Resonant upconversion of λ=1.06 μm radiation in rubidium vapors

The influence of the laser-pulse length of the vuv-radiation emission of a laserproduced plasma has been investigated between 30 and 80 nm. The plasma was produced by focussing the beam of a Nd: YAG/glass laser system (λ=1064 nm,E≈300 mJ) on an uranium target. The laser pulse duration was varied between 11 and 60 ns full width at half maximum (FWHM) while keeping the laser pulse energy constant. A wavelength dependent correlation between laser-pulse length and the time duration of the vuv-radiation emission of the plasma was observed. The time duration of the vuv-radiation emitted by the laserproduced plasma was in the same order (15–50 ns FWHM), as the laser pulse length. With increased wavelengths of observation or increased laser-pulse length longer vuv-radiation emission was found.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy: technique,new features,and detection limits of trace elements in Al base alloy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has proven to be extremely versatile, providing multielement analysis in real time without sample preparation. The principle is based on the ablation of a small amount of target material by interaction of a strong laser beam with a solid target. The laser must have sufficient energy to excite atoms and to ionize them to produce plasma. We aimed to improve the LIBS limit of detection (LOD) and the precision of spectral lines emitted from the produced plasma by optimizing the parameters affecting the LIBS technique. LIBS LOD is affected by many experimental parameters such as interferences, self-absorption, spectral overlap, signal-to-noise ratio, and matrix effects. The plasma in the present study is generated by focusing a 6-ns pulsed Nd–YAG laser at the fundamental wavelength of 1,064 nm onto the Al target in air at atmospheric pressure. The emission spectra are recorded using an SE 200 Echelle spectrometer manufactured by the Catalina Corporation; it is equipped with an ICCD camera type Andor model iStar DH734-18. This spectrometer allows time-resolved spectral acquisition over the whole UV-NIR (200–1,000 nm) spectral range. Calibration curves for Cu, Mg, Mn, Si, Cr, and Fe were obtained with linear regression coefficients around 99 % on the average in aluminum standard alloy samples. The determined LOD has very useful improvements for Cu I at 521.85 nm, Si I at 288.15 nm, Mn I at 482.34 nm, and Cr I at 520.84 nm spectral lines. LOD is improved by 83.8 % for Cu, 49 % for Si, 84.3 % for Mn, and 45 % for Cr lower with respect to the previous works.     

Evaluation of plasma produced by first and second harmonic nano-second laser for enhancing the capability of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique

Evaluation of plasmas produced and optimized for improving the capability of convenential laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for analytical purposes of solid samples is the main goal of the present work. The plasma produced in the present study was generated by focusing a single nano-second Nd:YAG laser at the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm and at the second harmonic wavelength of 532 nm on an Al target in air at atmospheric pressure. The emission spectrum was recorded time resolved over the whole UV-NIR (200–1000 nm) spectral range. This work describes an extension of previously reported studies and focuses now on the determination of the plasma parameters at the optimum condition – highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and minimum limit of detection (LOD) — of the LIBS technique, which is now widely applied to the elemental analysis of materials in atmospheric air. Parameters of the produced plasma in the time interval from 0 to 10 μs are determined for to further understanding the LIBS plasma dynamics. O I and Mn I spectral lines are used in the present work as thermometric lines for the determination of the plasma temperature based on Boltzmann plots. Stark broadening of lines yields the electron density. The widths of the H _α -line at 656.27 nm, of the O I line at 844.65 nm, of Al II lines at 281.65 nm and 466.30 nm and of the Si I line at 288.15 nm has been utilized for that. The plasma temperature ranged from 0.73 eV to around 1 eV for the different laser energies with both laser wavelengths for the optimized plasma used for LIBS analysis. This temperature is very close to that well known for the other spectrochemical analytical techniques or in excitation sources such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).     

Background gas collisional effects on expanding fs and ns laser ablation plumes

The collisional effects of a background gas on expanding ultrafast and short pulse laser ablation plumes were investigated by varying background pressure from vacuum to atmospheric pressure levels. For producing Cu ablation plumes, either 40 fs, 800 nm pulses from a Ti: Sapphire laser or 6 ns, 1,064 nm pulses from a Nd:YAG laser were used. The role of background pressure on plume hydrodynamics, spectral emission features, absolute line intensities, signal to background ratios and ablation craters was studied. Though the signal intensities were found to be maximum near to atmospheric pressure levels, the optimum signal to background ratios are observed ~20–50 Torr for both ns and fs laser ablation plumes. The differences in laser–target and laser–plasma couplings between ns and fs lasers were found to be more engraved in the crater morphologies and plasma hydrodynamic expansion features.     

