Formation of extended periodic microstructures by “Point” irradiation of gold film by femtosecond laser pulses

Extended periodic microstructures are formed on a thin gold film by femtosecond laser radiation. The structure length is an order of magnitude larger than the typical size of the irradiated region. The detection of gold photoions generated in the process of the microstructuring ensures a high-sensitivity on-line diagnostics of this phenomenon.     

Analytical study on metal microstructures using femtosecond laser

We made considerations for microstructures on chromium film observed after femtosecond laser irradiation through an analytical study. Laser diffraction through an optical system with a rectangular aperture was analyzed for the estimation of intensity distribution at the focal point. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was also performed for the examination of laser ablation of metal by taking account of the electron–phonon relaxation. From results of diffraction calculation, it was shown that a typical surface pattern is significantly affected by laser intensity distribution. On the other hand, it may be estimated through the MD simulation that the porosity formation evolves by cumulative pulses with energy close to the ablation threshold and their surrounding grows to microcolumns with volume expansion. PACS 68.08.De; 68.35.-p     

Formation of solar absorber surface on nickel with femtosecond laser irradiation

Through femtosecond (fs) laser pulse irradiation, we produce two-dimensional quasiperiodic arrays of nanostructure-covered conical microstructures (NC-CMs) on Ni. We also find that a significant amount of nickel oxide covers NC-CMs owing to the interaction of fs laser pulses with Ni in ambient air. We show that, by controlling the fluence of laser, the reflectance of the fs laser-treated Ni surface can change dramatically in the infrared but the surface still has a high absorptance at UV and visible wavelengths. Because of this unique spectral reflectance, the fs laser-treated Ni surface is well suited for use as a solar absorber surface.     

Colorizing mechanism of brass surface by femtosecond laser induced microstructures

In this paper, we exhibit the colorizing of brass surfaces by forming femtosecond laser induced microstructures on the sample surfaces. A variety of single colors such as brown, yellow, green, and black are introduced on brass surfaces by engineering periodic microgratings, microholes, and ring-shaped micro-patterns using Single Beam Direct Laser Writing (SBDLW) technique. The color of the micro-structured brass surfaces is certainly dependent on the width, depth, and period of the microstructures. Finally, we explain, in brief, the colorizing mechanism of metals by femtosecond laser induced microstructures.     

Formation of conical microstructures upon laser evaporation of solids

The formation and development of the large-scale periodic structures on a single crystal Si surface are studied upon its evaporation by pulsed radiation of a copper vapor laser (wavelength of 510.6 nm, pulse duration of 20 ns). The development of structures occurs at a high number of laser shots (∼10⁴) at laser fluence of 1–2 J/cm² below optical breakdown in a wide pressure range of surrounding atmosphere from 1 to 10⁵ Pa. The structures are cones with angles of 25, which grow towards the laser beam and protrude above the initial surface for 20–30 μm. It is suggested that the spatial period of the structures (10–20 μm) is determined by the capillary waves period on the molten surface. The X-ray diffractometry reveals that the modified area of the Si substrate has a polycrystalline structure and consists of Si nanoparticles with a size of 40–70 nm, depending on the pressure of surrounding gas. Similar structures are also observed on Ge and Ti. Received: 12 February 2000 / Accepted: 28 March 2000 / Published online: 20 June 2001     

Photoconductive properties of titanium dioxide film modified by femtosecond laser irradiation

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films were irradiated with a femtosecond laser to alter their photoconductive properties. The laser wavelength and pulse duration were 775 nm and 150 fs, respectively. The TiO₂ films irradiated with the femtosecond laser were darkened without changing the topography of the TiO₂ film surface. The electrical resistances of the films as a function of time were measured under visible-light illumination. The transient electrical resistances decreased as time was increased after turning on the light. There were two stages in the reduction process of the electrical resistance.     

不同气氛下飞秒激光诱导硅表面微结构

利用钛宝石飞秒激光脉冲对单晶硅在SF6、空气和真空环境中进行了累积脉冲辐照,研究了硅表面微结构的演化。在SF6气氛中,在激光辐照的初始阶段,硅表面形成了１维的波纹结构,随着辐照脉冲数的增加,波纹结构演化成了２维凹凸结构。累积600个脉冲后,硅表面产生了准规则排列且具有大纵横比的锥形尖峰结构。该结构呈现高度相对较低、锥形尖端小球不明显的特征,分析认为主要与环境气压的大小有关。对比空气、SF6和真空中的微结构发现,尖峰的数密度依次减小;SF6中形成的尖峰高度最大,其次为真空,再次为空气。研究结果表明,真空、SF6和空气3种环境下微结构的形成及表面形貌主要由激光烧蚀、化学刻蚀和氧化决定。     

Nanofoaming in the surface of biopolymers by femtosecond pulsed laser irradiation

In this work, the nanostructuring induced in femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation of biopolymers is examined in self-standing films of collagen and gelatine. Irradiation by single 90 fs pulses at 800, 400 and 266 nm is shown to result in the formation of a modified layer with submicrometric size structures. The size and uniformity of the observed features are strongly dependent on irradiation wavelength and on the characteristics of the biopolymer (water content and mechanical strength). Examination of the films by laser induced fluorescence serves to assess the chemical modifications induced by laser irradiation, revealing changes in the emission bands assigned to the aromatic amino acid tyrosine and its degradation products. The results are discussed in the framework of a mechanism involving the generation of large free-electron densities, through multiphoton and avalanche ionization, which determine the temperature and stress distribution in the irradiated volume.     

