Laser-induced plasmas in liquids for nanoparticle synthesis

Spatially and temporally resolved emission spectroscopy is used to study the major features of the onset and evolution of plasmas created by pulsed laser irradiation of targets immersed in liquids. It is shown that double pulse operation provides an enhanced rate of nanoparticle formation and increases the emission signal from the plasma atoms and ions owing to more efficient ablation of the target material. The main parameters (density of atoms, electron temperature and density) of laser-induced plasmas in liquids are estimated. The prospects of laser ablation in liquids as a method for producing nanoparticles are analyzed.     

Time-resolved plasma diagnostics and mass removal during single-pulse laser ablation

Laser ablation processes occurring over several orders of magnitude in time were investigated by using time-resolved spectroscopy, shadowgraphs and interferograms. A picosecond ablation plasma was measured with an electron density on the order of 10²⁰ cm^-3 originating from the breakdown of air. The longitudinal expansion of this plasma was suppressed due to the development of a strong space-charge field. At post-pulse times, the lateral (radial) expansion of the plasma was found to follow the relation, r~t^1/2, consistent with the expansion from an instantaneous line source of energy. The electron number density and temperature were deduced by measuring spectroscopic emission-line broadening during the early phase (30-300 ns) of a mass (atomic/ionic) plasma. These properties were measured as a function of the delay time and irradiance. Possible mechanisms such as inverse bremsstrahlung and self-regulation were used to describe the data before an explosion threshold of 20 GW/cm². The laser self-focusing and critical temperature are discussed to explain dramatic changes in these properties after the irradiance threshold. On the microsecond time scale, the surface explodes and large (>7m) particles are ejected. Mass removed from single-crystal silicon by high power (10⁹-10¹¹ W/cm²) single-pulse laser ablation is studied by measuring the crater morphology. Time-resolved shadowgraph images show that the rapid increase in the crater depth at the threshold corresponds to large-size droplets leaving the surface. This rapid growth of the crater volume is attributed to explosive boiling.     

PMP泡沫的飞秒激光烧蚀及切割方法

对密度为90 mg/cm3的PMP泡沫材料的飞秒激光烧蚀结果进行了分析,推导出该材料在脉宽50 fs、波长800 nm、重复频率为1000 Hz的飞秒激光作用下的蚀除阈值为0.91 J/cm2（100个激光脉冲）,获得了烧蚀直径分别随激光功率、脉冲数及聚焦物镜数值孔径的变化规律。相同飞秒激光加工系统下,对比了铜箔上获得的烧蚀形状,确定了PMP泡沫材料本身的多孔洞及其分布不均匀是造成烧蚀区域的形状不规则的重要因素。PMP泡沫在较高能量或是较长时间的飞秒激光作用下,烧蚀区域发生碳化的原因是由热作用引发的。提出了一种基于激光束耦合的飞秒激光切割厚度大于1 mm的薄膜-泡沫材料的方法,并获得了切割厚度大于1.5 mm、切割侧壁与光束光轴夹角小于5、切割面整洁的薄片。     

NaCl对激光诱导土壤等离子体辐射的增强效应

为了改善激光诱导击穿光谱质量,采用Nd:YAG激光器输出的纳秒脉冲激光激发土壤样品,由光栅光谱仪和光电检测系统记录等离子体发射光谱,研究了激光输出能量（100~500 mJ）和NaCl样品添加剂（质量分数0%~20%）对等离子体辐射强度的影响。实验结果表明,在激光能量为200 mJ的优化条件下,可以提高光谱强度和信噪比,而更高激光能量诱导的等离子体中光谱线自吸严重。当土壤样品中加入适量NaCl添加剂以后,能够进一步改善激光光谱质量。NaCl加入量为10%时,等离子体中元素Fe,Ba,Al和Ti的谱线强度比无添加剂时分别提高了37%,32%, 32% 和70%,光谱信噪比分别提高了33%,26%,16% 和38%。而样品烧蚀量、电子温度和电子密度比无添加剂时分别提高了14%,9.6%和26%。     

A fast method for the calculation of electron number density and temperature in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy plasmas using artificial neural networks

A fast and precise method for the determination of electron temperature and electron number density in laser-induced plasmas is presented. The method is based on the use of a simple artificial neural network (ANN), trained on a suitable set of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy spectra. The training procedure is quite fast; once the ANN is set, the determination of plasma temperature and electron number density is almost instantaneous, allowing the possibility of measuring these parameters, with good precision, in real time. A direct application of this new method could be the characterization of plasmas generated during pulsed laser deposition process of thin films and nanoparticles generation. The plasma electronic parameters will help to tune the energies involved in the stoichiometry and crystallization control of those nanostructured materials. As an example, the characteristics of the plasma induced by a Nd:YAG laser on a pure titanium target are determined, at different laser fluences.     

