Laser-assisted surface cleaning of metallic components

Removal of a thin oxide layer from a tungsten ribbon and ThO₂ particulates from zircaloy surface was achieved using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The removal mechanism of the oxide layer from the tungsten ribbon was identified as spallation or sublimation depending on the wavelength and fluence of the coherent radiation. The oxidized and cleaned surfaces were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Laser-cleaned tungsten ribbons were used in a thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) to determine isotopic composition of neodymium atoms. The fundamental (1064 nm) and the third harmonic (355 nm) radiations were found to be the most effective in removing ThO₂ particulates from the zircaloy surface. Decontamination efficiency was found to be critically dependent on the wavelength of the coherent radiation and number of exposures. The mechanism of cleaning of ThO₂ particulates from the zircaloy surface at different wavelengths of the incident radiation has been explained qualitatively.     

Laser surface cleaning of organic contaminants

Laser surface cleaning process has been a useful and efficient technique for various industrial applications. The removal of photoresist contaminants on silicon wafers was investigated with a krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser, and the irradiated area was characterized using a profilometer, a scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), an Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and a Fourier transition infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It was found that there exist an optimal number of pulses to remove the contaminant from the substrate surface without any laser-induced damage, depending on the laser density on the surface. A model to predict the optimal number of pulses, which agrees well with Beer–Lambert's law, is proposed and proved to be operable.     

Particle on surface: 3D-effects in dry laser cleaning

Previous analysis of dry laser cleaning within the frame of a one-dimensional (1D) model with homogeneous surface heating shows that this model disagrees with experiments by one–two orders of magnitude. The particle on the surface produces an inhomogeneous intensity distribution in its vicinity due to scattering and diffraction. This produces a nonstationary 3D distribution of the temperature and nonstationary 3D thermal deformations of the surface. If one uses the Mie theory for calculation of inhomogeneous intensity then in some region of the parameters, the 3D model predicts results close to the experimental ones. The next step was done when the scattering effects for radiation reflected from the surface was taken into account (so-called “particle on surface” problem). This approach yields results close to the experimental one within the wide range of parameters. PACS 42.25.Fx; 42.25.Hz; 81.65.CfAn erratum to this article can be found at .     

Dominant role of dielectronic satellites in the radiation spectra of a laser plasma near the target surface

It is shown that in a dense, not very hot, multiply charged plasma the satellite structures of resonance lines can become more intense than the resonance lines themselves. Experimental and theoretical investigations show that the conditions under which the satellite structures dominate in the emission spectrum of the plasma are quite easily realized experimentally and, furthermore, apparently they will be the most typical case in investigations of compressed plasma regions in inertial-confinement fusion experiments and in the study of plasma produced by high-contrast pico-and femtosecond laser pulses. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 9, 679–684 (10 May 1997)     

One-dimensional Ge nanostructures on Si(001) and Si(1 1 10): Dominant role of surface energy

Ge/Si(001) is a prototypical system for investigating three-dimensional island self-assembly owed to the Stranski–Krastanow growth mode. More than twenty years of research have produced an impressive amount of results, together with various theoretical interpretations. It is commonly believed that lattice-mismatch strain relief is the major driving force leading to the formation of these islands. However, a set of recent results on Si(001) and vicinals point out that, under suitable conditions, this is not the case. Indeed, we here review experimental and theoretical results dealing with nanostructures mainly determined by surface-energy minimization. Results are intriguing, as they reveal the existence of magic sizes, show the presence of very peculiar morphologies, such as micron-long wires, and distinguish among attempts to facet the wetting-layer and true SK islands.     

