Thermal model for nanosecond laser sputtering at high fluences

The vaporization effect and the following plasma shielding generated by high-power nanosecond pulsed laser ablation are studied in detail based on the heat flux equation. As an example of Si target, we obtain the time evolution of the calculated surface temperature, ablation rate and ablation depth by solving the heat flow equations using a finite difference method. It can be seen that plasma shielding plays a more important role in the ablation process with time. At the same time, the variation of ablation depth per pulse with laser fluence is performed. Our numerical results are more agreed with the experiment datum than other simulated results. The result shows that the plasma shielding is very important.     

Improved thermal model and its application in UV high-power pulsed laser ablation of metal target

An improved thermal model describing UV high-power nanosecond laser ablation of metal target is presented. The vaporization effect, the plasma shielding effect, as well as the absorption coefficient and absorptivity dependence of temperature are considered in this model. Take iron target as an example, the numerical solutions are obtained from the heat flow equations (before and after melting) using a finite difference method. The space and time dependence of temperature of the target, the time dependence of temperature at two different positions for a certain laser fluence, and the ablation rate as a function of laser fluence are also presented. The numerical results that agreed well with the experimental data are much better than the one without, which indicates that the above two effects and the temperature dependence of absorption coefficient and absorptivity in UV high-power laser ablation of metal target should not be neglected. We hope the present model will be useful for further experimental investigation of metal thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition.     

A New Synthetical Model of High-Power Pulsed Laser Ablation

We develop a new synthetical model of high-power pulsed laser ablation, which considers the dynamic absorptance, vaporization, and plasma shielding. And the corresponding heat conduction equations with the initial and boundary conditions are given. The numerical solutions are obtained under the reasonable technical parameter conditions by taking YBa2CusO7 target for example. The space-dependence and time-dependence of temperature in target at a certain laser fluence are presented, then, the transmitted intensity through plasma plume, space-dependence of temperature and ablation rate for different laser fluences are significantly analyzed. As a result, the satisfactorily good agreement between our numerical results and experimental results indicates that the influences of the dynamic absorptance, vaporization, and plasma shielding cannot be neglected. Taking all the three mechanisms above simultaneously into account for the first time, we cause the present model to be more practical.     

A New Synthetical Model of High-Power Pulsed Laser Ablation

We develop a new synthetical model of high-power pulsed laser ablation, which considers the dynamic absorptance, vaporization, and plasma shielding. And the corresponding heat conduction equations with the initial and boundary conditions are given. The numerical solutions are obtained under the reasonable technical parameter conditions by taking YBa₂Cu₃O₇ target for example. The space-dependence and time-dependence of temperature in target at a certain laser fluence are presented, then, the transmitted intensity through plasma plume, space-dependence of temperature and ablation rate for different laser fluences are significantly analyzed. As a result, the satisfactorily good agreement between our numerical results and experimental results indicates that the influences of the dynamic absorptance, vaporization, and plasma shielding cannot be neglected. Taking all the three mechanisms above simultaneously into account for the first time, we cause the present model to be more practical.     

Effect of vapor attenuation in surface ablation of cobalt by pulsed UV laser

Numerical calculations based on a thermal model were presented, which describe the process of target heating and ablation of cobalt during irradiation by 30-ns laser pulses at 308 nm. The attenuation of laser by vapor has been taken into account in this model. As results of the calculations, the temperature distribution beneath the target surface and the temporal evolution of surface temperature were given. The dependence of ablation rate on laser fluence was also studied based on this model. The surface ablation of cobalt with pulsed excimer laser was investigated experimentally. Our model considering proper vapor attenuation has shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Received: 20 January 2000 / Accepted: 13 March 2000 / Published online: 5 July 2000     

飞秒双脉冲激光照射金属薄膜的热行为

通过双温方程对飞秒单脉冲与双脉冲照射金薄膜进行了计算模拟分析,得到了金靶的电子温度和晶格温度随着时间空间的变化。在同样激光能量密度下,单脉冲与双脉冲使得金膜温度的变化表明双脉冲使得更多的激光能量渗透到靶材内部,这些能量可以使得烧蚀深度更深,有利于提高激光烧蚀靶材的效率。计算结果显示随着激光能量密度的增加熔化面深度逐渐增加,单脉冲与双脉冲熔化面深度的变化明显不同。在激光能量密度高于损伤阈值附近,单脉冲的烧蚀深度大于双脉冲的烧蚀深度,随着激光能量密度增加,双脉冲的烧蚀深度将大于单脉冲的烧蚀深度。     

