9-nm soft X-ray laser beam from a capillary discharge

Intense lasing had been obtained from argon plasma in the soft X-ray region from a capillary discharge plasma system. Different diagnostics have been used to characterize the lasing properties by recording the temporal, spatial, and spectral profiles of the emission. The divergence measurement indicates that the soft X-ray laser beam has good directionality with a divergence of 3.5 mrad. The spectrum of the laser beam measured using a transmission grating showed intense lasing line at 46.9 nm. Diffraction orders as high as 10th orders were observed. The temporal profile recorded with a vacuum diode showed a distinct laser peak with a pulse width ~1.2 ns (FWHM). In addition, the coherence of the X-ray laser beam was also confirmed from the high-contrast interference fringes (visibility ~85 %) recorded using double slits.     

Damage/ablation morphology of laser conditioned sapphire under 1064 nm laser irradiation

The damage/ablation morphologies and laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of three different sapphire samples: original, 1064 nm laser conditioned and 10.6 μm CO₂ laser polished substrates are investigated with ns pulses laser irradiation. The results indicate that the damage resistance capability cannot be enhanced by 1064 nm laser conditioning or CO₂ laser polishing. The damage/ablation morphology of 1064 nm-laser conditioned samples is same as that of the original sapphire. But it is different from the damage/ablation morphology of the CO₂ laser polished sapphire. The “gentle and strong” ablation phases are observed in this work and several phenomena are observed in the two ablation phases. Ripple is observed in the “gentle” ablation processes, while convex spots and raised rims are observed in the “strong” ablation processes. Meanwhile, stripe damage and pin-points are observed in the CO₂ laser conditioned sapphire after ns laser irradiation. The formation mechanisms of the phenomena are also discussed for the explanation of related damage/ablation morphology. The results may be helpful for the damage/ablation investigation of sapphire in high power laser systems.     

Enhancement of Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm laser output by mixing appropriate He ratio at low pressure

With pure Ar and gaseous mixtures of Ar-He, the laser spike of Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm pumped by capillary discharge is measured with XRD (X-ray diode) at low pressure. We observe the effects of the Ar pressure and the He ratio on the amplitude of laser pulse. Compared with the laser spike of pure Ar, a mixture of Ar and a small quantity of He enhances the laser output. The time of lasing onset and the duration of laser pulses are not affected by mixing He. In addition, a monochromator is used to measure the laser pulse at 46.9 nm. This is the first observation of laser output with a Ar-He mixture.     

Characterization of laser ablation plasmas by laser beam deflection

Laser probe beam and multiple-pass deflection techniques were used for real time and in situ monitoring of laser ablation plasma plumes in the mTorr pressure regime. Intensity and transit time of shock wave fronts were studied as functions of focal lens position, laser energy and pressure. The velocity of the shock wave was determined to be up to 30 km s⁻¹ for a pressure of 40 mTorr and to drop below 4 km s⁻¹ at 1 Torr. For transparent targets rear-side shock wave velocity was on to be slower than the corresponding front one. This method promises a reliable diagnostic tool for pulsed laser deposition processing allowing an increase in the quality of coating technologies.     

Focusing of a tabletop soft-x-ray laser beam and laser ablation

We focused the beam of a high-repetition-rate capillary-discharge tabletop laser operating at a wavelength of 46.9 nm, using a spherical Si/Sc multilayer mirror. The energy densities significantly exceeded the thresholds for the ablation of metals. Single-shot laser ablation patterns were used in combination with ray-tracing computations to characterize the focused beam. The radiation intensity within the 2-mum -diameter central region of the focal spot was estimated to be approximately 10(11)W/cm(2), with a corresponding energy density of ~100 J/cm(2).     

Ultra-fast laser absorption and ablation dynamics in wide-band-gap dielectrics

The highly nonlinear laser–matter interaction conditions produced by high-intensity amplified ultra-fast laser pulses have proven to be beneficial in the processing of normally transparent wide-band-gap dielectric materials. This article presents experimental studies of the ultra-fast laser absorption process in three wide-band-gap dielectrics: fused silica, calcium fluoride, and sapphire. Time-resolved measurements of the probe transmissivity and reflectivity show both the formation of dense free-electron plasma at the surface due to nonlinear absorption of the laser pulses and rapid structural damage on the order of a few picoseconds. Pump–probe data with intense pump and probe pulses was also correlated to atomic force microscopy measurements of the ablated volume. It was observed that the material removal peaked near zero delay between the pulses and decreased within a temporal separation of about 1 ps. PACS 52.38.Mf; 78.47.+p; 79.20.Ds     