Spectral evolution of nano-second laser interaction with Ti target in nitrogen ambient gas

The present work aimed to study the variation in the plasma parameters (temperature and density) of the Ti plasma generated by 1,064 and 532 nm lasers at different ambient N₂ pressures for different delay times. The characterization of the plasma-assisted pulsed laser ablation of the titanium target is discussed. The emission spectra of the titanium plasma produced in the present study have been carefully investigated over the whole UV–NIR (200–1,000 nm) spectral range. Boltzmann plots of suitable spectral lines have been employed to derive the excitation temperature, and the electron density is derived from the Stark widths of the Ti II spectral line at 350.49 nm.     

Two-Photon Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectra of Argon in a Grimm-Style Glow Discharge Tube

Two-photon excited laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of argon atom were successfully observed in a Grimm-style glow discharge tube, which has widely been applied to depth profiling of the elemental composition on various film-like samples by emission spectrometry. The LIF signal of an argon atomic line at 641.63 nm was observed when the glow discharge argon plasma was illuminated by a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser radiation of 7–10 mJ/pulse at 753.39 or 795.66 nm without focusing of the laser beam.     

Nonlinear and Quantum Optics on the Nature of Sugar Emission Excited by the First Harmonic of a Nd Laser

The physical nature of emissions excited in pressed-sugar samples by the first harmonic of a neodymium laser (1064 nm, 12 ns) is studied. The spectral, kinetic, spatial, and amplitude characteristics of emissions upon single- and multipulse irradiation with energy densities of 0.012–3.2 J/cm² are measured. It is found that excitation of a sample by the first pulse causes two emission types, namely, emission of the second harmonic of a Nd laser (532 nm) and glowing of dense low-temperature plasma formed as a result of a low-temperature optical breakdown on absorbing inhomogeneities. Multipulse excitation leads to annealing of absorbing inhomogeneities and to an increase in the optical breakdown threshold.     

Diagnostics of Tin Plasma Produced by Visible and IR Nanosecond Laser Ablation

We present the optical emission spectroscopic studies of the Tin (Sn) plasma, produced by the fundamental (1064 nm) and second (532 nm) harmonics of a Q switched Nd: YAG pulsed laser having pulse duration of 5 ns and 10 Hz repetition rate which is capable of delivering 400 mJ at 1064 nm, and 200 mJ at 532 nm using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The laser beam was focused on target material by placing it in air at atmospheric pressure. The experimentally observed line profiles of four neutral tin (Sn I) lines at 231.72, 248.34, 257.15 and 266.12 nm were used to extract the electron temperature (T_e) using the Boltzmann plot method and determined its value 6360 and 5970 K respectively for fundamental and second harmonics of the laser. Whereas, the electron number density (N_e) has been determined from the Stark broadening profile of neutral tin (Sn I) line at 286.33 nm and determined its value 5.85 x 10¹⁶ and 6.80 x 10¹⁶cm^–3 for fundamental and second harmonics of the laser respectively. Both plasma parameters (T_e and N_e) have also been calculated by varying distance from the target surface along the line of propagation of plasma plume and also by varying the laser irradiance. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

长脉宽激光诱导击穿土壤等离子体的光谱特性研究

采用长脉宽激光(500 μs)作为激发光源,研究了长脉宽激光在低能量密度条件下诱导击穿土壤等离子体的光谱特性。实验发现,在长脉宽激光的激发下等离子体光谱特性与纳秒及超短脉宽激光相比存在较大的差异,在402~409 nm波段和420~436 nm波段,土壤等离子体光谱均没有出现强烈的连续背景辐射阶段,所激发产生的等离子体发光寿命可持续220~270 μs。特征谱线PbⅠ405.78 nm和CrⅠ425.43 nm分别在210和190 μs时出现,且谱线强度均随时间延长而逐渐增加,分别在延时320和350 μs时达到最大值。研究结果表明,采用长脉宽激光作为激发光源,增加了激光与物质相互作用的时间,有助于激发形成发光时间较长的“准稳态等离子体”;应用内标法建立了Pb和Cr元素校准曲线,8次重复实验得到分析线与内标线净信号强度比值的相对标准偏差为2.21~6.35%,长脉宽激光激发产生的等离子体发光稳定;计算得到土壤中Pb和Cr元素的检测限分别为34.7和40.0 mg·kg-1,达到国家土壤环境质量标准规定的一级含量要求;长脉宽激光激发产生等离子体的电子温度为6 612 K,电子密度为3.7×1017 cm-3,达到了局部热平衡状态。     

