The effect of laser wavelength on heating of ablated carbon plume

The extraction of capacitive profiles with a planar metamaterial sensor is presented. The sensor is build up using a tailored Composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL). The capacitance values along the line can be evaluated by measuring the broadband line input impedance followed by applying a dedicated extraction method based on classical network synthesis with a combination of the Cauer canonical forms (CCF) I and II to obtain the values of the corresponding lumped elements in the equivalent circuit. Two prototype sensors have been developed and tested to prove the concept. The areas of application of these types of sensors are transportation of materials in industrial processes where the position of the Material Under Test (MUT) is of interest and can be derived from the changes in the capacitances.     

Magnetic properties of high quality superconducting laser ablated thin films

We present experimental results obtained forRBa₂Cu₃O_7 − x(R = Y,Er) expitaxial thin films obtained through pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and grown on yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and SrTiO₃(STO) substrates. The films have been deposited by using low deposition rates (f = 4 Hz) and with control of the film surface temperature rather than that of the sample holder leading to a high quality of the epitaxy.     

Experimental investigation of plume expansion dynamics of nanosecond laser ablated Al with small incident angle

Experimental study of expansion dynamics of pulsed-laser ablation plasmas from Al is presented. A systematic investigation of plasma plume expansion is done. The laser beam is focused on the target with an incident angle between 0° and 20°. The results show that the plume growth is almost normal to the target surface, irrespective of the incident angle of the laser. Besides, the time evolution of the plasma plume geometry ratio at different incident angles shows that the incident angle of laser beam influences very slightly its shape at later delay time. The results imply that when the incident angle is small (ranging from 0° to 20°), the influence of the incident angle on the plume expansion is rather trivial.     

Plasma dynamics from laser ablated solid lithium

Emission plasma plume generated by pulsed laser ablation of a lithium solid target by a ruby laser (694 nm, 20 ns, 3 J) was subjected to optical emission spectroscopy: time and space resolved optical emission was characterised as a function of distance from the target surface. Propagation of the plume was studied through ambient background of argon gas. Spectroscopic observations can, in general, be used to analyse plume structure with respect to an appropriate theoretical plasma model. The plume expansion dynamics in this case could be explained through a shock wave propagation model wherein, the experimental observations made were seen to fit well with the theoretical predictions. Spectral information derived from measurement of peak intensity and line width determined the parameters, electron temperature (T _e) and electron number density (n _e), typically used to characterise laser produced plasma plume emission. These measurements were also used to validate the assumptions underlying the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) model, invoked for the high density laser plasma under study. Some interesting results pertaining to the analysis of plume structure and spatio-temporal behaviour of T _e and n _e along the plume length will be presented and discussed.     

Particle diagnostics of a ZnO laser ablation plume for nanostructured material deposition

We report results on the pulsed laser deposition of ZnO obtained with the help of a new apparatus that includes in situ reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry, with a view to progress the understanding of the role of clusters in the laser deposition of nanostructured materials. Experiments were carried out using a Nd-YAG laser at its fundamental frequency and frequency tripled, with a fluence on target of ∼7.7 J/cm², in vacuum (10⁻⁴ Pa) or oxygen (1 Pa) atmospheres. The results show that under certain conditions there is preferential clusterisation of the material into certain mass numbers and finally that there exists a correlation between cluster presence in the plume and the deposition of nanostructures.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of clusters formed in laser ablation of a sample

Experimental data are used as a basis for discussion of the principal methods of cluster formation in the laser ablation of targets: condensation during expansion of the cloud of evaporated material, clustering at the surface accompanying redeposition of material back on the target, and emission of entire nanoblocks from the target. Methods of distinguishing between these processes are discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 81–84 (September 1999)     

XRD studies on the femtosecond laser ablated single-crystal germanium in air

Ultrashort laser ablation of single-crystal germanium has been performed in air with femtosecond laser pulses (150 fs, 1 kHz) of 810 nm in the laser fluence range of 0.7–35.4 J/cm². Ablation depth dependence on the laser fluence shows that there are two different processes, which are explained in terms of electronic heating process and the optical penetration one. Structure of ablated region is characterized by means of two different XRD techniques. With increasing the laser fluence higher than 10.2 J/cm², the laser-processed region of germanium exhibits poly-crystalline diffraction peaks in a wide-angle (θ/2θ) scan and a split of diffraction peak of (4 0 0) plane in the rocking curve, which are absent in the lower laser fluence. These observations could be explained in terms of structural changes induced by ultrashort laser irradiation at the higher laser fluence.     

