Transient pressure induced by laser ablation of liquid toluene: toward the understanding of laser-induced backside wet etching

To clarify the initial stage of laser-induced backside wet etching, we directly measured transient pressure upon laser ablation of toluene under KrF excimer laser irradiation by using a fast-response pressure gauge. The propagation time of the pressure peak to the gauge agreed well with the time for the shock wave to reach the gauge on time-resolved images. The peak pressure P decreased slowly with increasing distance d: P=30.4 MPa for d=100 m to P=11.1 MPa for d=1000 m at a fluence F=1.0 Jcm^-2pulse^-1. The initial pressure, estimated to be of the order of 10–200 MPa, impinges on a transparent plate and contributes to the etching. PACS 79.20.Ds; 47.40.Nm; 47.55.Bx; 42.62.Cf; 81.65.Cf     

Laser ablation of liquid surface in air induced by laser irradiation through liquid medium

The pulse laser ablation of a liquid surface in air when induced by laser irradiation through a liquid medium has been experimentally investigated. A supersonic liquid jet is observed at the liquid–air interface. The liquid surface layer is driven by a plasma plume that is produced by laser ablation at the layer, resulting in a liquid jet. This phenomenon occurs only when an Nd:YAG laser pulse (wavelength: 1064 nm) is focused from the liquid onto air at a low fluence of 20 J/cm². In this case, as Fresnel’s law shows, the incident and reflected electric fields near the liquid surface layer are superposed constructively. In contrast, when the incident laser is focused from air onto the liquid, a liquid jet is produced only at an extremely high fluence, several times larger than that in the former case. The similarities and differences in the liquid jets and atomization processes are studied for several liquid samples, including water, ethanol, and vacuum oil. The laser ablation of the liquid surface is found to depend on the incident laser energy and laser fluence. A pulse laser light source and high-resolution film are required to observe the detailed structure of a liquid jet.     

Silicon nanoparticles generated by femtosecond laser ablation in a liquid environment

Silicon nanoparticles were generated by femtosecond laser [387 nm, 180 fs, 1 kHz, pulse energy = 3.5 μJ (fluence = 0.8 J/cm²)] ablation of silicon in deionized water. Nanoparticles with diameters from ~5 up to ~200 nm were observed to be formed in the colloidal solution. Their size distribution follows log-normal function with statistical median diameter of ≈20 nm. Longer ablation time leads to a narrowing of the nanoparticle size distribution due to the interaction of the ablating laser beam with the produced nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy measurements confirm that the nanoparticles exhibit phonon quantum confinement effects and indicate that under the present conditions of ablation they are partially amorphous.     

Nanoparticles produced by laser ablation of solids in liquid environment

A review of results on nanoparticles formation is presented under laser ablation of Ag, Au, and Ti solids targets in liquid environments (H₂O, C₂H₅OH, C₂H₄Cl₂, etc.). X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV-Vis optical transmission spectrometry, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterise the nanoparticles. The morphology of nanoparticles is studied as a function of both laser fluence and nature of the liquid. The evidence of an intermediate phase of Au-Ag alloy is presented under exposure of a mixture of individual nanoparticles to laser radiation. Self-influence of the beam of a femtosecond laser is discussed under the ablation of the Ag target in liquids under Ti:sapphire laser. The factors are discussed that determine the distribution function of particle size under laser ablation. The influence of laser parameters as well as the nature on the liquid on the properties of nanoparticles is elucidated. PACS 42.62.-b; 61.46.+w; 78.66.-w     

Transient reflectivity and transmission changes during plasma formation and ablation in fused silica induced by femtosecond laser pulses

We have studied the plasma formation and ablation dynamics in fused silica upon irradiation with a single 120 fs laser pulse at 800 nm by using fs-resolved pump-probe microscope. It allows recording images of the laser-excited surface at different time delays after the arrival of the pump pulse. This way, we can extract both the temporal evolution of the surface reflectivity and transmission, at 400 nm, for different spatial positions in the spots (and thus for different local fluences) from single series of images. At fluences well above the visible ablation threshold, a fast and large increase of the reflectivity is induced by the formation of a dense free-electron plasma. The maximum reflectivity value is reached within ≈1.5 ps, while the normalized transmission decreases within ≈400 fs. The subsequent temporal evolution of both transient reflectivity and transmission are consistent with the occurrence of surface ablation. In addition, the time-resolved images reveal the existence of a free-electron plasma distribution surrounding the visible ablation crater and thus formed at local fluences below the ablation threshold. The lifetime of this sub-ablation plasma is ≈50 ps, and its maximum electron density amounts to 5.5×10²² cm⁻³.     

Laser ablation of toluene liquid for surface micro-structuring of silica glass

Microstructures with well-defined micropatterns were fabricated on the surfaces of silica glass using a laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) method by diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) UV laser at the repetition rate of 10 kHz. For a demonstration of flexible rapid prototyping as mask-less exposure system, the focused laser beam was directed to the sample by galvanometer-based point scanning system. Additionally, a diagnostics study of plume propagation in the ablated products of toluene solid film was carried out with an intensified CCD (ICCD) camera.     