Soft X-ray enhancement from porous target irradiated by high power sub-nanosecond laser beam and the effect of plasma opacity

In this paper, we investigate numerically the enhancement of the soft continuum X-ray yield emitted from porous aluminum targets irradiated by sub-nanosecond high power pulsed laser beam. The calculations were conducted for two different conditions: (i) ignoring plasma opacity, and (ii) including it in the calculations; and finally the results were compared. In the calculations, the main emission mechanisms were assumed to be the free–bound and free–free (bremsstrahlung) transitions at water windows wavelengths ranges 2.3–4.4 nm and also 12.6–14.6 nm, which is useful for lithography applications. The free–free and bound–free transitions were also considered for calculating the opacity. The results show that for both conditions, the X-ray yield rises with increasing the porosity and the increase rate is almost equal in both cases; however, the calculations are not appropriate for estimating the absolute values of the X-ray yield when the plasma opacity is ignored.     

The role of radiative transfer in pulsed laser plasma-target interactions

The plasma generated when a 2024 aluminum target was irradiated with the beam from a cold cathode electron beam laser (CCEBL) has been investigated with spectroscopic techniques. The target was designed to form the end plate of a differentially pumped slit assembly attached to a McPherson Model 225 visible-u.v.-v.u.v. monochromator. A pinhole in the center of the plate permitted plasma radiation to enter the monochromator from the back side of the target. Calibration with tungsten, deuterium and argon standards permitted quantitative plasma radiance measurements to be made in the region 115–600 nm using a range of diffraction gratings and photomultiplier tubes. The total radiant fluence observed (1 J/cm²) was in reasonable agreement with the 1-1.2J/cm² of absorbed thermal fluence determined by independent thermal coupling measurements. Photographic spectra of the plasma (100–620 nm) were recorded and many features identified.     

激光脉冲重复频率对等离子体辐射特性的影响

为了提高激光诱导击穿光谱质量,采用Nd∶YAG激光器输出的纳秒脉冲激光激发产生土壤等离子体,采用光栅光谱仪和光电检测系统记录了元素谱线AlⅠ394.401 nm,BaⅠ455.403 nm,FeⅠ430.791 nm和TiⅠ498.173 nm的辐射强度和信背比,研究了激光脉冲重复频率(5,10和15 Hz)对等离子体辐射特性的影响。实验结果表明,在相同的激光输出能量条件下,当采用15 Hz的激光脉冲重复频率时,元素Al,Ba,Fe和Ti的谱线强度要比5 Hz时的分别提高50.94%,112.7%,107.46%和99.38%,光谱信背比分别提高15.16%,24.08%,40.26%和72.06%。通过测量等离子体参数,解释了激光脉冲重复频率对等离子体辐射特性的影响机理。     

Effect of Analyte Concentration on the Laser-Induced Plasma Temperature and Electron Density in Liquid Matrix

In the present work, we report spectroscopic studies of laser-induced plasmas produced by focusing the second harmonic (532 nm) of a Nd:YAG laser onto the laminar flow of a liquid containing chromium. The plasma temperature is determined from the coupled Saha–Boltzmann plot and the electron density is evaluated from the Stark broadening of an ionic line of chromium [Cr(II)] at 267.7 nm. Our results reveal a decrease in plasma temperature with an increase in Cr concentration up to a certain concentration level; after that, it becomes approximately constant, while the electron density increases with an increase in analyte (Cr) concentration in liquid matrix.     