Effect of silicon surface cleaning procedures on oxidation kinetics and surface chemistry

The effect of surface cleaning procedures on the kinetics of thermal oxide growth on silicon is presented. The goal is to relate the properties of the cleaned surface (composition, chemistry, impurity content) to the changes in oxide growth mechanisms. Experimentally, silicon (100) wafers were given different variations of an RCA clean, and then oxidized in dry O₂ at 900°C producing oxides with thicknesses between 170 and 3900 Å. The results, in general agreement with earlier studies, show that the percentage difference in thickness is strongly dependent on oxide thickness. The data, which are explained in terms of the predictions of a linear-parabolic and a parallel oxidation model, suggest that the surface cleans do not alter the diffusion of molecular oxygen in the oxide. Auger analysis of the surfaces shows that there is a substantial carbon contamination on the HF stripped wafer which is considerably reduced after a 5 min N₂ anneal.     

Simulation study and experiment on laser-ablation surface cleaning

A study of the ablation effects of an ultra-short pulsed Nd : YAG laser was carried out. Using a 21 μm Zn-coated carbon steel plate as the target, the relationship between ablation rate and laser fluence was investigated through computer simulation and experiment, and the optimal processing conditions were determined. The tendency of the scanning operation curve was confirmed and the data obtained were taken as a guide for the practical utilization of this technique. Finally, a decontamination factor was introduced and satisfactory cleaning was obtained.     

Laser-assisted growth of diamond particulates on a silicon surface from a cyclohexane liquid

Received: 10 October 1997/Accepted: 13 January 1998     

Influence of surface cleaning on dewetting of thin polystyrene films

Thin polystyrene (PS) films on top of silicon substrates are a frequently investigated model system in the framework of unstable films. However, with respect to stability the various experiments yielded contradictory results. Focussing on the influence of preparation conditions such as the surface cleaning solves these contradictions. By applying different surface cleans the PS film can be changed from a stable homogeneous one into a completely dewetted one. In addition to the type of clean applied, the time between cleaning the surface and spin-coating the polymeric layer on top turned out to be an important experimental parameter.Received: 1 August 2003PACS: 68.55.-a Thin film structure and morphology - 68.15. + e Liquid thin films - 68.47.Mn Polymer surfaces     

Modeling of surface cleaning by cavitation bubble dynamics and collapse

Surface cleaning using cavitation bubble dynamics is investigated numerically through modeling of bubble dynamics, dirt particle motion, and fluid material interaction. Three fluid dynamics models; a potential flow model, a viscous model, and a compressible model, are used to describe the flow field generated by the bubble all showing the strong effects bubble explosive growth and collapse have on a dirt particle and on a layer of material to remove. Bubble deformation and reentrant jet formation are seen to be responsible for generating concentrated pressures, shear, and lift forces on the dirt particle and high impulsive loads on a layer of material to remove. Bubble explosive growth is also an important mechanism for removal of dirt particles, since strong suction forces in addition to shear are generated around the explosively growing bubble and can exert strong forces lifting the particles from the surface to clean and sucking them toward the bubble. To model material failure and removal, a finite element structure code is used and enables simulation of full fluid–structure interaction and investigation of the effects of various parameters. High impulsive pressures are generated during bubble collapse due to the impact of the bubble reentrant jet on the material surface and the subsequent collapse of the resulting toroidal bubble. Pits and material removal develop on the material surface when the impulsive pressure is large enough to result in high equivalent stresses exceeding the material yield stress or its ultimate strain. Cleaning depends on parameters such as the relative size between the bubble at its maximum volume and the particle size, the bubble standoff distance from the particle and from the material wall, and the excitation pressure field driving the bubble dynamics. These effects are discussed in this contribution.     

