Fabrication of microchannels in glass using focused femtosecond laser radiation and selective chemical etching

We use the combination of femtosecond laser dielectric modification and selective chemical etching to fabricate high-quality microchannels in glass. The photoinduced modification morphology has been studied in fused silica and in borosilicate glass BK7, using ultra-high spatial resolution techniques of selective chemical etching followed by atomic force or scanning electron microscopy. The analysis shows that the high differential etch rate inside the modified regions, is determined by the presence of polarization-dependent self-ordered periodic nanocracks or nanoporous structures. We also investigate the optimum irradiation conditions needed to produce high-aspect ratio microchannels with small symmetric cross-sections and smooth walls. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.65.Re; 81.05.Kf; 87.80.Mj     

Tailoring the chemical behavior of aluminum for selective etching by laser interference metallurgy

The chemical behavior of aluminum modified by laser interference metallurgy (LIMET) is investigated. LIMET allows the single-step creation of periodic patterns with a well defined long-range order on material surfaces. This technique can also induce local and periodical oxidation on aluminum surfaces, which follows the ordered array imprinted by laser interference. The thin oxide layer built up during laser structuring enhances the chemical stability of the irradiated zones. Ordered local oxidation permits the selective etching of an exposed aluminum surface. The etch pits are generated preferentially at the interference minima positions. In comparison to conventional methods, this process significantly improves the homogeneity of the initiation sites of pits. Furthermore, LIMET not only influences the first stages of pits initiation, but also the final etch morphology formed during the total electrochemical etching of the surfaces.     

The directivity pattern of an interferometer for measuring thermal acoustic radiation

The directivity patterns of a pair of piezoelectric transducers for measuring the spatial correlation function of sound pressures produced by sources of thermal acoustic radiation in the megahertz frequency range are calculated. Sources in the form of a heated plane or strip are considered. The signal detection by two circular or rectangular piezoelectric transducers and by focusing transducers is studied. It is demonstrated that, for measuring the correlation function, the piezoelectric transducers must partially overlap. To determine the directivity pattern with a strong dependence on the distance between the heated object and the pair of piezoelectric transducers, focusing piezoelectric transducers should be used. The results obtained offer possibilities for a noninvasive measurement of the absorption coefficient of a medium and also for the realization of the previously proposed [20] passive acoustic thermotomograph, which does not use a priori information on the absorption coefficient of the medium.     

Single- and multi-scan femtosecond laser writing for selective chemical etching of cross section patternable glass micro-channels

We report on the fabrication of three dimensional micro-fluidic channels in fused silica glass using a combination of femtosecond laser writing and hydrofluoric acid wet etching to flexibly create various cross-sectional profiles of highly uniform shape and smooth vertical walls. The laser power, polarization, focusing depth, scanning angle and scanning speed were systematically studied with single- and multi-scan configurations to assess optimum micro-channel formation including etch rate, surface roughness, and stress-induced crack formation. We introduce the formation of vertical access-ports that extend the buried channel formation to unlimited length without tapering or distortion of the channel cross-sectional shape.     

Using IR laser radiation for backside etching of fused silica

Laser-induced backside etching of fused silica with gallium as highly absorbing liquid is demonstrated using pulsed infrared laser radiation. The influences of the laser fluence, the pulse number, and the pulse length on the etch rate and the etched surface topography were studied and the results are compared with these of excimer laser etching. The high reflectivity of the fused silica-gallium interface at IR wavelengths results in the measured high threshold fluences for etching of about 3 J/cm² and 7 J/cm² for 18 ns and 73 ns pulses, respectively. For both pulse lengths the etch rate rises almost linearly with laser fluence and reaches a value of 350 and 300 nm/pulse at a laser fluence of about 12 and 28 J/cm², respectively. The etching process is almost free from incubation processes because etching with the first laser pulse and a constant etch rate were observed. The etched surfaces are well-defined with clear edges and a Gaussian-curved, smooth bottom. A roughness of about 1.5 nm rms was measured by AFM at an etch depth of 0.95 μm. The normalization of the etch rates with respect to the reflectivity and the pulse length results in similar etch rates and threshold fluence for the different pulse widths and wavelengths. It is concluded that etching is a thermal process including the laser heating, the materials melting, and the materials etching by mechanical forces. The backside etching of fused silica with IR-Nd:YAG laser can be a promising approach for the industrial usage of the backside etching of a wide range of materials. PACS 81.65.C; 81.05.J; 79.20.D; 61.80.B; 42.55.L     

Research and experiments of mutual radiation impedance effect on array directivity

The mutual radiation impedance ignored in conventional array directivity formula is introduced into the calculation of array radiation sound field,and a modified array directivity formula considering the mutual radiation impedance is gained according to the superposition principle.Results of computer simulation and experiments for a uniform linear array and a uniform planar array show superior performance on the present of the practical directivity pattern of the modified formula in this paper in comparison to the conventional one.     

Fabrication of nanostructured silicon surface using selective chemical etching

A two-stage process based on selective chemical etching induced by metal nanoclusters is used to fabricate nanostructured surfaces of silicon plates with a relatively low reflectance. At silicon surfaces covered with silver nanoclusters, the SERS effect is observed for rhodamine concentrations of about 10^–12 M. At certain technological parameters, the depth of the nanostructured layer weakly depends on the conditions for the two-stage etching, in particular, etching time. Under otherwise equal conditions for etching, the rate of the formation of textured layer in the p-type silicon is two times greater than the formation rate in the n-type silicon.     