Dynamics of ablation plasma induced by a femtosecond laser pulse in electric fields

Direct observations of ablation plasma dynamics in electric field is presented. A time-resolved spatial profile of the ablation plasma induced by femtosecond laser ablation (fsLA) with high fluence is visualized using a planar-laser-induced fluorescence (P-LIF) method. The external electric field is produced by installing a mesh electrode at 6 mm from a Samarium solid target. The Sm ion plasma created by the fsLA showed collective motion regardless of the external electric field, until they reached close to the electrode. When the accelerating and decelerating field was applied, the ions almost disappeared behind the electrode from the field of view. The observations are understood utilizing a SIMION simulation with a conceivable potential gradient caused by Debye shield effect, which is that the ablation plasma keeps the same potential as the target voltage and follows electric potential gradient near the mesh electrode. It is also revealed that this effect degrades time-of-flight resolution at high fluence irradiation. This work gives a new direction for further developments of a fsLA time-of-flight spectrometer.     

Structure and size control of ZnO nanoparticles by applying high pressure to ambient liquid in liquid-phase laser ablation

We synthesized ZnO nanoparticles by laser ablation of a Zn target in water at pressures up to 30 MPa. We observed the enhancement of the crystallinity of synthesized ZnO nanoparticles when high pressure was applied to ambient water. In addition, we found that ZnO nanoparticles with smaller sizes were synthesized by pressurizing ambient water. Considering our previous understanding on the effect of high pressure applied to ambient liquid, the controls of the structure and the size of nanoparticles were considered to be obtained via the controls of the dynamics of laser ablation plasma and ablation-induced cavitation bubble.     

自然对流情形下激光辐照液体贮箱的机理

利用激光辐照靶目标时,被辐照部位可能是液体贮箱。通过实验测量与数值模拟的紧密结合,揭示了液体处于自然对流状态时激光辐照下贮箱侧壁温升及液体速度场的演化规律。结果表明：激光辐照初期,铝板中心温升率较高;随着壁面附近液体温度的升高,光斑附近速度边界层内的最大流速增大,传热强度亦增大,导致铝板温升率降低;当铝板吸收的激光能量能够基本被水的对流带走时,铝板中心的温升率趋于零。     

Silicon nanoparticles formation by means of laser ablation in liquid media

The possibility to produce silicon nanoparticles by the method of the pulse laser ablation of monocrystaline silicon targets in the water, glycerol and liquid nitrogen have been shown. Studies by the atomic-force microscopy and Raman scattering methods revealed the nanoparticles have a crystalline structure and their mean size depends on the buffer liquid composition.     

Ion implantation induced by Cu ablation at high laser fluence

High energy laser plasma-produced Cu ions have been implanted in silicon substrates placed at different distances and angles with respect to the normal to the surface of the ablated target. The implanted samples have been produced using the iodine high power Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS) using 438 nm wavelength irradiating in vacuum a Cu target. The high laser pulse energy (up to 230 J) and the short pulse duration (400 ps) produced a non-equilibrium plasma expanding mainly along the normal to the Cu target surface. Time-of-flight (TOF) technique was employed, through an electrostatic ion energy analyzer (IEA) placed along the target normal, in order to measure the ion energy, the ion charge state, the energy distribution and the charge state distribution. Ions had a Boltzmann energy distributions with an energy increasing with the charge state. At a laser fluence of the order of 6 × 10⁶ J/cm², the maximum ion energy was about 600 keV and the maximum charge state was about 27+.In order to investigate the implantation processes, Cu depth profiles have been performed with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) of 1.5 MeV helium ions, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with 3 keV electron beam and 1 keV Ar sputtering ions in combination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface analysis results indicate that Cu ions are implanted within the first surface layers and that the ion penetration ranges are in agreement with the ion energy measured with IEA analysis.     

Damage and ablation of large bandgap dielectrics induced by a 46.9 nm laser beam

We applied a 0.3 mJ, 1.7 ns, 46.9 nm soft-x-ray argon laser to ablate the surface of large bandgap dielectrics: CaF2 and LiF crystals. We studied the ablation versus the fluence of the soft-x-ray beam, varying the fluence in the range 0.05-3 J/cm2. Ablation thresholds of 0.06 and 0.1 J/cm2 and ablation depths of 14 and 20 nm were found for CaF2 and LiF, respectively. These results define new ablation conditions for these large bandgap dielectrics that can be of interest for the fine processing of these materials.     