Laser surface cleaning, de-rusting, de-painting and de-oxidizing

Many materials have been tested as substrates and surface products. Typically ferrous (Carbon Steels and Stainless Steels) and non-ferrous (Al and Cu metals and its alloys) materials have been employed. Some epoxy, polyurethane, polyester and acrylic paints with different thickness and colour have been tested. Many types of surface rust and oxide on different bulk material have been undertaken to test. Similarly, some different types of oils and greases commonly used in industry to prevent oxidation, have been studied. Different types of laser sources have been employed: an axial fast flow, 1.5 kW CO₂ c.w. and pulsed laser source emitting a 10.6 7m beam; and a portable Nd:YAG laser, Q-switchedand normal-mode source: 1st harmonic 1.064 7m (6 ns pulse duration), 2nd harmonic 532 nm (120 7s duration pulse, 1 J max per pulse) wavelengths, multi-articulated seven mirror beam guiding device, 20 Hz repetition rate. This provides shots with 600 mJ maximum energy per pulse and 100 MW peak power per pulse with very low beam divergence: 0.5 mrad at full angle.     

Depth-dependent magnetism in epitaxial MnSb thin films: effects of surface passivation and cleaning

Depth-dependent magnetism in MnSb(0001) epitaxial films has been studied by combining experimental methods with different surface specificities: polarized neutron reflectivity, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), x-ray resonant magnetic scattering and spin-polarized low energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). A native oxide ～4.5?nm thick covers air-exposed samples which increases the film's coercivity. HCl etching efficiently removes this oxide and in situ surface treatment of etched samples enables surface magnetic contrast to be observed in SPLEEM. A thin Sb capping layer prevents oxidation and preserves ferromagnetism throughout the MnSb film. The interpretation of Mn L(3,2) edge XMCD data is discussed.     

The role of atomic hydrogen in pre-epitaxial silicon substrate cleaning

The cleaning of silicon (Si) surfaces is a very important issue for the fabrication of novel semiconductor devices on the nanoscale. Established methods for the removal of organic impurities and the native or chemical oxide are often combined with high temperature desorption steps. However, devices with small feature sizes will be unfunctional if, for example, out-diffusion of dopants is not prevented. In this paper we present two possible processes for low-temperature cleaning: an atomic hydrogen source, based on dissociative adsorption of hydrogen at a heated tantalum (Ta) surface and a hydrogen DC plasma source as a part of an UHV cluster tool. The influence of atomic hydrogen on carbon and oxide removal is surveyed and the existing model for native oxide etching with an argon/hydrogen DC plasma is adapted.     

Laser-assisted mechanical texturing of magnetic media

Mechanical texturing is the dominant technique for texturing magnetic media and is widely used in current hard disk drive manufacturing processes. This technique possesses the advantages of easy operation and low cost. However, it has an inherent disadvantage since mechanical texturing leads to jagged profiles randomly generated on hard disk surfaces, which precludes its further use in low-fly-height cases. A laser-assisted process working at near-threshold fluences for mechanical texturing was proposed to buff the irregular profiles of mechanical textures formed on Ni-P disk surfaces using a KrF excimer laser (λ=248 nm,τ=23 ns). This process, based on selective melting of the Ni-P surfaces due to inhomogeneous deposition of laser energy, was found to be capable of improving the surface characteristics of mechanically textured Ni-P disks. VSM and XRD analyses demonstrated that magnetic and structural properties of the Ni-P surfaces would not be affected in a detrimental way so as to influence the recording features of the magnetic media after laser buffing. Received: 28 November 2000 / Accepted: 12 December 2000 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

Si cleaning method without surface morphology change by cyanide solutions

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) aqueous solutions can remove copper contaminants from Si surfaces more effectively than hydrochloric acid/hydrogen peroxide mixture (HPM) and sulfuric acid/hydrogen peroxide mixture (SPM). When pH of the HCN solutions is adjusted at 9, Si surface morphology is not changed, while when pH exceeds 10, the Si surfaces are considerably roughed. AFM measurements show that Cu contaminants are present in the form of particles on the bare Si surfaces. XPS measurements show that the particles consist of metallic Cu. The Cu particle height decreases almost linearly with the cleaning time, and the Cu surface concentration decreases exponentially with it. It is concluded that Cu particles gradually dissolve into the HCN aqueous solutions by the direct reaction with cyanide ions at the surface of the Cu particles.     

