Generation and detection of incoherent phonons in picosecond ultrasonics

In picosecond ultrasonics experiments the absorption of a femtosecond laser pulse in a thin metallic transducer is used to generate very short acoustic pulses. These pulses are made of coherent longitudinal waves with a frequency spectrum that can reach 100-200 GHz. The laser pulse absorption gives rise to a heating of the film of a few Kelvin within a typical time of 1 ps. Later on, the heat goes in the substrate through an interface thermal resistance and is diffused by thermal conduction. At very low temperature and in pure crystals the thermal phonons emitted by the heated metallic film can propagate ballistically over large distances and produce a so-called heat pulse. We report on the experimental evidence of the coexistence of the coherent acoustic pulse and the incoherent heat pulse generated and detected by laser ultrasonics.     

Characterization of Ta and TaN diffusion barriers beneath Cu layers using picosecond ultrasonics

In computer chips, aluminum is being replaced with copper in order to produce smaller, faster and more efficient electronic devices. The usage of copper allows higher current densities and thus higher packaging densities than aluminum. However, copper leads to new challenges and problems. It has different mechanical properties and a tendency to migrate into the surrounding dielectric and/or semiconducting layers. These diffusion processes can be prevented by so called diffusion barriers. A diffusion barrier is a very thin layer consisting of tantalum and tantalum nitride or titanium and titanium nitride, deposited between the copper and the substrate. A pump-probe setup is used to determine the mechanical properties of the barrier layers and of the copper layer. This short-pulse-laser-acoustic method is contact-free and non-destructive. Mechanical waves are excited and detected thermoelastically using laser pulses of 70 fs duration. Thin film measurements of buried diffusion layers are provided and compared with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy measurements (RBS). Results of a thermo-elasto-mechanical simulation are presented and a short overview of the simulation procedure is given. Current limits of the presented method are discussed and future directions of the on-going research project are presented.     

Loading transducers for non-destructive testing and signal processing by acoustic bulk waves

Non-destructive testing and signal processing with acoustic bulk waves require the use of loaded transducers having a large bandwidth. The technique of loading quartz or ceramic transducers by backing with a material having a relatively large acoustic impedance is well known. A brief review of the methods and results of this classical type of loading is given. Another method of broadening the bandwidth by backing the transducer with one or several metallic layers of variable thickness followed by a semi-infinite medium is then proposed. A brief mention is also given to the technique of matching the backed transducer to the propagating medium. Several practical examples illustrating the use of the methods are given.     

Determination of the material properties of microstructures by laser based ultrasound

In most applications of MEMS the mechanical properties of the used materials are key parameters for the perfect working of the microsystems. Measuring bulk acoustic waves excited in MEMS structures with ultra-short laser pulses is a powerful method for the accurate and non-destructive evaluation as well as for the characterization of material properties. The pump-probe laser-based acoustic method generates bulk acoustic waves in a thermo-elastic way by absorbing the pump laser pulses. The acoustic waves are partly reflected at any discontinuity of the acoustic impedance. At the surface of the specimen the reflected acoustic pulses cause changes of the optical reflection coefficient, which are measured with the probe laser pulses. Thin membranes are part of numerous microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) like sensors, activators and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters for example. The described non-destructive and non-contact method is the right approach for testing such thin and brittle structures like membranes. Results of measurements on freestanding aluminium-silicon nitride multi-layer membranes with total thicknesses in the order of several hundred nanometers are presented and compared with thermo-elastic models and with measurements of the supported case. The measured results are used for the determination of the moduli of the membranes.     

Generation and detection of acoustic solitons in crystalline slabs by laser ultrasonics

Acoustic solitons have been recently observed in different systems (Si, Sapphire, MgO, alpha-quartz). Such acoustic waves could lead to sub-picosecond acoustic pulses. In this paper, we report on the formation of acoustic solitons in a GaAs crystalline slab. A short picosecond acoustic pulse is generated by absorption of a femtosecond laser pulse in an aluminum thin film deposited on one side of the slab. This strain pulse travels through the sample up to the opposite side where it is detected by a time delayed laser pulse reflected by an aluminum transducer. We use interferometric detection to measure independently the real and imaginary parts of the relative change in optical reflectivity induced by the acoustic pulse. We find that, at low temperature and with a laser pump pulse energy of 10 nJ, an acoustic soliton clearly separates from the acoustic pulse in GaAs slab. The soliton shape is compared with numerical simulations for different excitation conditions. From the very unique properties of solitons, we infer a soliton pulse duration of about 2.3 ps which corresponds to a spatial extent of only 12 nm.     