NaCl对激光诱导土壤等离子体辐射的增强效应

为了改善激光诱导击穿光谱质量,采用Nd:YAG激光器输出的纳秒脉冲激光激发土壤样品,由光栅光谱仪和光电检测系统记录等离子体发射光谱,研究了激光输出能量（100~500 mJ）和NaCl样品添加剂（质量分数0%~20%）对等离子体辐射强度的影响。实验结果表明,在激光能量为200 mJ的优化条件下,可以提高光谱强度和信噪比,而更高激光能量诱导的等离子体中光谱线自吸严重。当土壤样品中加入适量NaCl添加剂以后,能够进一步改善激光光谱质量。NaCl加入量为10%时,等离子体中元素Fe,Ba,Al和Ti的谱线强度比无添加剂时分别提高了37%,32%, 32% 和70%,光谱信噪比分别提高了33%,26%,16% 和38%。而样品烧蚀量、电子温度和电子密度比无添加剂时分别提高了14%,9.6%和26%。     

Time resolved laser-induced plasma dynamics

The structure and evolution of the laser-induced vapor plume and shockwave were measured from femtosecond time resolved shadowgraph images. By changing the wavelength of the probe beam (400 and 800 nm), differences in the opacity of the vapor plume were measured as a function of delay time from the ablation laser pulse. The evolution of the temperature and electron number density during and after the ablation laser pulse were determined and compared for ablation in argon and helium background gases. A laser supported detonation wave (LSD) observed for ablation in argon, blocks the incoming laser energy and generates a high-pressure region above the vapor plume.     

Laser-induced changes in titanium by femtosecond,picosecond and millisecond laser ablation

In order to realize the qualitative control of the laser-induced changes trend and the quantitative control of the laser-induced changes range in titanium upon laser irradiation with different pulse duration, comparative ablation experiments by femtosecond, picosecond and millisecond pulsed lasers were carried out on titanium in this study. Then the final surface morphology, aspect ratio, chemical composition and microstructural state of the ablated titanium were analyzed by laser scanning confocal microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The dependency of the morphology, size, composition and microstructure of ablated titanium on laser pulse duration variation were emphatically discussed. It is found that, as the laser pulse duration increases from femtosecond to millisecond scale, surface morphology quality of ablated titanium gets worse, aspect ratio of microgroove decreases, proportion of titanium oxides in final ablation products becomes larger and the microstructural state of ablated titanium has a higher amorphization degree, which can be attributed to the decreased laser intensity per pulse and enhanced heat conduction effect in titanium with the pulse duration increasing.     

纳秒激光烧蚀铝材料的二维数值模拟

为了探索纳秒脉冲强激光与材料的相互作用机理,建立了二维数值模型,利用有限差分法对纳秒激光脉冲烧蚀金属铝的温度场进行了数值模拟.通过对比不同脉宽、光斑和能量下激光引起的温度场随时间的演化,发现脉冲的前期温度升高比后期快.等温图显示中心温度升高最快,烧蚀轮廓与激光束形状相似,烧蚀深度达1—5 μm.脉宽越长,烧蚀越窄和越深,光斑越大,烧蚀越宽和越浅.数值研究表明,1)激光的脉冲形状、脉宽和功率密度直接影响烧蚀的形状和深度,2)激光功率密度在10⁹ W/cm²量级烧蚀     

Spectroscopic studies of sodium nitrate plasma produced by nanosecond laser ablation

We present the optical emission characteristics of the sodium plasma produced at the surface of sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) also known as Chile saltpeter. We used a Q-switched Nd:YAG (Quantel Brilliant) pulsed laser having a pulse duration of 5?ns and 10?Hz repetition rate which is capable of delivering 400?mJ at 1064?nm and 200?mJ at 532?nm. The target material was placed in front of laser beam in air (atmospheric pressure). The experimentally observed line profiles of neutral sodium have been used to extract the electron temperature using the Boltzmann plot method, whereas the electron number density has been determined from the Stark broadening. The electron temperature is calculated by varying the distance from the target surface along the line of propagation of the plasma plume and also by varying the laser irradiance. Besides, we have studied the variation of number density as a function of laser irradiance as well as its variation with the distance from the target surface. It is observed that electron temperature and electron number density increase as the laser irradiance is increased.     