Emission induced by collision of two plumes during pulsed laser ablation

We observed plume expansion dynamics during pulsed laser ablation when two plumes collided head-on. Si and Ge targets were placed parallel each other, and they were irradiated simultaneously by two pulsed lasers. A new emission appeared near the center of the targets from 250 ns after the irradiation. However, the predominant ejected species is neutral SiI or GeI at this time region when an individual single target is irradiated, and the new emission emerged by collision is a mixture of ionized SiII and GeII. This indicates that the kinetic energy of the collision excites the species to an ionized state. The intensity of this new emission decreased by increasing the background gas pressure. This suggests that collision between two plumes induces a higher-temperature plasma. Since the new emission is composed of ionized Si and Ge species and remains a relatively long period after the collision, this technique will provide a new reactive field to prepare a new kind of alloy nanomaterials.     

Generation of phosphor nanoparticles for temperature sensing by laser ablation in liquid

Nano-size phosphor particles of Y_2.97Ce_0.03(Al_1?x Gd _x )₅O₁₂ were fabricated by ablating commercial micron-size powders in deionized water. We show that these colloidal phosphor nanoparticles suspended in deionized water can be used as a liquid sensor for all-optical, non-contact measurements of temperature with nanosecond time resolution. The nanophosphors can be used as temperature-sensing reporters in many applications where real-time measurements of temperature are necessary to understand physical processes, such as the mechanisms of temperature–time profiles in laser ablation.     

Nanoscale hydrodynamic instability in a molten thin gold film induced by femtosecond laser ablation

A mechanism of the formation of a nanotip with a nanoparticle at its top that appears in a thin metal film irradiated by a single femtosecond laser pulse has been studied experimentally and theoretically. It has been found that the nanotip appears owing to a melt flow and a nanojet formation, which is cooled and solidified. Within a proposed hydrodynamic model, the development of thermocapillary instability in the melted film is treated with the use of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky-type hydrodynamic equation. The simulation shows that the nanojet nucleates in the form of a nanopeak in a pit on the top of a microbump (linear stage) and, then, grows in a nonlinear (explosive) regime of an increase in thermocapillary instability in good agreement with experimental data.     

Adaptative lensing driven by the radiation pressure of a continuous-wave laser wave upon a near-critical liquid liquid interface

The bending of a liquid interface by the radiation pressure of a cw laser wave is generally weak. To strongly enhance the coupling, we investigate lensing in a near-critical phase-separated liquid mixture. By continuously tuning the softness of the meniscus by varying the temperature, we observed huge stationary interface deformations at low beam power that led to an important variation of the resultant soft lensing. We also illustrate the crucial role played by temperature in this process to demonstrate its potential use in lens adaptation.     

Dynamics of processes occurring in laser ablation of metals in a liquid

We present the results of investigations undertaken to establish relationships between certain characteristics of the disintegration of metals in air and liquid under laser radiation and their thermophysical properties, as well as between the basic parameters of a gas cavity formed in a liquid and the energy of the laser ablation products of metals. Consideration is given to the possibilities of applying the dynamic properties of this cavity to control the time behavior of the radiation of solid-state lasers and to solve spectroanalytical problems. Institute of Molecular and Atomic Physics, Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70, F. Skorina Ave, Minsk, 220072, Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 64, No. 5, pp. 668–673, September–October, 1997.     

Plasma plume induced during laser ablation of graphite

The plasma plume induced during ArF laser ablation of a graphite target is studied. Velocities of the plasma expansion front are determined by the optical time of flight method. Mass center velocities of the emitting atoms and ions are constant and amount to 1.7×10⁴ and 3.8×10⁴ m s⁻¹, respectively. Higher velocities of ions result probably from their acceleration in electrostatic field created by electron emission prior to ion emission. The emission spectroscopy of the plasma plume is used to determine the electron densities and temperatures at various distances from the target. The electron density is determined from the Stark broadening of the Ca II and Ca I lines. It reaches a maximum of ∼9.5×10²³ m⁻³ 30 ns from the beginning of the laser pulse at the distance of 1.2 mm from the target and next decreases to ∼1.2×10²² m⁻³ at the distance of 7.6 mm from the target. The electron temperature is determined from the ratio of intensities of ionic and atomic lines. Close to the target the electron temperature of ∼30 kK is found but it decreases quickly to 11.5 kK 4 mm from the target.     

Ultra fine carbon nitride nanocrystals synthesized by laser ablation in liquid solution

Crystalline carbon nitride nanopowders and nanorods have been successfully synthesized at room temperature and pressure using the novel technique of pulsed laser ablation of a graphite target in liquid ammonia solution. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to systematically study the morphology, nanostructure and chemical bonding. The experimental composition and structure of the nanoparticles are consistent with the theoretical calculations for α-C₃N₄. After 2 h ablation the particles had a size distribution ∼8–12 nm, whereas after 5 h ablation the particles had grown into nanorod-like structures with a crystalline C₃N₄ tip. A formation mechanism for these nanorods is proposed whereby nanoparticles are first synthesized via rapid formation of an embryonic particle, followed by a slow growth, eventually leading to a one-dimensional nanorod structure.