Formation of domain reversal by direct irradiation with femtosecond laser in lithium niobate

We propose that domain inversion can be directly induced by femtosecond laser both theoretically and experimentally, which opens a path to achieve three-dimensional （3D） nonlinear crystal with a period in sub-micron-scale. A simulation of domain inversion is modeled by considering the temporal distribution of femtosecond pulses. The calculation results clarify that the domain inversions can happen within or after the interaction with the laser pulse, and the response time of domain inversion is in the picosecond level depending on the intensity and the materials. The domain reversal windows of lithium niobate by femtosecond laser are observed which agrees with theoretical predictions qualitatively.     

Sub-100-nm laser-induced periodic surface structures upon irradiation of titanium by Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulses in air

The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on titanium upon irradiation with linearly polarized femtosecond (fs) laser pulses (τ=30 fs, λ=790 nm) in an air environment is studied experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, the dependence on the laser fluence and the number of laser pulses per irradiation spot has been analyzed. For a moderate number of laser pulses (N<1000) and at fluences between ～0.09 and ～0.35 J/cm², predominantly low-spatial-frequency-LIPSS with periods between 400 nm and 800 nm are observed perpendicular to the polarization. In a narrow fluence range between 0.05 and 0.09 J/cm², high-spatial-frequency-LIPSS with sub-100-nm spatial periods (～λ/10) can be generated with an orientation parallel to the polarization (N=50). These experimental results are complemented by calculations based on a theoretical LIPSS model and compared to the present literature.     

飞秒激光烧蚀硅材料表面形成周期波纹形貌研究

基于Sipe-Drude模型和表面等离子体激元(SPP)的干涉理论分别对单脉冲飞秒激光诱导硅表面形成低频率周期性波纹进行分析研究.探究了波长800 nm、脉宽150 fs的单个飞秒激光烧蚀硅造成不同激发水平下波纹形貌的变化,考虑到材料的光学性质变化(由Drude模型得到的介电常数变化),引入包含双温方程的电子数密度模型.计算结果表明,Sipe-Drude和SPP理论都适用于分析和解释高激发态下周期性波纹,但Sipe-Drude理论更适合分析更为广泛的周期性波纹结构.同时,波纹延伸方向总是垂直于入射激光偏振方向,其空间周期略小于激光波长,并受到入射激光通量的影响.在激光通量为0.38 J/cm~2时,波纹周期达到最小值.另外,还得到了不同入射角度的波纹周期变化情况,并在不同偏振态下随入射角度增大时波纹周期呈现相反的变化趋势.该研究对于理解飞秒激光造成硅表面形成周期结构及其在加工硅材料领域具有重要参考意义.     

Simulation of thermionic emission optimization in femtosecond laser irradiation metal film by two-layer structure

The thermionic emission of the single-layer gold thin film and the two-layer film was assembled by gold padded with other metals (Ag, Cu, and Ni) and irradiated by the femtosecond laser pulse. Additionally, the emission was simulated by a two-temperature model combined with the Richardson–Dushman equation. It was found that the two-layer metal structure can change the electron temperature of the gold surface and control the thermionic emission compared with the single-layer gold film. With the same laser fluence, the two-layer film structure may shorten the duration of thermionic emission, and the duration of the thermionic emission can be further optimized by changing the proportion of thin film thickness with gold layer in the two-layer structure. The result can be especially beneficial in the context of ultrafast electron emission induced by femtosecond laser.     

Formation mechanism of element distribution in glass under femtosecond laser irradiation

We report on the formation mechanism of element distribution in glass under high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser irradiation. We simultaneously focused two beams of femtosecond laser pulses inside a glass and confirmed the formation of characteristically shaped element distributions. The results of the numerical simulation in which we considered concentration- and temperature-gradient-driven diffusions were in excellent qualitative agreement with the experimental results, indicating that the main driving force is the sharp temperature gradient. Since the composition of a glass affects its refractive index, absorption, and luminescence property, the results in this study provide a framework to fabricate a functional optical device such as optical circuits with a high-repetition-rate femtosecond laser.     