激光大气等离子体的空间分布特性

 利用Nd:YAG激光器产生的1.06 μm激光束（脉冲能量为500 mJ,脉冲宽度为10 ns, 重复频率为30 Hz）聚焦形成长约8 cm、直径5 cm的激光大气等离子体柱,分别沿激光束方向和垂直于激光束方向探测了该等离子体柱的空间分辨光谱,并由此反演得出电子密度和电子温度空间分布特性。实验结果表明：激光大气等离子体中各种离子和电子呈泪滴型分布,即沿激光束方向不对称,而垂直激光束方向对称分布,最大电子密度1018/cm3,最高电子温度3 000 K。     

激光大气等离子体的空间分布特性

利用Nd:YAG激光器产生的1.06 μm激光束（脉冲能量为500 mJ,脉冲宽度为10 ns, 重复频率为30 Hz）聚焦形成长约8 cm、直径5 cm的激光大气等离子体柱,分别沿激光束方向和垂直于激光束方向探测了该等离子体柱的空间分辨光谱,并由此反演得出电子密度和电子温度空间分布特性。实验结果表明：激光大气等离子体中各种离子和电子呈泪滴型分布,即沿激光束方向不对称,而垂直激光束方向对称分布,最大电子密度1018/cm3,最高电子温度3 000 K。     

Bubble creation and collapse during excimer laser ablation of weak absorbing polymers

We present evidence suggesting that XeCl laser ablation of a weakly absorbing poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) polymer, done by chemical, thermal bond breaking of the polymer chain or optical breakdown of the material, which involves plasma generation, creates a cloud of small asymmetric near the surface bubbles, which subsequently expand and aggregate during the same laser pulse duration or in subsequent pulses depending on the laser pulse energy. When a critical volume is reached each bubble collapses in a high pressure and temperature central point and rebounds ejecting a hot jet of material on the non-irradiated area of the polymer and creating craters on the surface. A characteristic bipolar pressure wave corresponding to the bubble collapse, explosion and rebound is observed. The number density of the craters on the surface is a function of the laser pulse sequence number and the laser pulse energy density.     

自由定标激光诱导击穿光谱技术在炉渣成分定量分析中的应用

采用自由定标激光诱导光谱技术(CF-LIBS)对炉渣中几种主要成分(CaO,SiO2,Al2O3,MgO)进行了定量分析.利用Nd:YAG激光脉冲在空气中烧蚀炉渣样品产生等离子体,等离子体光谱由中阶梯光栅光谱仪记录.通过几种主要元素的原子谱线和离子谱线的玻尔兹曼图,计算了等离子体的温度.利用Ca的一条谱线Stark展宽...     

激光诱导Ni 等离子体电子温度、电子密度的时间演化特性研究

本文在350～600 nm波长范围内测定了激光烧蚀Ni等离子体中Ni原子的时间分辨发射光谱.由发射光谱线的强度和Stark展宽分别计算了等离子体电子温度和电子密度,并由实验结果讨论了激光等离子体中电子温度、电子密度的时间演化特性.     

Influence of consecutive picosecond pulses at 532 nm wavelength on laser ablation of human teeth

The interaction of 40 ps pulse duration laser emitting at 532 nm wavelength with human dental tissue (enamel, dentin, and dentin–enamel junction) has been investigated. The crater profile and the surface morphology have been studied by using a confocal auto-fluorescence microscope (working in reflection mode) and a scanning electron microscope. Crater profile and crater morphology were studied after applying consecutive laser pulses and it was found that the ablation depth increases with the number of consecutive pulses, leaving the crater diameter unchanged. We found that the thermal damage is reduced by using short duration laser pulses, which implies an increased retention of restorative material. We observe carbonization of the irradiated samples, which does not imply changes in the chemical composition. Finally, the use of 40 ps pulse duration laser may become a state of art in conservative dentistry.     

