An investigation into the effects of high laser fluence on hydroxyapatite/calcium phosphate films deposited by pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposited mixed hydroxyapatite (HA)/calcium phosphate thin films were prepared at room temperature using KrF laser source with different laser fluence varying between 2.4 J/cm² and 29.2 J/cm². Samples deposited at 2.4 J/cm² were partially amorphous and had rough surfaces with a lot of droplets while higher laser fluences showed higher level of crytallinity and lower roughness of surfaces of obtained samples. Higher laser fluences also decreased ratio Ca/P of as-deposited samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed traces of carbonate groups in obtained samples, which were removed after thermal annealing. The decomposition of HA into TCP was observed to start at about 400 °C. The formation of new crystalline phase of HA was found after annealing as well. The cracks observed on surface of sample deposited at 29.2 J/cm² after annealing indicated that the HA/ calcium phosphate films deposited at higher laser energy densities were probably more densed.     

On the growth of gadolinia-doped ceria by pulsed laser deposition

In order to establish a new platform to manufacture micro-sized solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with low operating temperatures, new design concepts, new preparation methods and new materials are being explored. Our studies in this paper are focused on the electrolyte material, and in particular gadolinia doped ceria (GDC), an electrolyte material, likely to replace the traditional yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) for low temperature applications. GDC films were grown on a single crystal Si by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The microstructure of the films as a function of growth time has been studied. We have found that the mean grain size increases with film thickness h as h^2/5, in agreement with theoretical results.     

A simple technique for quickly measuring the spot size of Gaussian laser beams

A simple and accurate technique for measuring the spot size of Gaussian laser beams by scanning the beam with an opaque ribbon is proposed. The usefulness of this technique is verified experimentally.     

Designs for optimizing depth of focus and spot size for UV laser ablation

The proposed optical systems are designed for extending the depths of foci (DOF) of UV lasers, which can be exploited in the laser-ablation technologies, such as laser machining and lithography. The designed systems are commonly constructed by an optical module that has at least one aspherical surface. Two configurations of optical module, lens-only and lens-reflector, are presented with the designs of 2-lens and 1-lens-1-reflector demonstrated by commercially optical software. Compared with conventional DOF-enhanced systems, which required the chromatic aberration lenses and the light sources with multiple wavelengths, the proposed designs are adapted to the single-wavelength systems, leading to more economical and efficient systems.     

Effect of pulse width and fluence of femtosecond laser on the size of nanobump array

Conical nanobump arrays were generated on gold thin film processed by interfering femtosecond laser. The transition of the height and diameter as functions of fluence and pulse width was investigated. When the fluence was 87 mJ/cm², the height and diameter were not so different at 350 fs or shorter pulse width. They decreased at longer pulse width, and no bump could be generated over 1.6 ps. The results suggest the decrease of size is due to the diffusion of electron to not-excited region, and due to heat conduction to not heated region or substrate, or change of absorbance of laser. At long pulse width of 2.4 ps and relatively higher fluence of 190 mJ/cm², nanobump had liquid-like structure as a stop motion of a water drop.     

Photon sieve for reduction of the far-field diffraction spot size in the laser free-space communication system

In the free-space laser communication, there is sometimes a strong need for reduction of the diffraction spot size in the far field. In this paper, instead of the usage of the larger size aperture lens and super-resolution technology in the free-space laser communication system, we introduce photon sieve to compress the center spot in the diffractive far field, which can decrease the weight of the emitting lens. We have designed the photon sieve and calculated its far-field diffractive intensity. We have also calculated the far field Airy diffractive field intensity. Simulation proves that the photon sieve diffractive spot is smaller than the Airy spot with the same transmit aperture. We have set up an experimental system to simulate the far-field diffraction free-space laser communication. Experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical results. Detailed experiments are presented.     

激光光斑形状和尺寸对扫描显示中散斑对比度的影响

计算了圆形、矩形激光光斑对于激光扫描显示系统中散斑对比度的影响.对于圆形光斑,当光斑尺寸大于散射表面相关长度时,得到的散斑对比度随着光斑尺寸变小而下降;当光斑尺寸接近表面相关长度大小时,由于光斑中包含的散射颗粒变少,得到的是非高斯散斑,散斑的对比度反而会变大;随着激光斑进一步变小,由于镜面反射效果散斑的对比度会很快下降.对圆形光斑部分结果给出了实验验证.为了保证光斑中有足够的散射颗粒,只在一个方向压窄光斑,分别计算了平行于扫描方向和垂直于扫描方向压窄光斑得到的散斑对比度.平行于扫描方向压窄光斑,散斑的时间相关性会下降,平均效果变明显,散斑的对比度变小;垂直于扫描方向压窄,散斑对比度变化不大.     