1 064 nm与532 nm激光对电子束蒸发制备的HfO2/SiO2高反膜损伤比较

 研究了电子束蒸发制备的HfO₂/SiO₂高反膜在1 064 nm与532 nm激光辐照下的损伤行为。基频激光辐照时损伤形貌主要为节瘤缺陷喷溅留下的锥形坑,当能量密度较大时出现分层剥落;二倍频激光损伤主要是由电子缺陷引起的平底坑,辐照脉冲能量密度稍高时也会产生吸收性缺陷引起的锥形坑,但电子缺陷的损伤阈值更低;随着辐照脉冲能量密度的增大分层剥落逐渐成为主要的损伤形貌。分析认为,辐照激光波长的变化,引起吸收机制的变化从而导致了损伤阈值及损伤机制的差异。     

Damage in lithium niobate induced by a high-power proton-carbon beam

Surface damage in lithium niobate LiNbO₃ induced by a high-power proton-carbon beam was investigated. Typical damage patterns were observed. The effect of thin metal surface coating on the damage was considered.     

Ultra-short laser ablation of dielectrics: Theoretical analysis of threshold damage fluence and ablation depth

A coupled theoretical model based on Fokker–Planck equation for ultra-short laser ablation of dielectrics is proposed. Multiphoton ionization and avalanche ionization are considered as the sources during the generation of free electrons. The impact of the electron distribution in thermodynamic nonequilibrium on relaxation time is taken into account. The calculation formula of ablation depth is deduced based on the law of energy conservation. Numerical calculations are performed for the femtosecond laser ablation of fused silica at 526 and 1053 nm. It shows that the threshold damage fluences and ablation depths resulted from the coupled model are in good agreement with the experimental results; while the damage thresholds resulted from the approximate model significantly differ from the experimental results for lasers of long pulse width. It is concluded that the coupled model can better describe the micro-process of ultra-short laser ablation of dielectrics.     

Precision laser ablation of dielectrics in the 10-fs regime

Received: 4 January 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 1999     

Laser-ionization mass-spectrometric studies on laser ablation of a nitrogen-rich polymer at 532 nm and 1064 nm

Laser-ionization Time-Of-Flight (TOF) mass-spectrometric studies have been carried out on the 532 nm and 1064 nm laser ablation products from a nitrogen-rich polymer. The polymer used had an elemental composition of C_6.0N_8.9H_3.4 and consisted of C=N, C-N, and N-H chemical bonds. The TOF mass spectra observed were composed of various peaks (150 amu) depending on the ablation laser wavelength. The primary peaks were assigned to C⁺, CN⁺, CHnN⁺ ₂ (n=1–3) and C₂H₂N⁺ ₃ for 532 nm ablation, and C⁺, C⁺ ₃, HCN⁺, HCCN⁺, CH₂NH⁺, HNCN⁺, H₃NCN⁺, and C₄H₄N⁺ ₇ for 1064 nm ablation. The flight velocity distributions with peak velocities ranging from 8.6×10³ cm/s to 3.8×10⁴ cm/s were measured for these products. The distinct velocity distributions observed between small and large products indicate the presence of two origins in the fragment ejection process from the polymer for both 532 nm and 1064 nm ablation. Furthermore, we suggest an importance of the translational energy of the fragments for the product generation in the laser plume.     

单发大口径光束下介质膜损伤阈值测试

针对传统的激光诱导损伤阈值测试中存在的耗时问题,提出了一种利用单发次、大口径光束的介质膜损伤阈值的快速测定方法。该方法以图像处理为基础,通过坐标变换和栅格压缩,建立了样品辐照区域内损伤分布与光斑强度分布之间的精确对应关系。基于对大口径光斑辐照区域内损伤信息的快速提取和统计方法,通过单次激光辐照,获取了待测区域的损伤阈值。根据此方法搭建了单发大口径光束损伤阈值测试平台,并对HfO2/SiO2高反射膜损伤阈值进行了单发次测定的验证。     

单发大口径光束下介质膜损伤阈值测试

针对传统的激光诱导损伤阈值测试中存在的耗时问题,提出了一种利用单发次、大口径光束的介质膜损伤阈值的快速测定方法。该方法以图像处理为基础,通过坐标变换和栅格压缩,建立了样品辐照区域内损伤分布与光斑强度分布之间的精确对应关系。基于对大口径光斑辐照区域内损伤信息的快速提取和统计方法,通过单次激光辐照,获取了待测区域的损伤阈值。根据此方法搭建了单发大口径光束损伤阈值测试平台,并对HfO2/SiO2高反射膜损伤阈值进行了单发次测定的验证。     

Spatial patterns induced in a laser beam by thermal nonlinearities

Stable spatial laser patterns were observed in a high-finesse Fabry-Perot cavity containing up to 2 atm of CO(2) and O(2). The gases displayed the same sequence of patterns that obey a scaling law of the form P(beta)p(2), where P is the power stored in the cavity, p is the pressure of the gas, and beta is a material-dependent parameter.     