Dynamics of laser-induced channel formation in water and influence of pulse duration on the ablation of biotissue under water with pulsed erbium-laser radiation

The ability to use fiber-delivered erbium-laser radiation for non-contact arthroscopic meniscectomy in a liquid environment was studied. The laser radiation is transmitted through a water-vapor channel created by the leading part of the laser pulse. The dynamics of the channel formation around a submerged fiber tip was investigated with time-resolved flash photography. Strong pressure transients with amplitudes up to a few hundreds of bars measured with a needle hydrophone were found to accompany the channel formation process. Additional pressure transients in the range of kbars were observed after the laser pulse associated with the collapse of the vapor channel. Transmission measurements revealed that the duration the laser-induced channel stays open, and therefore the energy transmittable through it, is substantially determined by the laser pulse duration. The optimum pulse duration was found to be in the range between 250 and 350 µS. This was confirmed by histological evaluations of the laser incisions in meniscus: Increasing the pulse duration from 300 to 800 µs leads to a decrease in the crater depth from 1600 to 300 µm. A comparison of the histological examination after laser treatment through air and through water gave information on the influence of the vapor channel on the ablation efficiency, the cutting quality and the induced thermal damage in the adjacent tissue. The study shows that the erbium laser combined with an adequate fiber delivery system represents an effective surgical instrument liable to become increasingly accepted in orthopedic surgery.     

Crater geometry characterization of Al targets irradiated by single pulse and pulse trains of Nd:YAG laser in ambient air and water

High intensities laser pulses are capable to generate a crater when irradiating metal targets. In such condition, after each irradiation significant ablation occurs on the target surface and as a result a crater is formed. The crater characterization is very important specifically for some applications such as micromachining. In this paper, the crater formation in metal targets was studied experimentally. The planar aluminum 5052 targets were irradiated by frequency doubled (532 nm), Q-switched Nd:YAG (∼6 ns) laser beam in ambient air and distilled water. A crater was produced after each irradiation and it was characterized by an optical microscope. Different laser intensities as well as pulse trains were applied for crater formation. The effects of laser characteristics in crater geometry were examined. The depth of the craters was measured by optical microscope and the diameter (width) was characterized by processing of the crater image. The results were explained in terms of ablation threshold and plasma shielding. The results show that the crater geometry extremely depends on the laser pulse intensity, the number of laser pulses, and ambient.     

高超声速飞行器高温流场对激光武器毁伤效应的影响

以美国ABL系统激光武器为例,分析了高超声速飞行器高温流场气体影响激光武器毁伤效应的一些主要因素,包括气体击穿、等离子体屏蔽效应、烧蚀产物颗粒的影响。结果表明：通常情况下,流场电子数密度小于1017 cm-3,流场本身等离子体特性不会引起对激光的等离子体屏蔽效应;只有在0.5 km射程以内和宽脉冲激光引起的高压流场（约10 MPa以上）气体击穿,才会导致明显的等离子体屏蔽效应,但在实际战场条件下这种情况一般不会发生;对采用烧蚀手段进行防热的飞行器而言,飞行高度大于10 km,并且基于自由来流流量的无量纲化烧蚀流量小于10-2左右时,烧蚀产物颗粒不会引起激光的衰减。     

Laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma and its EUV spectra

Laser-induced discharge plasmas(LDPs) have the potential to be inspection and metrology sources in extreme ultraviolet(EUV) lithography. An LDP EUV source was developed to avoid tin electrode erosion in which a tin pool was used as a cathode. A CO_2 pulse laser was focused on the liquid tin target surface, and then a breakdown occurred in a very short time. The voltage-current characteristics of the discharge oscillated, lasting for several microseconds, and an RLC fitting model was used to obtain the inductance and resistance. An intensified chargecoupled device(ICCD) camera was used to investigate the dynamics of LDP, which can explain the formation of a discharge channel. The EUV spectra of laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma were detected by a grazing incident ultraviolet spectrometer, compared with a laser-produced tin droplet plasma EUV spectrum. To explain the EUV spectrum difference of laser-induced liquid tin discharge plasma and laser-produced tin droplet plasma,the collision radiation(CR) model combined with COWAN code was used to fit the experimental EUV spectrum, which can estimate the electron temperature and density of the plasma.