Pulse laser acoustics for the characterization of inhomogeneities at interfaces of microstructures

Interfaces between neighbouring materials are often subjected to diffusion processes which cause layers having gradually varying mechanical properties--like densities, Young's moduli or shear moduli--perpendicular to the surface or interface. In this investigation particular interest is drawn on the question how the propagation characteristics of bulk acoustic waves are affected by diffusion layers. The reflection and transmission behavior of bulk acoustic waves encountering a continuum having a spatially dependent sound velocity is discussed based on numerical simulations as well as on experimental verifications. The simulated results are part of an on-going project in which material properties of MEMS devices are investigated by short pulse laser acoustic methods. Mechanical waves are excited and detected thermoelastically using laser pulses of 70 fs duration. For metals this leads to wavelengths of 10-20 nm and the corresponding frequencies amount to 0.3-0.6 THz. In contrast to previous work done in this field in which diffusion effects are generally considered as undesirable phenomena, the deliberate realization of microstructures having well defined gradually varying material properties in one or more dimensions represents a goal of this investigation. For metallic thin film multilayers thermally induced diffusion processes have shown to be an easy and reliable technique for the realization of layered structures having continuously varying mechanical properties within several 10 nm. Among the experimental methods suitable for the in-depth profiling of submicron metallic thin films providing resolutions of several nanometers, are short pulse laser acoustic methods, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). Short pulse laser acoustic methods and RBS have the advantage to be nondestructive. The short pulse laser acoustic method is described in detail and RBS measurements are presented for verification purposes. Finally potential engineering applications like micro-machined spectrum analyzers, acoustic isolation layers, and band pass filters, operating at very high frequencies are presented.     

Numerical analysis of bulk conical waves in anisotropic cylinders; application to stiffness tensor measurement

A point source-point receiver technique, based on laser generation and laser detection of acoustic waves, allows determination of mechanical properties of an anisotropic cylinder. The nature of the material and the geometry of the sample give a dispersive behaviour to the diffracted waves and make the acoustic signature difficult to interpret. To overpass the intricacies, wave fronts (conical waves in the volume and helical waves on the surface) are synthesized from signals provided by scanning the primitive line of the cylinder with a laser point source. In order to distinguish between direct bulk conical waves and other contributions in the acoustic response, some considerations on line surface waves and on reflected bulk conical waves are supplied. The identification of the stiffness tensor components, based on the inversion of the bulk waves phase velocities, is applied to signals simulated for a composite material.     

Probing of laser-induced crack modulation by laser-monitored surface waves and surface skimming bulk waves

All-optical monitoring of the nonlinear motion of a surface-breaking crack is reported. Crack closing is induced by quasi-continuous laser heating, while Rayleigh surface acoustic pulses and bulk longitudinal surface skimming acoustic pulses are also generated and detected by lasers. By exploiting the strong dependence of the acoustic pulses reflection and transmission efficiency on the state-open or closed-of the contacts between the crack faces, the parametric modulation of ultrasonic pulses is achieved. It is observed that bulk acoustic waves skimming along the surface can be more sensitive to crack motion than Rayleigh surface waves.     

Generation of flexural waves in plates by laser-initiated airborne shock waves

Results of the semi-analytical modelling of the interaction of laser-initiated airborne shock waves with an infinite horizontally positioned elastic plate are presented. The impact of the airborne shock waves on the plate is approximated by a cylindrically diverging surface force resulting from the pressure of the incident and reflected shock waves. This force is then represented in the wavenumber-frequency domain by means of Hankel and Fourier transforms that are carried out numerically so that the interaction problem can be solved using the Green’s function method. The resulting frequency spectra and time histories of generated flexural wave pulses are calculated for different values of laser pulse energy and for different heights of the laser beam focusing above the plate surface. The theoretical results obtained are compared with the results of laboratory measurements of the interaction of laser-generated acoustic shocks with a large plastic plate. The comparison shows reasonably good agreement between the semi-analytical predictions and data.     