基于双相延迟模型的飞秒激光烧蚀金属模型

为了分析飞秒激光烧蚀过程,在双相延迟模型的基础上建立了双曲型热传导模型.模型中考虑了靶材的加热、蒸发和相爆炸,还考虑了等离子体羽流的形成和膨胀及其与入射激光的相互作用,以及光学和热物性参数随温度的变化.研究结果表明:等离子体屏蔽对飞秒激光烧蚀过程有重要的影响,特别是在激光能量密度较高时;两个延迟时间的比值对飞秒激光烧蚀过程中靶材的温度特性和烧蚀深度有较大的影响;飞秒激光烧蚀机制主要以相爆炸为主.飞秒激光烧蚀的热影响区域较小,而且热影响区域的大小受激光能量密度的影响较小.计算结果与文献中实验结果的对比表明基于双相延迟模型的飞秒激光烧蚀模型能有效对飞秒激光烧蚀过程进行模拟.     

Enhancement of pulsed laser ablation assisted with continuous wave laser irradiation

Continuous wave(CW) laser irradiation is employed to enhance the pulsed laser ablation of silicon and stainless steel(316 L)samples. Different surface temperatures generated by the CW laser irradiation are set as the initial working circumstance for the pulsed laser ablation. The diameter and depth of laser-ablated craters are measured to study threshold fluence, pulse incubation coefficient and ablation rate under different surface temperatures. Numerical simulation employing Heat Transfer in Solid and Deformed Geometry Interface modules in COMSOL is performed to estimate ablation rate theoretically based on Hertz-Knudsen equation. The realized crater-related data are analyzed to further obtain their dependences on surface temperature. The parametric and morphological studies indicate that the weakened plasma shielding effect and thermal diffusion in the ablated region induced by the CW laser irradiation lead to the enhanced pulsed laser ablation significantly.     

Thermo-mechanical laser ablation of soft biological tissue: modeling the micro-explosions

Characteristics of thermo-mechanical laser ablation process are investigated using an original numerical model. In contrast with previous models, it is based on a microscopic physical model of the micro-explosion process, which combines thermodynamic behavior of tissue water with elastic response of the solid tissue components. Diffusion of dissipated heat is treated in one dimension, and the amount of thermal damage is assessed using the Arrhenius model of the protein denaturation kinetics. Influence of the pulse fluence and duration on temperature profile development, ablation threshold, and depth of thermal damage is analyzed for the case of Er:YAG laser irradiation of human skin. Influence of mechanical properties on the ablation threshold of soft tissue is predicted theoretically for the first time. In addition, feasibility of deep tissue coagulation with a repetitively pulsed Er:YAG laser is indicated from the model. Received: 9 July 1998 / Revised version: 26 February 1999 / Published online: 26 May 1999     

Nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of silicon in liquids

Laser fluence and laser shot number are important parameters for pulse laser based micromachining of silicon in liquids. This paper presents laser-induced ablation of silicon in liquids of the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the water at different applied laser fluence levels and laser shot numbers. The experimental results are conducted using 15 ns pulsed laser irradiation at 532 nm. The silicon surface morphology of the irradiated spots has an appearance as one can see in porous formation. The surface morphology exhibits a large number of cavities which indicates as bubble nucleation sites. The observed surface morphology shows that the explosive melt expulsion could be a dominant process for the laser ablation of silicon in liquids using nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation at 532 nm. Silicon surface’s ablated diameter growth was measured at different applied laser fluences and shot numbers in both liquid interfaces. A theoretical analysis suggested investigating silicon surface etching in liquid by intense multiple nanosecond laser pulses. It has been assumed that the nanosecond pulsed laser-induced silicon surface modification is due to the process of explosive melt expulsion under the action of the confined plasma-induced pressure or shock wave trapped between the silicon target and the overlying liquid. This analysis allows us to determine the effective lateral interaction zone of ablated solid target related to nanosecond pulsed laser illumination. The theoretical analysis is found in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements of silicon ablated diameter growth in the DMSO and the water interfaces. Multiple-shot laser ablation threshold of silicon is determined. Pulsed energy accumulation model is used to obtain the single-shot ablation threshold of silicon. The smaller ablation threshold value is found in the DMSO, and the incubation effect is also found to be absent.     