Preliminary studies of material surface cleaning with a multi-pulse passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

A multi-pulse Q-switched (MPQ) Nd:YAG laser system for surface material cleaning has been developed. Trains of pulses having total output energy of as much as 1.05 J, 10–30 pulses/train, 20–70 ns individual pulse-width, and about 100 μs whole duration were generated. Ablation threshold fluence and ablation rate for limestone substrate have been measured and compared with the theoretical calculations. Safe surface cleaning of limestone samples was demonstrated thanks to the high gap between the ablation threshold fluence of the substrate and black crust. Tests of surface cleaning for samples of stone, ceramics, and metal were performed.     

Laser-assisted growth of gold nanoparticles: Shaping and optical characterization

We demonstrate that supported gold nanoparticles with a given well-defined shape can be produced by laser-assisted growth. For this purpose, gold nanoparticles with average radii ranging from 1.5 to 13 nm, i.e., coverage between 0.45 × 10¹⁶ and 5.6 × 10¹⁶ atoms/cm², were prepared at room temperature by self-assembly of atoms deposited on quartz and sapphire substrates. For analysis of the samples, the optical spectra of the particles were measured with p-polarized light and photon energies in the range of 1.3 to 3.1 eV. Irradiating the particles during growth with laser light of different wavelengths to stimulate surface plasmon excitation made it possible to stabilize mean axial ratios between 0.19 and 0.98. The influence of the laser fluence on the shape of the nanoparticles was also investigated and shows that the position of the surface plasmon resonance shifts to higher energies as the fluence rises. Optimum growth conditions to shape gold nanoparticles with axial ratios close to unity (spheres) with a relatively low laser fluence of 60 ± 5 mJ/cm² have also been found. The results of our experiments show that laser-assisted growth is a powerfultechnique to control the shape of nanoparticles.     

Removal mechanisms of micro-scale particles by surface wave in laser cleaning

This paper is to investigate the mechanisms of micro-scale particle removal by surface wave, which was induced by a short pulse laser in a cleaning process. The authors analyzed the adhesive forces of particles on substrate surface and the clearance force produced by surface wave in laser cleaning. The physical model of particle removal by laser-induced surface wave was established to predict the removal area and the processing conditions of laser cleaning. In this research, a KrF excimer laser was applied to irradiate 304 stainless steel specimen distributed with copper particles to generate surface wave for copper particle removal. Considering that a time-varying and uniformly distributed heat source irradiates on material surface with thermao-elastic behavior, the displacement and acceleration of substrate induced by a pulsed laser were solved by an uncoupled thermal–mechanical analysis based on the finite element method. The processing parameters such as laser energy, laser spot size are discussed, respectively. A series of laser cleaning experiments were designed to compare with computation results. The results show that the removal area by surface wave beyond the laser spot increases with the laser energy and that, the surface acceleration decreases with the increase of the laser spot size.     

Laser-assisted shape selective fragmentation of nanoparticles

Experimental results are presented on laser-assisted fragmentation of gold-containing nanoparticles suspended in liquids (either ethanol or water). Two kinds of nanoparticles are considered: (i) elongated Au nanorods synthesized by laser ablation of a gold target immersed in liquid phase; (ii) gold-covered NiCo nanorods with high aspect ratio (θ ∼ 10) synthesized by wet chemistry processes. The shape selectivity induced by laser fragmentation of these nanorods is gained via tuning the wavelength of laser radiation into different parts of the spectrum of their plasmon resonance corresponding to different aspect ratios θ. Fragmentation is performed using three laser wavelengths, involving a Cu vapour laser (510 and 578 nm) and a Nd:YAG (1064 nm). Nanoparticles are characterized by UV-vis spectrometry, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The effect of laser pulse duration (nanosecond against picosecond range) is also studied in the case of fragmentation with an IR laser radiation.