Picosecond acoustics in vegetal cells: Non-invasive in vitro measurements at a sub-cell scale

A 100 fs laser pulse passes through a single transparent cell and is absorbed at the surface of a metallic substrate. Picosecond acoustic waves are generated and propagate through the cell in contact with the metal. Interaction of the high frequency acoustic pulse with a probe laser light gives rise to Brillouin oscillations. The measurements are thus made with lasers for both the opto-acoustic generation and the acousto-optic detection, and acoustic frequencies as high as 11 GHz can be detected, as reported in this paper. The technique offers perspectives for single cell imaging. The in-plane resolution is limited by the pump and probe spot sizes, i.e. ∼1 μm, and the in-depth resolution is provided by the acoustic frequencies, typically in the GHz range. The effect of the technique on cell safety is discussed. Experiments achieved in vegetal cells illustrate the reproducibility and sensitivity of the measurements. The acoustic responses of cell organelles are significantly different. The results support the potentialities of the hypersonic non-invasive technique in the fields of bio-engineering and medicine.     

Piezoacoustic wave spectra using improved surface impedance matrix: application to high impedance-contrast layered plates

Starting from the general modal solutions for a homogeneous layer of arbitrary material and crystalline symmetry, a matrix formalism is developed to establish the semianalytical expressions of the surface impedance matrices (SIM) for a single piezoelectric layer. By applying the electrical boundary conditions, the layer impedance matrix is reduced to a unified elastic form whether the material is piezoelectric or not. The characteristic equation for the dispersion curves is derived in both forms of a three-dimensional acoustic SIM and of an electrical scalar function. The same approach is extended to multilayered structures such as a piezoelectric layer sandwiched in between two metallic electrodes, a Bragg coupler, and a semi-infinite substrate as well. The effectiveness of the approach is numerically demonstrated by its ability to determine the full spectra of guided modes, even at extremely high frequencies, in layered plates comprising up to four layers and three materials. Negative slope in f-k curve for some modes, asymptotic behavior at short wavelength regime, as well as wave confinement phenomena made evident by the numerical results are analyzed and interpreted in terms of the surface acoustic waves and of the interfacial waves in connection with the bulk waves in massive materials.     

Spatiotemporal mapping of surface acoustic waves in isotropic and anisotropic materials

We demonstrate a new method for a real-time imaging of surface acoustic waves at frequencies up to 1 GHz with picosecond temporal and micron spatial resolutions using an ultrafast optical pump and probe technique combined with a common path interferometer. Using samples with isotropic or anisotropic substrates coated with metallic thin films, we observe the propagation of Rayleigh-like modes and surface-skimming bulk modes as well as resolving surface phonon focusing effects. In addition we image surface acoustic wave propagation in a laterally inhomogeneous sample.     

Numerical analysis of bulk conical waves in anisotropic cylinders; application to stiffness tensor measurement

A point source-point receiver technique, based on laser generation and laser detection of acoustic waves, allows determination of mechanical properties of an anisotropic cylinder. The nature of the material and the geometry of the sample give a dispersive behaviour to the diffracted waves and make the acoustic signature difficult to interpret. To overpass the intricacies, wave fronts (conical waves in the volume and helical waves on the surface) are synthesized from signals provided by scanning the primitive line of the cylinder with a laser point source. In order to distinguish between direct bulk conical waves and other contributions in the acoustic response, some considerations on line surface waves and on reflected bulk conical waves are supplied. The identification of the stiffness tensor components, based on the inversion of the bulk waves phase velocities, is applied to signals simulated for a composite material.     

Sensitivity improvement of a pump-probe set-up for thin film and microstructure metrology

This investigation deals with various new aspects of the sensitivity improvement of a pump-probe laser based acoustic method. A short laser pulse is used to excite a mechanical pulse thermo-elastically. Echoes of these mechanical pulses reaching the surface are causing a slight change of the optical reflectivity. The surface reflectivity is scanned versus time with a probe pulse. Thus the time of flight of the acoustic pulse is measured. The quantity to be measured i.e. the optical reflectivity change deltaR caused by acoustic pulses, is rather small. A set-up having an estimated sensitivity deltaR/R of about 10(-5) has shown to be sufficient to detect up to the fifth echo in a 50 nm aluminum film on sapphire substrate. A key challenge is the reduction of optical and electrical cross-talk between the excitation and the detection. Therefore the concepts of double-frequency modulation, cross-polarization, and balanced photodetection are implemented. Practical aspects like beam guiding, modulation techniques, beam focus minimization, and beam focus matching are discussed. Measurements for single- and multi-layer metallic films demanding higher sensitivity are presented.     