Bending and acoustic waves in a water-filled box studied by pulsed TV holography and LDV

Pulsed TV holography and laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) are non-destructive and non-contacting methods useful in the testing of mechanical properties in a wall separating two media. This paper presents comparative studies of transient, propagating bending waves in an impact-loaded thin aluminium wall of a box, and acoustic waves generated in the water inside the box using the two mentioned methods. Besides being evaluated and compared, the results were used to investigate qualities of the methods for the specific applications. The measured wave propagations obtained from the two methods are consistent regarding both amplitude and phase. Further, transient pressure fields in the water have been computed from the pulsed TV holography measurements. Since none of the two methods are capable of providing both temporal and spatial information simultaneously, they complement each other.     

Optical heterodyne detection of laser-induced gratings

A novel optical arrangement for heterodyne detection of laser-induced gratings based on the use of a phase mask for both excitation and probe beams provides phase stability and control without the need for an active stabilization scheme. The arrangement greatly simplifies the laser-induced grating experiment. The performance of the technique in both transmission and reflection geometries is illustrated through measurements of bulk and surface acoustic waves generated by picosecond laser pulses.     

Bulk-wave and guided-wave photoacoustic evaluation of the mechanical properties of aluminum/silicon nitride double-layer thin films

The development of devices made of micro- and nano-structured thin film materials has resulted in the need for advanced measurement techniques to characterize their mechanical properties. Photoacoustic techniques, which use pulsed laser irradiation to nondestructively induce very high frequency ultrasound in a test object via rapid thermal expansion, are suitable for nondestructive and non-contact evaluation of thin films. In this paper, we compare two photoacoustic techniques to characterize the mechanical parameters of edge-supported aluminum and silicon nitride double-layer thin films. The elastic properties and residual stresses in such films affect their mechanical performance. In a first set of experiments, a femtosecond transient pump–probe technique is used to investigate the Young’s moduli of the aluminum and silicon nitride layers by launching ultra-high frequency bulk acoustic waves in the films. The measured transient signals are compared with simulated transient thermoelastic signals in multi-layer structures, and the elastic moduli are determined. Independent pump–probe tests on silicon substrate-supported region and unsupported region are in good agreement. In a second set of experiments, dispersion curves of the A₀ mode of the Lamb waves that propagate along the unsupported films are measured using a broadband photoacoustic guided-wave method. The residual stresses and flexural rigidities for the same set of double-layer membranes are determined from these dispersion curves. Comparisons of the results obtained by the two photoacoustic techniques are made and discussed.     

Evaluation of elastic properties of nanoporous silicon oxide thin films by picosecond laser ultrasonics

Picosecond laser ultrasonics uses femtosecond laser pulses for the generation and detection of acoustic pulses with a typical duration between few picoseconds and few hundreds of pico seconds. The shorter the duration of the acoustic pulse is, the more precisely could be made the measurements of the film thickness [C. Thomsen et al., Phys. Rev. B 34, 4129 (1986)] and the elastic modulus by pulse-echo method or through Brillouin scattering detection. In this short communication we report the results of the evaluation of the properties of nanoporous silicon oxide thin films which present potential low-k and thermal barrier properties and are also of great interest for the microelectronic industry to replace the traditional silicate glass films in order to decrease the resistance-capacitance transition delay in the VLSI circuits. Most of the studies that have been carried so far have treated the optical properties of such structures. We report the results of the evaluation of acoustic properties of nanoporous thin films.     

Measurements of nanometer scale interface diffusion between tungsten and niobium thin films using high frequency laser based ultrasound

This article presents the use of a quantitative analysis technique to describe time-resolved acoustic spectroscopy (high frequency laser based ultrasound) measurements of atomic diffusion on nanometer length scales occurring at the interface between sputter-deposited tungsten and niobium films. The extent of diffusion at the tungsten-niobium interface is determined by comparing experimental, simulated, and theoretical transfer functions between acoustic arrivals. The experimental and simulated transfer functions use the spectral content of successive reflected acoustic waves and the theoretical transfer function is based on the transfer matrix of an equivalent stratified interface region. This combination of theoretical, simulated, and experimental analyses makes it possible to separate signals with distinct differences between the as-deposited interface and those interfaces diffused to an experimentally determined 0.8-nm and 1.4-nm extent. Comparison of predicted and measured diffusion depths for this diffusion couple indicates that bulk diffusivities are not appropriate for describing nanometer scale interface diffusion.     