Optical extinction for determining the size distribution of gold nanoparticles fabricated by ultra-short pulsed laser ablation

This work presents a method, based on measurements of the optical extinction spectra, to determine the size of spherical gold nanoparticles produced using the femtosecond laser ablation process in deionized water. By using an improved theoretical model that modifies the contribution of the free electrons to the dielectric function introducing a size-dependent term, it is possible to fit the full experimental extinction spectrum considering a certain size distribution. Additionally, in order to obtain complementary measurements of the size distribution, TEM analysis was performed. The results obtained showed that the predominant nanoparticle size distribution ranges from 1 to 11 nm in terms of radii. An optical extinction measurement together with an appropriate theoretical model based on Mie’s theory represents a simple, low-cost, fast and easy method to describe a multimodal size distribution of spherical gold nanoparticles.     

Effect of laser spot size on fusion neutron yield in laser--deuterium cluster interactions

The effect of the laser spot size on the neutron yield of table-top nuclear fusion from explosions of a femtosecond intense laser pulse heated deuterium clusters is investigated by using a simplified model, in which the cluster size distribution and the energy attenuation of the laser as it propagates through the cluster jet are taken into account. It has been found that there exists a proper laser spot size for the maximum fusion neutron yield for a given laser pulse and a specific deuterium gas cluster jet. The proper spot size, which is dependent on the laser parameters and the cluster jet parameters, has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. A reasonable agreement between the calculated results and the published experimental results is found.     

A simple model for high fluence ultra-short pulsed laser metal ablation

The ultra-short laser metal ablation is a very complex process, the complete simulation of which requires applications of complicated hydrodynamics or molecular dynamics models, which, however, are often time-consuming and difficult to apply. For many practical applications, where the laser ablation depth is the main concern, a simplified model that is easy to apply but at the same time can also provide reasonably accurate predictions of ablation depth is very desirable. Such a model has been developed and presented in this paper, which has been found to be applicable for laser pulse duration up to 10 ps based on comparisons of model predictions with experimental measurements.     

Effects of laser fluence on near-field surface nanostructuring

In this work, molecular dynamics simulation is performed to explore the long-time (up to 5 ns) behavior of argon crystal in surface nanostructuring with an extremely localized near-field laser beam. The surface nanostructuring region is limited to tens of nanometers in diameter, although the simulated systems are much larger (comprised of more than 770,000 atoms). This study focuses on the long-time solidification and crystallization procedure, which is driven by the heat conduction in the material. The effect of the computational domain on the final nanostructure is studied in detail. Different laser fluences are used in the simulation to explore how and to what extent the energy input affects the dynamic melting behavior and the final dimension and profile of the surface nanostructure. In-depth theoretical investigation gives satisfactory explanation of the effect of the laser fluence on the melting depth. Spot-like structural defects in the sub-surface region are observed and investigated until full solidification.     

Fluorescence method for determining laser parameters

This paper describes a method for determining some important laser parameters from the fluorescence changes of an excited media induced by a resonant laser pulse. The parameters measured include stimulated emission cross-section, metastable level population and spectral relaxation rate. Results are reported for Nd³⁺ in silicate and phosphite glasses and in solution in POCl₃ and SeOCl₂.     

Method for determining the efficacy of laser photophoresis

We used a laser scanning microscope to study the efficacy of laser photophoresis as a function of the type of biological tissue, the solvent for the agent to be introduced, and the wavelength of the laser radiation. We have observed that under optimal conditions, the penetration depth of the agent in the tissue at the half-concentration level and the total amount of the agent introduced when using laser radiation may exceed the analogous values with no irradiation by a factor of 1.76 and 1.55 respectively.     