纳秒脉冲激光沉积薄膜过程中的烧蚀特性研究

研究了高能短脉冲激光薄膜制备的整个烧蚀过程.首先建立了基于超热理论的烧蚀模型，然 后利用较为符合实际的高斯分布表示脉冲激光输入能量密度，给出了考虑蒸发效应不同阶段 的烧蚀状态方程.结合适当的边界条件，以Si靶材为例，利用有限差分法得到了靶材在各个 阶段温度随时间和烧蚀深度的演化分布规律及表面蒸发速度与烧蚀深度在不同激光辐照强度 下随时间的演化规律.结果表明，在脉冲激光辐照阶段，靶材表面的蒸发效应使得靶材表面 温度上升显著放缓；在激光辐照强度接近相爆炸能量阈值时，蒸发速度与蒸发厚度的变化由 于逆流现象将显著放缓.还得到了考虑了熔融弛豫时间及蒸发效应的固-液界面随时间的演化 方程，这一结论较先前工作更具有普适性. 关键词： 脉冲激光烧蚀 热流方程 温度演化 有限差分法     

A model of laser ablation with temperature-dependent material properties,vaporization, phase explosion and plasma shielding

Laser ablation of metals using nanosecond pulses occurs mainly due to vaporization. However, at high fluences, when the target is heated close to its critical temperature, phase explosion also occurs due to homogeneous nucleation. Due to a wide variation in target temperature, the material properties also show a considerable variation. In this paper, a model of laser ablation is presented that considers vaporization and phase explosion as mechanisms of material removal and also accounts for the variation in material properties up to critical temperature using some general and empirical theories. In addition, plasma shielding due to inverse bremsstrahlung and photo-ionization is considered. The model predicts accurately (within 5 %) the phase explosion threshold fluence of Al. The predictions of ablation depth by the model are in reasonable agreement with experimental measurements at low fluences. Whereas, the degree of error marginally increases at high laser fluences.     

Non-Thermal Laser Ablation Model for Micro-Surgical Applications

We have developed a non-thermal laser ablation model which may reduce thermal damage to neighboring structures. Based on this model, the three critical parameters for a well controlled non-thermal microsurgery are (1) the laser wavelength with its photon energy matching closely the bond dissociation energy, (2) the energy fluence must be above threshold to avoid thermal process due to non-radiative relaxation from the excited electronic states to vibrational, (3) ultra short laser pulses (few fs) to completely eliminate thermal and direct biomolecular reactions. In this model the UV laser photon dissociates the molecular bonds which leads to the splitting of longer polymer chains into small fragments. The excess energy if any may appear as kinetic energy in the polymer-fragments. The extreme rapidity of the bond breaking process reduces heat conduction. The model establishes a relationship between ablation depth per pulse, the absorption coefficient, the incident laser energy fluence, and the threshold energy fluence. The ablation depths per pulse were calculated for the polymers Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyimide for various commercially available UV lasers. It has been found that the minimum ablations depth occurs at 193 nm for both PMMA and polyimide. This assures a well defined incision with minimal thermal damage to the surrounding structures at this wavelength. There exists a definite threshold energy fluence for non-thermal ablation for any given biomolecule and below the threshold the non-radiative relaxation process may cause thermal ablation. New ultra fast lasers (few femtoseconds) (fs) will completely eliminate thermal diffusion as well as direct biomolecular reactions.     

Influence of scanning velocity on bovine shank bone ablation with pulsed CO2 laser

The influence of scanning speed on hard bone tissue ablation is studied with a 10.6-μm laser. The groove morphology and the thermal damage created in bovine shank bone by pulsed CO2 laser are examined as a function of incident fluence by optical microscope following standard histological processing. The results show that ablation groove width, depth and ablation volume, as well as the zone of thermal injury, increase gradually with incident fluence. As compared to the result for high scanning speed, the lower scanning speed always produces larger ablation volume but thicker zone of thermal injury. It is evident that scanning speed plays an important role in the ablation process. In clinical applications, it is important to select appropriate scanning speed to obtain both high ablation rates and minimal thermal injury.     