用于铝板缺陷无损检测的激光超声有限元模拟研究

激光超声技术能够在材料表面形成超声波，是实现材料缺陷无损检测的重要环节。借助Abaqus有限元分析工具，基于激光超声热弹机制建立了轴对称铝板的表面缺陷模型，模拟了激光激发产生的表面波在材料中的传播特性及其与铝板缺陷的相互作用过程。数值模拟实验表明，铝板表面缺陷的分布深度值越大，反射波越强，并且当缺陷深度达到一定程度时，反射波的幅值趋于稳定；但缺陷的分布宽度对于反射波的影响则十分有限。所得结论为基于激光超声的材料缺陷的定量检测及识别提供有效的理论依据。     

A computer model of the interaction of acoustic surface waves with discontinuities

Surface acoustic waves are under active investigation in three fields of study: geophysics, electronics and non-destructive testing. While the mathematical features are the same for all three fields, the wavelengths, as well as the dimensions of the features, range over at least ten orders of magnitude.In this paper a brief review of available numerical techniques is presented and this is followed by discussion of a series of models which use finite difference methods to predict the reflected and transmitted signals from wide band pulses of ultrasonic Rayleigh waves incident on various surface-breaking features. The paper concludes with a comparison of analytical, numerical and experimental results.     

用阴影法观察水声模型的声场

我们建立了一套用于显示模拟海底反射声场的光学系统。实验水声模型是由水-玻璃粉-玻璃-铝组成的三层模拟海底结构,声源是一个管状换能器,其轴线平行于分界面。实验用这套系统记录了从水下三个界面反射的六组波的声场图像。并且分辨出了它们各自的传播路径。从声场图像也可以得出水-玻璃粉界面、玻璃粉-玻璃界面的面波声速,玻璃粉和玻璃中的体波声速以及它们的厚度,结果与预先测出的参数符合。     

激光在近表面弹性性质梯度变化的材料中激发超声波的数值分析

激光激发超声波为评价材料近表面弹性性质提供了有效的手段. 考虑到由于冲击硬化、表面热处理、表面氧化等引起的金属材料近表面层弹性性质的变化，建立了一种激光在基底上的梯度材料中激发超声波的理论模型. 用有限元方法模拟了热弹条件下脉冲激光作用于材料上表面激发出的超声波及其传播过程，研究了近表面层离散的层数对超声波的产生和传播的影响，并分别讨论了表面层“变硬”和“变软”两种情况下声表面波的模式变化及用二维傅里叶变换得到各模式的色散曲线. 为进一步研究近表面层的弹性性质建立合理的计算模型及材料性质的反演提供了理论依 关键词： 超声波 有限元法 近表面弹性性质 色散     

Influence of the porosity on the dispersion of the phase velocity of longitudinal acoustic waves in isotropic metal-matrix composites

The influence of the volumetric porosity of isotropic metal-matrix composite materials, which are reinforced with ceramic microparticles, on the dispersion of the phase velocity of longitudinal acoustic waves is investigated. For this purpose, the method of broadband acoustic spectroscopy with a laser source of ultrasound and piezoelectric detection of nanosecond ultrasonic pulses is used. Composite samples based on a silumin matrix with added silicon carbide (SiC) microparticles in different mass concentrations (3.8–15.5%) were investigated. As the concentration of SiC particles in a sample increases, its porosity that is determined using the hydrostatic-weighing method also increases. The simultaneous increase in the filler concentration and porosity leads to the appearance of a dispersion of the phase velocity of longitudinal acoustic waves in the sample within the frequency range of 3–25 MHz. The obtained empirical relationship between the relative change in the phase velocity and the sample porosity can be used to obtain a proximate quantitative estimate of the bulk porosity of the isotropic metal-matrix composite materials.     