Superhydrophobicity of polytetrafluoroethylene thin film fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

Superhydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thin films were obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique carried out with KrF excimer laser (λ = 248 nm) of about 1 J/cm² at a pressure of 1.33 Pa. The samples exhibit high water contact angle of about 170° and the sliding angle smaller than 2°. From studying the surface morphology of the prepared films, it is believed that the nano-scale surface roughness has enhanced the hydrophobic property of the PTFE. The increase of trapping air and reducing liquid-solid contact area due to the rough surface, as suggested by the Cassie-Baxter's model, should be responsible for superhydrophobicity of the PLD prepared films. This study thus provides a convenient one-step method without using wet-process to produce a superhydrophobic surface with good self-cleaning properties.     

Studies on CdTe films deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique

Polycrystalline cadmium telluride films were successfully deposited on glass substrates by ablating a CdTe target by pulsed Nd–YAG laser. Microstructural studies indicated an increase in the average crystallite size from 15 nm to ∼50 nm with the increase in substrate temperature during deposition. The films deposited here were slightly tellurium rich. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated that the films deposited at 300 K had wurtzite structure while those deposited above 573 K were predominantly of zinc blende structure. Residual strain in the films deposited at 300 K was quite low as compared to those deposited at higher temperatures. PL spectra of all the CdTe films were dominated by a strong peak at ∼921 nm (∼1.347 eV) followed by a low intensity peak at ∼863 nm (∼1.438 eV). Characteristics Raman peaks for CdTe indicated a peak at ∼120 cm⁻¹ followed by peaks located at ∼140 cm⁻¹ and 160 cm⁻¹.     

高能X射线源焦斑尺寸的时间分辨诊断

将门控分幅相机与快闪烁晶体结合,构成时间分辨X射线诊断系统,对神龙一号直线感应加速器产生的高能脉冲X射线源焦斑进行了测量,在时间间隔为10 ns的情况下,获得了焦斑尺寸随时间的变化曲线。在此基础上,设计了单像素尺寸为0.78 mm×0.78 mm的LYSO闪烁晶体阵列,并进行了X射线照射晶体阵列发光的初步实验,结果表明该阵列可用于高能X射线源焦斑的时间分辨诊断,并能显著提高成像的空间分辨力。     

高能X射线源焦斑尺寸的时间分辨诊断

将门控分幅相机与快闪烁晶体结合,构成时间分辨X射线诊断系统,对神龙一号直线感应加速器产生的高能脉冲X射线源焦斑进行了测量,在时间间隔为10 ns的情况下,获得了焦斑尺寸随时间的变化曲线。在此基础上,设计了单像素尺寸为0.78 mm×0.78 mm的LYSO闪烁晶体阵列,并进行了X射线照射晶体阵列发光的初步实验,结果表明该阵列可用于高能X射线源焦斑的时间分辨诊断,并能显著提高成像的空间分辨力。     

Influence on the laser induced backside dry etching of thickness and material of the absorber, laser spot size and multipulse irradiation

Laser induced backside dry etching method (LIBDE) was developed - analogously to the well-known laser induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) technique - for the micromachining of transparent materials. In this procedure, the absorbing liquid applied during LIBWE was replaced with solid metal layers. Fused silica plates were used as transparent targets. These were coated with 15-120 nm thick layers of different metals (silver, aluminium and copper). The absorbing films were irradiated by a nanosecond KrF excimer laser beam through the quartz plate. The applied fluence was varied in the 150-2000 mJ/cm² range, while the irradiated area was between 0.35 and 3.6 mm². At fluences above the threshold values, it was found that the metal layers were removed from the irradiated spots and the fused silica was etched at the same time. In our experiments, we investigated the dependence of the main parameters (etch rate and threshold) of LIBDE on the absorption of the different metal layers (silver, copper, aluminium), on the size of the irradiated area, on the film thickness and on the number of processing laser pulses.     

Fluorescence spectra of Rhodamine 6G for high fluence excitation laser radiation

Fluorescence spectral changes of Rhodamine 6G in ethanol and glycerol solutions and deposited as a film on a silica surface have been studied using a wide range of pumping field fluence at 532 nm at room temperature. Blue shift of the fluorescence spectra and fluorescence quenching of the dye molecule in solution are observed at high excitation fluence values. Such effects are not reported for the film sample. The effects are interpreted as the result of population redistribution in the solute-solvent molecular system induced by the high fluence field and the fluence dependence of the radiationless decay mechanism.