Porous microstructures induced by picosecond laser scanning irradiation on stainless steel surface

A study of porous surfaces having micropores significantly smaller than laser spot on the stainless steel 304L sample surface induced by a picosecond regenerative amplified laser, operating at 1064 nm, is presented. Variations in the interaction regime of picosecond laser pulses with stainless steel surfaces at peak irradiation fluences(F_pk=0.378–4.496 J/cm²) with scanning speeds(v=125–1000 μm/s) and scan line spacings(s=0–50 μm) have been observed and thoroughly investigated. It is observed that interactions within these parameters allows for the generation of well-defined structured surfaces. To investigate the formation mechanism of sub-focus micropores, the influence of key processing parameters has been analyzed using a pre-designed laser pulse scanning layout. Appearances of sub-focus ripples and micropores with the variation of laser peak fluence, scanning speed and scan line spacing have been observed. The dependencies of surface structures on these interaction parameters have been preliminarily verified. With the help of the experimental results obtained, interaction parameters for fabrication of large area homogeneous porous structures with the feature sizes in the range of 3–15 μm are determined.     

Formation of two-dimensional periodic microstructures by a single shot of three interfered femtosecond laser pulses on the surface of silica glass

Two-dimensional periodic microstructures, including both microholes and micro-orbicular platforms, have been fabricated on the surface of silica glass by a single shot of three interfered femtosecond laser pulses. The three-dimensional structure of a fabricated hexagonal lattice can be revealed by atomic force microscopy. The formation of the microstructure and the dynamic process of the interaction between the femtosecond laser and the silica glass have been discussed.     

Crystalline orientation effects on conical structure formation in femtosecond laser irradiation of silicon and germanium

Irradiation of Si(1 0 0), Si(1 1 1), Si(1 1 0), Ge(1 0 0), and Ge(1 1 1) is compared for 150 fs, 800 nm wavelength pulses in a rough vacuum atmosphere. The surface crystalline orientation of the material is found to affect the final morphology, with (1 1 1)- and (1 1 0)-surface orientations exhibiting a much higher tendency for conical structure formation under multiple-pulse irradiation. Using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, the structures on Si(1 1 1) are found to have primarily crystalline cores with the same crystalline orientation as the substrate. The results show that the crystalline orientation of the target should be considered in laser machining applications.     

Multipulse irradiation of silicon by femtosecond laser pulses: Variation of surface morphology

The multipulse interaction of ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulses with silicon and generation of surface structures in a large area spot (?1 mm²) has been studied. The evolution of multiscale structures at the constant fluence strongly depends on the number of pulses, N. For N < 200, the “carpet-like” pattern of nano-, and micro-spikes is generated by the bubble explosion in a thin surface foam layer. The accumulation of bubbles and their explosion due to repetition of laser pulses cause damped membrane-like oscillations of the silicon surface. For 200 ≤ N, bifurcation of surface morphology takes place: (i) the surface tension waves of the wavelength ∼200 μm appear in the peripheral region of the spot. Generated by the surface thermal gradient in the liquid foam layer, they spread from the hot centerline towards the periphery of the spot. The change of their wavelength with propagation distance indicates onset of the Eckhaus instability caused by the phase modulation in multipulse interaction. (ii) Deep caverns appear in a highly superheated silicon layer in the central region of the spot due to the fast gas-liquid phase separation and the fragmentation process.     

Nanofoaming dynamics in biopolymers by femtosecond laser irradiation

We have recently shown that irradiation of self-standing films of the biopolymers collagen and gelatine with single femtosecond laser pulses produces a nanofoaming layer with regular bubble size which can be controlled by wavelength selection. Following these initial studies, here we report on the temporal evolution of the foaming effect by measurements in situ and in real time of the change in the transmittance of a cw probe HeNe laser through the irradiated films. Self standing films of the biopolymers were irradiated with 90 fs laser pulses at 800, 400, and 266 nm. For fluences below and above the modification threshold a permanent attenuation of the transmission occurs (increasing with fluence). The initial decay of the transmission is fast (around few tens of ns), and is followed by dynamics in the longer timescale (micro and milliseconds). The temporal evolution of the transmission measured upon fs laser irradiation is similar with that determined in the irradiation of the biopolymer films at 248 nm with 25 ns laser pulses. The method allows separating in time the different processes occurring after irradiation that lead to a permanent nanofoaming structure, while the results allow us to understand the mechanisms of femtosecond laser processing of the biopolymers and their interest in biomedical applications.     

Formation of conical emission of supercontinuum during filamentation of femtosecond laser radiation in fused silica

The formation of conical emission of supercontinuum during filamentation of femtosecond laser pulses with central wavelengths in a wide range is studied experimentally, numerically, and analytically. The frequency-angular intensity distribution of the spectral components of conical emission is determined by the interference of supercontinuum emission in a filament of a femtosecond laser pulse. The interference of supercontinuum emission has a general character, exists at different regimes of group velocity dispersion, gives rise to the fine spectral structure after the pulse splitting into subpulses and the formation of a distributed supercontinuum source in an extended filament, and causes the decomposition of the continuous spectrum of conical emission into many high-contrast maxima after pulse refocusing in the filament. In spectroscopic studies with a tunable femtosecond radiation source based on a TOPAS parametric amplifier, we used an original scheme with a wedge fused silica sample. Numerical simulations have been performed using a system of equations of nonlinear-optical interaction of laser radiation under conditions of diffraction, wave nonstationarity, and material dispersion in fused silica. The analytic study is based on the interference model of formation of conical emission by supercontinuum sources moving in a filament.