Coherent 420 nm laser beam generated by four-wave mixing in Rb vapor with a single continuous-wave laser

We demonstrate the generation of the coherent 420 nm laser via parametric four-wave mixing process in Rb vapor.A single 778 nm laser with circular polarization is directly injected into a high-density atomic vapor,which drives the atoms from the 5S1/2 state to the 5D5/2 state with monochromatic two-photon transition.The frequency up-conversion laser is generated by the parametric four-wave mixing process under the phase matching condition.This coherent laser is firstly certified by the knife-edge method and a narrow range grating spectrometer.Then the generated laser power is investigated in terms of the power and frequency of the incoming beam as well as the density of the atoms.Finally,a 420 nm coherent laser with power of 19μW and beam quality of Mx^2=1.32,My^2=1.37 is obtained with optimal experimental parameters.This novel laser shows potential prospects in the measurement of material properties,information storage,and underwater optical communication.     

多脉冲激光辐照下介质损伤理论研究

针对纳秒脉冲和飞秒脉冲不同的损伤机制,分别建立了两种多脉冲激光损伤模型。脉宽小于10 ps时,损伤是由于等离子体形成造成介质发生烧蚀所致,对此建立了基于电子密度演化方程的介质击穿模型;脉宽大于100 ps时,损伤是由于热沉积造成介质发生熔融所致,对此建立了基于傅里叶热传导方程的介质热损伤模型。通过计算两种模型下激光参数和材料参数对多脉冲损伤的影响,发现由于损伤机理不同,不同参数对单脉冲损伤阈值和多脉冲损伤阈值的影响趋势不完全一致,敏感程度也不同。通过计算得到了与实验结果一致的多脉冲损伤阈值与脉冲数间关系,使定量预估多脉冲损伤阈值和元件使用寿命成为可能。     

Role of the wall ablation in the operation of a 46.9 nmAr capillary discharge soft x‐ray laser

A capillary discharge pumped soft x‐ray laser operating at 46.9 nm on the 3p–3s transition of the Ne‐like Ar has been realized by pumping the active medium with a relatively slow current pulse (dI/dt ≈ 6 · 10¹¹ A/s). In order to study the role of the ablation in the production of the laser effect, the intensity of the amplified 46.9 nm line has been investigated using the same pumping current pulses in the plastic (polyacetal) and ceramic (Al₂O₃). We showed that the ablation of the capillary walls is unfavorable both for the compression and stability of the plasma and consequently for the soft x‐ray laser production. The amplification and lasing effects are observed only in the ceramic channel. The measurements of the line intensity at 46.9 nm showed the lasing with a gain‐length product of ≈ 9, a laser pulse energy of ≈ 5 μJ, a pulse duration of 1.3 ns and a beam divergence of ≈ 3.5 mrad. In addition, effect of the scaling of the time of lasing with the initial plasma diameter was demonstrated experimentally and compared with a one‐dimensional MHD model.     

Critical (burst) electron emission from dielectrics, induced by injection of a dense electron beam

A dense pulsed electron beam and nanosecond pulse length has been used to inject negative electric charge into various dielectric materials (single crystals, glasses, composites, plastics) for initiation of electron field emission from the dielectric into a vacuum. It has been shown that upon reaching a critical electric field in the bulk and at the dielectric surface there is intense critical electron emission. The local current density from the emission centers reaches a record value (for dielectrics) of the order of 10⁶ A/cm². The emission occurs in the form of a single gigantic pulse. The measured amplitude of the emission current averaged over the emitting surface is the same order of magnitude as the injected electron current: 10–1000 A. the emission current pulse lages behind the current pulse of the primary electron beam injected into the sample. The delay time is in the range 1–20 nsec and decreases with increasing current density of the injected beam. Direct experimental evidence is found for intense generation of carriers (band or quasifree electrons) in the near-surface layer of the dielectric in a strong electric field due to the Frenkel-Poole effect and collisional ionization of traps, usually various donor levels. This process greatly strengthens the field emission from the dielectric. It has been shown experimentally that the emission is nonuniform and is accompanied by “point bursts” at the surface of the dielectric and ionized plasma spikes in the vacuum interval. These spikes are the main reason that the transition of the field emission into “bursts” is critical, similar to the current which has been previously observed in metals and semiconductors. However there are a number of substantial differences. For example the critical field emission current density needed for the transition into “bursts” is three orders of magnitude less than for metals. If we provide sufficient electron current at the surface or from the bulk of the dielectric to the emission centers, then the critical emission is always accompanied by a vacuum discharge between the surface of the dielectric and a metallic collector. A detailed computer model of the processes in the dielectric during injection of a high-density electron beam has been developed which allows one to understand the complex physical pattern of the phenomenon. Tomsk Polytechnic University. Institute of High-Current Electronics, Siberian Section, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 45–67, November, 1997.