Broadband terahertz ultrasonic transducer based on a laser-driven piezoelectric semiconductor superlattice

Spectral characteristics of laser-generated acoustic waves in an InGaN/GaN superlattice structure are studied at room temperature. Acoustic vibrations in the structure are excited with a femtosecond laser pulse and detected via transmission of a delayed probe pulse. Seven acoustic modes of the superlattice are detected, with frequencies spanning a range from 0.36 to 2.5 THz. Acoustic waves up to ∼2 THz in frequency are not significantly attenuated within the transducer which indicates excellent interface quality of the superlattice. The findings hold promise for broadband THz acoustic spectroscopy.     

Diffraction of picosecond bulk longitudinal and shear waves in micron thick films

Investigation of thin metallic film properties by means of picosecond ultrasonics [C. Thomsen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 989 (1984)] has been under the scope of several studies. Generation of longitudinal and shear waves [T. Pézeril et al., Phys. Rev. B 73, 132301 (2006); O. Matsuda et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 095501 (2004)] with a wave vector normal to the film free surface has been demonstrated. Such measurements cannot provide complete information about properties of anisotropic films. Extreme focusing of a laser pump beam (≈0.5 μm) on the sample surface has recently allowed us to provide evidence of picosecond acoustic diffraction in thin metallic films (≈1 μm) [C. Rossignol et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 166106 (2005)]. The resulting longitudinal and shear wavefronts propagate at group velocity through the bulk of the film. To interpret the received signals, source directivity diagrams are calculated taking into account material anisotropy, optical penetration, and laser beam width on the sample surface. It is shown that acoustic diffraction increases with optical penetration, so competing with the increasing of directivity caused by beam width. Reflection with mode conversion at the film-substrate interface is discussed.     

Elastic characterization of porous silicon by acoustic microscopy

Acoustic microsocopy methods and particularly microechography have made it possible to determine porosity and mechanical properties of porous silicon. Nevertheless, these techniques are limited when porosity becomes important or when the layer thickness is too thin. This problem can be solved by detecting and analysing guided waves in the layers (Lamb's waves) which are contained in the acoustic signature V(z).     

Evaluation of elastic properties of nanoporous silicon oxide thin films by picosecond laser ultrasonics

Picosecond laser ultrasonics uses femtosecond laser pulses for the generation and detection of acoustic pulses with a typical duration between few picoseconds and few hundreds of pico seconds. The shorter the duration of the acoustic pulse is, the more precisely could be made the measurements of the film thickness [C. Thomsen et al., Phys. Rev. B 34, 4129 (1986)] and the elastic modulus by pulse-echo method or through Brillouin scattering detection. In this short communication we report the results of the evaluation of the properties of nanoporous silicon oxide thin films which present potential low-k and thermal barrier properties and are also of great interest for the microelectronic industry to replace the traditional silicate glass films in order to decrease the resistance-capacitance transition delay in the VLSI circuits. Most of the studies that have been carried so far have treated the optical properties of such structures. We report the results of the evaluation of acoustic properties of nanoporous thin films.     

Bulk-wave and guided-wave photoacoustic evaluation of the mechanical properties of aluminum/silicon nitride double-layer thin films

The development of devices made of micro- and nano-structured thin film materials has resulted in the need for advanced measurement techniques to characterize their mechanical properties. Photoacoustic techniques, which use pulsed laser irradiation to nondestructively induce very high frequency ultrasound in a test object via rapid thermal expansion, are suitable for nondestructive and non-contact evaluation of thin films. In this paper, we compare two photoacoustic techniques to characterize the mechanical parameters of edge-supported aluminum and silicon nitride double-layer thin films. The elastic properties and residual stresses in such films affect their mechanical performance. In a first set of experiments, a femtosecond transient pump–probe technique is used to investigate the Young’s moduli of the aluminum and silicon nitride layers by launching ultra-high frequency bulk acoustic waves in the films. The measured transient signals are compared with simulated transient thermoelastic signals in multi-layer structures, and the elastic moduli are determined. Independent pump–probe tests on silicon substrate-supported region and unsupported region are in good agreement. In a second set of experiments, dispersion curves of the A₀ mode of the Lamb waves that propagate along the unsupported films are measured using a broadband photoacoustic guided-wave method. The residual stresses and flexural rigidities for the same set of double-layer membranes are determined from these dispersion curves. Comparisons of the results obtained by the two photoacoustic techniques are made and discussed.     