Thermal analysis of intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum

This paper numerically simulates the process of ablation of an aluminum target by an intense femtosecond laser with a fluence of 40 J/cm 2 based on the two-temperature equation,and obtains the evolution of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature over a large temporal and depth range,for the first time. By investigating the temporal evolution curves of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature at three representative depths of 0,100 nm and 500 nm,it reveals different characteristics and mechanisms of the free electron temperature evolution at different depths. The results show that,in the intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum,the material ablation is mainly induced by the thermal conduction of free electrons,instead of the direct absorption of the laser energy; in addition,the thermal conduction of free electrons and the coupling effect between electrons and lattice will induce the temperature of free electrons deep inside the target to experience a process from increase to decrease and finally to increase again.     

数值模拟飞秒激光加热金属的热电子发射

研究了超短超强激光脉冲与薄膜靶相互作用中产生的电子热发射.当超短激光脉冲与薄膜靶相互作用时,首先入射超短脉冲激光对吸收深度内的自由电子进行热激发,接下来热激发电子将能量传递到附近的晶格,再通过电子和晶格二体系的热传导,以及电子晶格间的热耦合,将能量传递到材料的内部.因此,电子在皮秒级甚至更短的时间内不能与晶格进行能量耦合,使电子温度超出晶格温度很多,电子热发射就变得非常明显了.用双温方程联合Richardson-Dushman方程的方法对飞秒脉冲激光照射金属靶的电子热发射进行了研究,结果发现电子热发射对飞     

Numerical Simulation on Expansion Process of Ablation Plasma Induced by Intense Pulsed Ion Beam

We present a one-dimensional time-dependent numerical model for the expansion process of ablation plasma induced by intense pulsed ion beam （IPIB）. The evolutions of density, velocity, temperature, and pressure of the ablation plasma of the aluminium target are obtained. The numerical results are well in agreement with the relative experimental data. It is shown that the expansion process of ablation plasma induced by IPIB includes strongly nonlinear effects and that shock waves appear during the propagation of the ablation plasma.     

脉冲激光烧蚀中电声弛豫时间的确定

为了提高脉冲激光制备薄膜的质量,准确掌握电声弛豫时间是关键,它对脉冲激光脉宽和能量密度的选取起着决定性的作用. 文中以铝靶材为例,利用经典的双温方程通过时域有限差分法(FDTD)得到电子、离子亚系统的温度随时间和位置演化的图像,进而得到电声弛豫时间的准确值. 这样便能准确划分热烧蚀和非平衡烧蚀,从而更好地控制激光的烧蚀过程. 同时找出了电声弛豫时间随激光脉宽以及能量密度变化的规律. 关键词： 飞秒激光 电声弛豫时间 双温方程 激光能量密度     

Nanosecond laser ablation for pulsed laser deposition of yttria

A thermal model to describe high-power nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of yttria (Y₂O₃) has been developed. This model simulates ablation of material occurring primarily through vaporization and also accounts for attenuation of the incident laser beam in the evolving vapor plume. Theoretical estimates of process features such as time evolution of target temperature distribution, melt depth and ablation rate and their dependence on laser parameters particularly for laser fluences in the range of 6 to 30 J/cm² are investigated. Calculated maximum surface temperatures when compared with the estimated critical temperature for yttria indicate absence of explosive boiling at typical laser fluxes of 10 to 30 J/cm². Material ejection in large fragments associated with explosive boiling of the target needs to be avoided when depositing thin films via the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique as it leads to coatings with high residual porosity and poor compaction restricting the protective quality of such corrosion-resistant yttria coatings. Our model calculations facilitate proper selection of laser parameters to be employed for deposition of PLD yttria corrosion-resistive coatings. Such coatings have been found to be highly effective in handling and containment of liquid uranium.     

Dynamics of excimer laser ablation of polyimide determined by time-resolved reflectivity

The time-dependent intensity profile of pulsed KrF excimer laser radiation reflected from polyimide is determined over a range of laser fluences, from well below to above the ablation threshold. The reflected laser beam is truncated once the incident laser radiation exceeds a threshold fluence, i.e., truncation depends on the energy per unit area and not on the intensity, analogous to results for the ablation threshold and the etch depth per pulse. The threshold fluence for pulse truncation corresponds to the onset of ablation. The results indicate that the truncation is not due to laser plasma interactions at these fluences. A general mechanism is discussed involving a time dependent index of refraction.