UV laser irradiation of IR laser generated particles ablated from nitrobenzyl alcohol

Particles generated by 2.94 μm pulsed IR laser ablation of liquid 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol were irradiated with a 351 nm UV laser 3.5 mm above and parallel to the sample target. The size and concentration of the ablated particles were measured with a light scattering particle sizer. The application of the UV laser resulted in a reduction in the average particle size by one-half and an increase in the total particle concentration by a factor of nine. The optimum delay between the IR and UV lasers was between 16 and 26 μs and was dependent on the fluence of the IR laser: higher fluence led to a more rapid appearance of particulate. The ejection velocity of the particle plume, as determined by the delay time corresponding to the maximum two-laser particle concentration signal, was 130 m/s at 1600 J/m² IR laser fluence and increased to 220 m/s at 2700 J/m². The emission of particles extended for several ms. The observations are consistent with a rapid phase change and emission of particulate, followed by an extended emission of particles ablated from the target surface.     

Momentum and velocity of the ablated material in laser machining of carbon fiber preforms

The automation in fabrication of CFRP (carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics) parts demands efficient and low-cost machining technologies. In conventional cutting technologies, tool-wear and low process speeds are some of the reasons for high costs. Thus, the use of lasers is an attractive option for cutting CF-preforms. A typical effect degrading the quality in laser cutting CF-preform is a bulged cutting edge. This effect is assumed to be caused by interaction of the fibers with the ablated material, which leaves the kerf at high velocity. Hence, a method for measuring the momentum and the velocity of the vapor is presented in this article. To measure the momentum of the ablated material, the CF-preform is mounted on a precision scale while cutting it with a laser. The direction of the momentum was determined by measuring the momentum parallel and orthogonal to the CF-preform surface. A change of the direction of the momentum with different cutting-speeds is assessed at constant laser-power. Averaged velocities of the ablation products of up to 300 m/s were determined by measuring the ablated mass and the momentum.     

Optical emission spectroscopic studies on laser ablated TiO2 plasma

Optical emission spectroscopic investigations of the plasma produced during Nd:YAG laser ablation of sintered TiO₂ targets, in oxygen and argon gas environments are reported. The spatial variations of electron temperature (T_e) and electron number density (N_e) are studied. The effect of oxygen/argon pressure on electron temperature (T_e) and electron number density (N_e) is presented. The kinematics of the emitted particles and expansion of plume edge are discussed. Spatio-temporal variations of various species in TiO₂ plasma were recorded and corresponding velocities were calculated. The effect of oxygen pressure on intensity of neutral/ion species and their corresponding velocities is also reported.     

Microstructural, optical and spectroscopic studies of laser ablated nanostructured tantalum oxide thin films

Thin films of tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅) have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique at different substrate temperatures (300-973 K) under vacuum and under oxygen background (pO₂ = 2 × 10⁻³ mbar) conditions. The films are annealed at a temperature of 1173 K. The as-deposited films are amorphous irrespective of the substrate temperature. XRD patterns show that on annealing, the films get crystallized in orthorhombic phase of tantalum pentoxide (β-Ta₂O₅). The annealed films deposited at substrate temperatures 300 K and 673 K have a preferred orientation along (0 0 1) plane, whereas the films deposited at substrate temperatures above 673 K show a preferred orientation along (2 0 0) crystal plane. The deposited films are characterized using techniques such as grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy. FTIR and micro-Raman measurements confirm the presence of Ta-O, Ta-O-Ta and O-Ta-O bands in the films. Grain size calculations from X-ray diffraction and AFM show a decrease with increase in substrate temperature. The variation of transmittance and band gap with film growth parameters are also discussed.     

Estimation of the absorptivity of a constructive material at unknown losses in ablation plume during laser ablation

Computation of the processes of laser heating of carbon silicon carbide composite material (CSCCM) samples in air (to temperatures above 2000°C for 1 s) by IR laser radiation with a wavelength of 1.3 μm and intensity of 3 kWcm⁻² in the presence of screening ablation plume have been carried out using the KARAT code. A comparison of the simulation results with the experimental dependences of spatial and temporal fields of sample temperatures made it possible to determine the absorptivity of thematerial, energy loss in the ablation plume, and, correspondingly, its influence on the heating and ablation of the material under study.     