Numerical simulation of laser-generated ultrasound in non-metallic material by the finite element method

The use of a pulsed laser for the generation of the elastic waves in non-metallic materials in the thermoelastic regime is investigated by using finite element method (FEM), taking into account not only thermal diffusion and the finite spatial and temporal shape of the laser pulse, but also optical penetration and the temperature dependence of material properties. The optimum finite element model is established based on analysis of two important parameters, meshing size and time step, and the stability of solution. Temperature distributions and temperature gradient fields in non-metallic material for different time steps are obtained, this temperature field is equivalent to a bulk force source to generate ultrasonic wave. The laser-generated ultrasound waveforms at the epicenter and surface acoustic waveforms (SAWs) are obtained and the influence of optical penetration into the material on the temperature field and the ultrasound waveforms are analyzed. The numerical results indicate that the heat penetration into non-metallic material is caused mainly by the optical penetration, and the ultrasound waveforms, especially the shape of the precursor, are strongly dependent on the optical penetration depth into non-metallic material.     

Acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source in a cylinder

The excitation and propagation of the acoustic waves in an elastic cylinder are studied by laser ultrasonics both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical analysis of the two-dimensional acoustic field excited by a pulsed laser line source impacting on the generatrix of an elastic cylinder is presented. The dispersive properties for both cylindrical Rayleigh wave and the higher modes--whispering gallery (WG) modes are analyzed in detail. The numerical transient displacement waveforms for a detecting point located another terminal of the cylinder diameter opposite the source are calculated. The experimental excitation and detection of the acoustic waves in an aluminum cylinder are carried out on a laser ultrasonic system, which mainly consists of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and a laser interferometer. The wave components of bulk waves and surface waves (cylindrical Rayleigh waves and WG modes) are analyzed by comparing the numerical and experimental waveforms. The results are in good agreement.     

Simulation on thermoelastic stress field and laser ultrasound waveform in non-metallic materials by using FEM

The thermoelastically generated stress and ultrasound fields in non-metallic materials by laser illumination are presented by using finite element method (FEM). The model accounts for the effects of thermal diffusion and optical penetration, as well as the finite width and duration of the laser source. The numerical results show that the strength and feature of the force source can be related to the heat input and certain material properties. The relationships between the stress waves and the ultrasound waveforms, particularly the precursor, are analyzed. The typical surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and the bulk waveforms at the epicenter are presented to illustrate the generated field and provide insight to the relevance of different mechanism taken into account in the model. PACS 02.70.Dh; 43.35.+d; 42.62.-b     

Investigation of the effect of plasma waves excitation on target normal sheath ion acceleration using fs laser‐irradiating hydrogenated structures

Measurements of ion acceleration in polymethylmethacrylate foils covered by a thin copper film irradiated by fs laser in target normal sheath acceleration regime are presented. The ion acceleration depends on the laser parameters, such as the pulse energy; depends on the irradiation conditions, such as the focal point position of the laser with respect to the target surface; and depends on the target properties, such as the metallic film thickness. The proton acceleration increases in the presence of the metallic film enhancing the plasma electron density, reaching about 1.6 MeV energy for a focal position on the target surface. The plasma diagnostics uses SiC detectors, absorber foils, Faraday cups, and gafchromic films. Employing p‐polarized laser light and a suitable oblique incidence, it is possible to increase the proton acceleration up to about 2.0 MeV thanks to the effects of laser absorption resonance due to plasma waves excitation.     

利用PVDF传感器检测激光超声的实验研究

简要介绍了激光超声技术以及声表面波的基本特点、激光超声产生和接收的基本原理及激光超声技术的应用。概述了聚偏二氟乙烯（PVDF）压电薄膜材料的结构、性质和应用，以及薄膜压电性产生的机理。对PVDF换能器的设计思路和实验方法进行了简单讨论。具体实验采用脉冲激光器激发声表面波，利用PVDF传感器接收实验信号，调试实验信号，得出波形，并对实验现象作出初步分析。证实了该实验装置应用于激光超声无损检测的可行性与可靠性。