阵元间互辐射对基阵指向性的影响研究及试验

针对常规基阵指向性图计算并未考虑阵元间互辐射阻抗影响这一不足,修正了常规基阵指向性图计算公式。将阵元间的互辐射阻抗引入到水声基阵的辐射声场计算中,并依据叠加原理得到包含阵元间互辐射阻抗的基阵指向性图计算修正公式。15元均匀线列阵和5×5均匀平面阵的计算机仿真和消声水池试验结果表明,该修正公式相比于常规公式更能反映基阵指向性图的真实情况。     

Investigating the lateral motion of SiGe islands by selective chemical etching

SiGe islands grown by deposition of 10 monolayers of Ge on Si(0 0 1) at 740 °C were investigated by using a combination of selective wet chemical etching and atomic force microscopy. The used etchant, a solution consisting of ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, shows a high selectivity of Ge over Si_xGe_1−x and is characterized by relatively slow etching rates for Si-rich alloys. By performing successive etching experiments on the same sample area, we are able to gain a deeper insight into the lateral displacement the islands undergo during post growth annealing.     

Generation of low-frequency radiation under focused laser irradiation of a semiconductor

The excitation of the nonlinear medium based on the zigzag nanotubes is analyzed. The terahertz emission is demonstrated under excitation in spite of an equidistant spectrum of a single nanotube. The system exhibits relatively high absorbance in the absence of pumping due to a relatively large oscillator strength.     

Analysis of the radiation pattern of laser diode radiation based on experimental data

It is shown that the radiation pattern of laser diode radiation can quantitatively be analyzed without labor-intensive and expensive measurements of the radiation intensity distribution in the near-field zone. Formulas are obtained in the explicit form, which analytically describe the radiation pattern of laser diode radiation in free space, and a simple algorithm is developed for determining the fundamental lasing mode.     

XeCl laser controlled chemical etching of aluminum in chlorine gas

The 308 nm XeCl laser assisted etching process of thin Al metal films on Si substrate in Cl₂ gas was investigated. Etch rates were measured versus the laser fluence on the sample, the laser repetition rate, the Cl₂ pressure and the sample temperature. Irradiation experiments under vacuum of films which were previously exposed to Cl₂, and laser assisted etching in rare gases, nitrogen and air mixtures with Cl₂ were also performed to elucidate the mechanism of the etching process. The surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that a) Etch rates of up to about 1.5 m per pulse are obtained which are strongly dependent on the Cl₂ pressure and sample temperature. b) The etching mechanism is essentially a chemical chlorination of the Al in between the laser pulses which is followed by photo-ablation of the reaction products, c) AlCl₃ evaporation and redeposition processes can explain the observed results. d) The Al films can be etched fully and cleanly without damage to the smooth Si substrate. e) Etching through adjacent or imaged mask on the Al film yielded relatively smooth and well defined Al walls with structures of the order of 1 m.     

半导体激光器混沌法拉第效应控制方法

提出了外腔延时反馈半导体激光器法拉第效应控制下的新激光系统, 构造出两种类型结构光路, 建立了法拉第效应控制下的延时负反馈、延时正反馈激光动力学物理模型, 研究了激光混沌控制与反控制等. 利用法拉第效应原理及磁致旋光性和系统特点, 调节控制光路中的光旋转角度和光延时间可实现双参数控制激光器, 控制激光到双周期、三周期及多周期, 使激光产生拍动等现象, 反控制激光周期到混沌等. 发现了以磁致旋光角分布的激光混沌控制与反控制区域. 并研究了激光混沌控制与周期控制的动态情况, 演示讨论了激光态的转化演变过程等.     

Modelling the effect of slave laser gain and frequency comb spacing on the selective amplification of injection locked semiconductor lasers

A rate equation model was used to model the optical filtering properties of injection locked semiconductor lasers. Numerical and experimental results are presented which show the changes in the comb rejection ratio (CRR) of an injection locked single mode laser due to the gain of the slave laser. It was found that there is an optimal slave laser current at which the CRR of the slave laser is largest, and good qualitative agreement is present between the model and experiment. The model was also used to predict the effects of the target carrier’s position on the optical comb. It was found that locking the slave laser to the outer comb lines gave slightly worse CRRs than when locking to the central lines. It is also shown that for comb frequency spacings close to the relaxation oscillation frequency of the slave laser, the obtainable CRR is significantly decreased.     

Interferometric method of suppressing the pattern effect in a semiconductor optical amplifier

A new idea of using change in index of refraction to suppress gain variation in a saturated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is presented. This kind of gain compensation has the advantage of high speed because it involves two phenomena that always accompany each other. This compensation can be achieved with a nonsymmetrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure. Calculated results show that with this structure the input and output power of the SOA can be extended to nearly 10 dB from the former small-signal limit when less than 1-dB gain variation is permitted. Numerical simulations with an advanced dynamic model of the SOA agree with the calculated results.     

The effect of infrared radiation on etching characteristics of CR-39 plastic track recorder

The effect of infrared radiation on the etching characteristics of CR-39 plastic track recorder has been studied. CR-39, which is commonly employed in cosmic rays studies is found to be affected by IR radiations. The changes in the bulk etch rate, in the track etch rate and in etching efficiency due to infrared radiation exposure of CR-39 are discussed on the basis of scission and cross linking during infrared exposure.     

The research on mechanical effect etching Si in pulsed laser micromaching under water

To explore further the influencing of mechanical effects on laser machining in the liquid, in the process of great-energy and short-pulsed laser irradiating matter in the liquid, the experiments of 248 nm laser etching n-Si under water were carried out. The removal mechanism of brittle material etched by mechanical effects, which is induced during high-energy and short-pulsed laser machining in the liquid, was discussed. In the paper, the approximate mechanics model of indentation fracture was used to analyze the mechanical effects for removing brittle materials of silicon when laser machining in the liquid. Based on this, a theoretical model of material removal rate was proposed; the experiment of laser machining under water was adopted to validate the model. The experimental results indicate that the removal rate of brittle material caused by shock forces is relatively great.