Finite element modeling of the interaction of laser-generated ultrasound with a surface-breaking notch in an elastic plate

The interaction of surface acoustic waves generated by laser line source in the thermoelastic regime with surface notches are investigated. The finite element method is used to establish the model of the transient displacement field for surface notches with various depths and orientation. The magnitude of the signal enhancement in the near field and the mechanism by which this occurs are explained. The positions of notches were evaluated by the reflected Rayleigh wave. The depths and orientations of the notches were also determined using a shear wave that was generated through mode conversion of a surface acoustic wave at the notch tip. The results agree with previously published experimental measurements.     

Laser ultrasonic surface wave inspection of alumina ceramics of varying density

In this paper, the surface acoustic wave velocity results acquired from the inspection of specially manufactured and characterised alumina ceramic materials are presented. Ultrasonic velocity data of alumina-based ceramics in the range 60-100% theoretical density was generated utilising non-contacting laser-ultrasonic measurements based on laser generation and detection of surface acoustic waves with the objective of creating a routine technique for industrial advanced alumina inspection. With linear fitting the surface acoustic wave velocity data serves as a calibration graph for using laser ultrasonics for routine monitoring of alumina. A second laser ultrasonic technique based on the laser generation and foil transducer detection of surface acoustic waves was used to validate the surface acoustic wave velocities measured by the laser generation/detection technique.     

固体中脉冲激光激发声表面波的理论研究

本文运用本征函数展开的方法对固体材料中脉冲激光激发的声表面波进行了理论研究，在考虑热弹激发的条件下，利用三维的轴对称模型，得到了脉冲激光光源的脉冲宽度以及聚焦半径对固体材料中声表面波信号的时域及频域的影响，对进行超短脉冲激光激发超声的研究具有指导意义。     

Acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source in a cylinder

The excitation and propagation of the acoustic waves in an elastic cylinder are studied by laser ultrasonics both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical analysis of the two-dimensional acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source impacting on the generatrix of an elastic cylinder is presented. The dispersive properties for both cylindrical Rayleigh wave and the higher modes--whispering gallery (WG) modes are analyzed in detail. The numerical transient displacement waveforms for a detecting point located another terminal of the cylinder diameter opposite the source are calculated. The experimental excitation and detection of the acoustic waves in an aluminum cylinder are carried out on a laser ultrasonic system, which mainly consists of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a laser interferometer. The wave components of bulk waves and surface waves (cylindrical Rayleigh waves and WG modes) are analyzed by comparing the numerical and experimental waveforms. The results are in good agreement.     

The applicability of a material-treatment laser pulse in non-destructive evaluations

A practical optodynamic study was performed to determine the usability of different lengths of laser pulses for the generation of ultrasonic transients in a solid material. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility of a dual use for a laser pulse-for laser material processing, on the one hand, and for the ultrasonic wave generation on the other-with both processes being combined on the same production line. The propagation of the laser-generated ultrasonic waves is evaluated by detecting and measuring with a PID-controlled stabilized interferometer. Thus, both systems provided the basic tools, the generation and detection of ultrasonic waves, for an ultrasonic, laser-based, non-destructive material evaluation. The ultrasonic transients generated by 'classical' nanosecond laser pulses were compared with the transients generated by industrial laser pulses with a duration of a few tenths of a microsecond. The experimental results are compared with the results of a time-of-flight analysis that also involved part of a mode-conversion analysis for both regimes in a layered material structure. The differences between the two waveforms were assessed in terms of their visibility, wavelength and resolution. The limit values were calculated and estimated for the laser-pulse parameters, when such pulses are intended for use in an ultrasonic, laser-based, non-destructive evaluation. The possibility of using an industrial marking laser for laser ultrasound generation is thus demonstrated.     

Laser-induced ultrasonic waves in steels with gradient changes of elastic property

Taking account of the gradient changes of the near-surface elastic property, a model of multiple gradient layers on a semi-infinite substrate is established. A finite element method (FEM) model is developed to simulate the laser-induced thermo-elastic generation and propagation of acoustic waves in the system. The two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2-D FFT) method has been used to analyze the ultrasonic signal. The phase velocity dispersion is obtained for a number of waves of different modes obtained and is analyzed in systems with different spatial variations of the material elastic properties and different affected layer depths. The model can be used to extract the elastic parameters of the near-surface regions in an effective way.