Probe studies of laser erosion plume arising at silicon ablation in vacuum

An erosion plume arising at the ablation of silicon by a solid-state laser (λ = 1.06 μm) is studied with a Langmuir probe. The time-of-flight curves of the probe ion current are obtained for a plasma beam formed by intersecting plumes from two targets and for an erosion plume from one silicon target. The probe-target distance is varied in the range 40–157 mm. The time-of-flight curves for the ions of the erosion plume are sums of the velocity one-dimensional Maxwell distributions for four groups of ions. It is found that a plasma beam formed by intersecting plumes from two targets does not contain all groups of ions present in initial plumes.     

准分子激光轰击Y-Ba-Cu-O高温超导靶的空间分辨光谱研究

采用WP4-光学多道分析仪对准分子激光轰击Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_x超导靶产生的等离子体辐射进行了空间分辨测量和研究。实验结果表明,在靶面的邻近区(d<0.4mm),等离子体辐射为较强的连续谱,并迭加有Y、Ba原子和Y~+、Ba~+离子基态电子跃迁的自吸收线。Y、Ba、Cu原子和相应的一价离子以及金属氧化物分子激发态的发射谱线仅在距靶面为0.4mm以外的区域出现。光谱的测量结果支持靶面表层发生爆炸、出射分子簇团和固体微粒的激光烧蚀沉积动力学机制解释。     

Spectroscopy of a laser plume arising under radiation of a ytterbium fiber laser

Optics and Spectroscopy - The spectra of luminescence of plumes that occur near targets of Nd: Y2O3, YSZ, and Al2O3 when they are irradiated by pulses of a ytterbium fiber laser with a wavelength...     

Synthesis and characterization of laser ablated TiNi films

TiNi thin films with BaTiO₃ and PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃ (PZT) as buffer layers were deposited on Si(100) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Buffer layers (BaTiO₃ and PZT) were deposited at 600 °C in oxygen (O₂) environment and TiNi films were deposited on the top of the buffer layer in presence of 15 mTorr nitrogen (N₂) at various deposition temperatures (50, 300, and 500 °C). Synthesis and characterization of TiNi films were investigated from the crystallographic point of view by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM) techniques. It is found that buffer layer of BaTiO₃ and PZT have improved the crystallinity of TiNi films deposited at higher temperatures. The TiNi/PZT film was uniform compared to TiNi/BaTiO3 film with the exception of agglomerates that appeared throughout the layer.     

Spectroscopic and morphological study of laser ablated Titanium

The optical characteristics of biological tissues sampled from the anterior abdominal wall of laboratory rats are for the first time experimentally studied in a wide wavelength range (350-2500 nm). The experiments have been performed in vitro using a LAMBDA 950 (PerkinElmer, United States) spectrophotometer. Inverse Monte Carlo simulation is used to restore the spectral dependences for scattering and absorption coefficients, as well as the scattering anisotropy factor for biological tissue based on the recorded spectra of diffuse reflection and total and collimated transmissions.     

Growth mechanism of ZnO nanorods from nanoparticles formed in a laser ablation plume

We have succeeded in synthesizing ZnO nanorods by pulsed-laser ablation at comparatively high gas pressures without using a catalyst. The nanorods had an average size of 300 nm and a length of about 6 m. Stimulated emission was observed from the nanorods at 388 nm by optical pumping. As a catalyst was not used in our method, nanorod growth was not controlled by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. We found that nanoparticles formed by condensation of ablated particles in the laser ablation plume play an important role in nanorod growth. PACS 61.46.+w; 81.07.Bc; 78.66.Hf; 78.67.Bf; 81.16.Mk     

Investigation of laser ablated plumes using fast photography

Fast photography is used to investigate the expansion dynamics of the laser ablated plasmas in various ambient atmospheres and laser energies. Dependence of plasma parameters such as velocity, temperature, density, and pressure on time and ambient atmosphere is presented. The measured vapor pressure and temperature decrease with the increase in ambient gas pressure. The images of the expanding plumes are used to locate the shocked region and hence to estimate the plasma parameters in the shocked regime. The calculated plasma parameters are used to optimize target-substrate distance, a key parameter for laser ablation deposition of thin films     

Mass spectrometric detection of molecular ions formed by irradiation of condensed methanol with a CO2 laser

IR laser-induced ionization is investigated in condensed methanol (77 K) using a TEA CO₂ laser for resonant vibrational excitation and a quadrupole mass spectrometer to analyse the ion spectra produced by laser irradiation. Ions are already detected at laser fluences below 1 J/cm², far below dielectric breakdown. The fluence dependence of the ion yield is measured for two groups of ions and the total number of ions. A mechanism is proposed for the photochemical production of protonated molecules. The protonated monomer is the species with the highest abundance; however, protonated dimers and other quasimolecular ions and fragment ions are also found.