Surface topography of ultrashort laser-irradiated CaF2

A single-crystal CaF₂ (111) was irradiated with single and multiple laser (Ti:sapphire, 800 nm, 25 fs) shots at fluences ranging from 0.25 to 1.5 J cm^?2. In this fluence regime, a single laser pulse usually leads to typical bump-like features ranging from 200 nm to 1.5 μm in diameter and 10–50 nm in height. These bumps are related to compressive stresses due to a pressure build-up induced by fast laser heating and their subsequent relaxation. When CaF₂ is irradiated with successive (in our case 20) shots at a laser fluence of 1.5 J cm^?2, nanocavities at the top of the microbumps are observed. The formation of these nanocavities is regarded as an explosion and is attributed to the explosive expansion generated by shock waves due to laser-induced plasma after the nonlinear absorption of the laser energy by the material. Such kinds of surface structures at the nanometre scale could be attractive for nanolithography.     

激光诱导Mg等离子体电子温度的实验研究

利用波长为1 064 nm,最大能量为500 mJ的Nd∶YAG脉冲激光器在室温,一个标准大气压下对Mg合金冲击,改变激光能量,得到相应的Mg等离子体特征谱线。分析谱线,发现谱线有不同的演化速率,同时得到了MgⅠ,MgⅡ离子谱线,证明此实验条件下,激光能量足够Mg合金靶材充分电离。选择了相对强度较大的MgⅠ 383.2 nm, MgⅠ 470.3 nm, MgⅠ 518.4 nm三条激发谱线,利用这些发射谱线的相对强度计算了等离子体的电子温度,激光能量为500 mJ时,等离子体温度为1.63×104 K。实验结果表明：在本实验条件下,Mg原子可以得到充分激发;在200～500 mJ激光能量范围内,等离子体温度随着激光能量的降低而衰减,在350～500 mJ激光能量范围内的等离子体温度随激光能量的变化速度十分明显,200～350 mJ时等离子体温度变化速度迅速减缓;激光能量为300 mJ时,谱线相对强度明显减弱,低于350和250 mJ的谱线相对强度,不符合谱线相对强度会随着激光能量提高而上升的变化趋势,证明发生了等离子体屏蔽现象,高功率激光产生的等离子体隔断了激光与材料之间的耦合。此时的等离子体温度明显升高,不符合变化趋势,这是由于在发生等离子体屏蔽现象时,激光能量被等离子体吸收,导致等离子体温度上升。     

Heating and cooling of the multiply charged ion nonequilibrium plasma in a high-current extended low-inductance discharge

Using a radiation magnetohydrodynamics two-temperature model (RMHD model) of a high-current volumetric radiating Z-discharge, the heating and cooling of the nitrogen plasma in a pulsed pinched extended discharge is investigated as applied to the problem of creating a recombination laser based on 3 → 2 transitions of hydrogen-like nitrogen ions (λ = 13.4 nm). It is shown that the power supply of the discharge, which is represented by a dual storage-forming line and a transmission line, makes it possible to raise the power density of the nitrogen plasma to 0.01–1.00 TW/cm³. Accordingly, there arises the possibility of generating a fully ionized (i.e., consisting of bare nuclei and electrons) plasma through the heating (compression) of electrons owing to the self-magnetic field of the plasma current and Joule heat even if the plasma is cooled by its own radiation at this stage. Such a plasma is needed to produce the lasing (active) medium of a recombination laser based on electron transitions in hydrogen-like ions. At the second stage, it is necessary to rapidly and deeply cool the plasma to 20–40 eV for 1–2 ns. Cooling of the fully ionized expanding plasma was numerically simulated with the discharge current switched on and off by means of a switch with a rapidly rising resistance. In both cases, the plasma expansion in the discharge is not adiabatic. Even after the discharge current is fairly rapidly switched off, heating of electrons continues inside the plasma column for a time longer than the switching time. Discharge current switchoff improves the electron cooling efficiency only slightly. Under such conditions, the plasma cools down to 50–60 eV in the former case and to 46–54 eV in the latter case for 2–3 ns.     

Bi靶激光等离子体极紫外光源以及碎屑辐射特性研究

激光等离子体极紫外光源具有体积小、稳定性高和输出波长可调节等优势,在极紫外光刻领域发挥着重要的作用。Bi靶激光等离子体极紫外光源在波长9～17 nm范围内具有较宽的光谱,可应用于制造极紫外光刻机过程中所需的极紫外计量学领域。利用平像场光谱仪和法拉第杯对Bi靶激光等离子体极紫外光源以及离子碎屑辐射特性进行了实验研究。在单脉冲激光打靶条件下,实验中观察到Bi靶激光等离子极紫外光谱在波长12.3 nm处出现了一个明显的凹陷,其对应着Si L-edge的吸收,是Bi元素光谱的固有属性。相应地在波长为11.8和12.5 nm位置处产生了两个宽带的辐射峰。研究了两波长光谱特性以及辐射强度随激光功率密度的变化。结果表明,在改变聚焦光斑大小实现不同激光功率密度（0.7×1010～3.1×1010 W·cm-2）过程中,当功率密度为2.0×1010 W·cm-2时两波长处的光辐射最强,其原因归结为Bi靶极紫外光辐射强度受激光能量用于支撑等离子膨胀的损失和极紫外光被等离子体再吸收之间的平衡制约所致。在改变激光能量实现不同激光功率密度过程中,由于烧蚀材料和产生两波长所需高阶离子随着功率密度的增加而增加,增强了两波长处的光辐射。进一步,研究了双脉冲激光对Bi靶极紫外光谱辐射特性影响,实验发现双脉冲打靶下原来在单脉冲打靶时出现在波长13～14 nm范围内的凹陷消失。最后,对单脉冲激光作用Bi靶产生极紫外光源碎屑角分布进行了测量。结果表明,当探测方向从靶面法线方向移动到沿着靶面方向上的过程中,探测到Bi离子动能依次减小,并且离子动能随激光脉冲能量降低而呈线性减小。此项研究有望为我国在研制极紫外光刻机过程所需的计量学领域提供技术支持和打下夯实的基础。     

碳纤维复合材料的激光清洗等离子体光谱在线检测研究

近年来碳纤维复合材料（CFRP）由于性能优异,受到工业领域广泛关注。采用激光清洗技术预处理碳纤维复合材料表面的污染物和环氧树脂等杂质,有利于改善碳纤维复合材料表面性能,提高碳纤维复合材料胶接界面的结合强度。在线检测激光清洗过程,实时判断碳纤维复合材料的表面清洗质量,是保证激光清洗效果的关键环节,也是激光清洗装置自动化、集成化的核心技术。激光诱导等离子体光谱技术可以快速分析材料表面元素变化,实现在线检测激光清洗表面状态,在激光清洗领域有很广的应用前景。采用Nd∶YAG高能量脉冲激光器产生的1 064 nm激光在空气环境中诱导产生等离子体,利用改进型光栅光谱仪(ME5000)获取等离子体光谱,在线检测激光清洗碳纤维复合材料。研究外界空气环境对等离子体光谱检测结果的影响,发现350~700 nm波段的元素谱线可用于碳纤维复合材料表面物质成分分析;采用电子扫描显微镜观测的激光清洗表面形貌和X射线电子能谱仪测得的元素变化共同表征等离子体光谱检测的有效性,通过采集不同激光能量以及不同作用次数的等离子体光谱图,获得碳纤维复合材料表层树脂物质通过激光单次清洗干净的阈值,研究激光清洗质量与激光诱导等离子体谱线成分及其强度变化的关系。结果表明：在获取的激光诱导等离子体光谱中,光谱图中谱线波长在393.3 nm的S(Ⅱ)和589.5 nm的S(Ⅱ)谱线可有效在线表征碳纤维复合材料表面清洗质量;激光单次去除干净表面环氧树脂的阈值为10.68 mJ;低激光能量时需要清洗多次可以去除干净表面树脂;高激光能量时清洗单次可使表面树脂去除干净,多次清洗易造成基体损伤。实验结果为激光清洗碳纤维复合材料的智能集成化应用提供工艺依据和技术支持。     

Radiation amplification by a hydrogen plasma

We have detected and measured for the first time the amplification of a narrow-band radiation (second harmonic of an argon ion laser, λ=244 nm) propagating through a dc gas-discharge plasma in hydrogen at a pressure of 0.5–1.0 Torr. An attempt is made at explaining this phenomenon.     

基于发射光谱法锡等离子体特征参数的求解研究

利用调QNd:YAG 1064 nm激光器诱导产生锡等离子体,基于9条锡发射谱线,构建二维玻尔兹曼图,得到锡等离子体电子温度5063 K,利用洛伦兹函数拟合锡发射谱线Sn(I) 228.66 nm,得到锡等离子体电子密度3.8×10¹⁷ cm^-3,结果证实激光诱导的锡等离子体处于热力学平衡状态.