Laser Ablation Of Materials Research Articles

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanoparticle sintering in additive nanomanufacturing: The role of particle size, misorientation angle, material type, and temperature

Additive nanomanufacturing, where nanoparticles (NPs) are generated via laser material ablation and sintered via laser, permits the fabrication of novel electronic devices with adequate flexibility, such as tunable material composition, adjustable sintered state, and a wide selection of substrates—including biodegradable ones—to name a few. The laser energy input often needs to be carefully balanced between achieving adequate sintering and avoiding substrate damage. The sintered state of NPs, a key influencing factor of the resistivity of electronic circuits, depends not only on temperature (the result of laser energy input), but also on NPs size, size ratio, and crystallographic misorientation. While the minuteness of NPs and the transient nature of their sintering (typically within a nanosecond) make direct experimental evaluation of such parameters challenging, the length and time scales are uniquely suitable for molecular dynamic (MD) studies. This study utilizes MD to investigate the sintering characteristics of silver and copper NP doublets at different temperatures and examines the effects of NP size, size ratios, misorientation angle (including both tilt and twist), and material type. A mathematical framework to describe the characteristic sintering time, i.e., time needed for a NP doublet to achieve a given normalized neck size, was proposed based on MD results.

An Experimental and Numerical Study of the Laser Ablation of Bronze

The use of lasers in various precise material removal processes has emerged as a viable and efficient alternative to traditional mechanical methods. However, the laser ablation of materials is a complex, multi-parameter process where scanning paths need to be repeated multiple times. This repetition causes changes in the absorption and temperature distribution along the scanning path, thereby affecting the accuracy of the ablation. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly study these phenomena. This article presents an experimental and numerical study on the laser ablation of bronze (DIN: 1705) in a multi-track ablation process. Specifically, six consecutive passes using a ns laser at three different energy densities were conducted. After each pass, measurements of the ablation depth and pile-up height were taken at three distinct points along the track (start, middle, and end) to evaluate the efficiency and quality of the process. To gain a deeper understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms, a numerical simulation model based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) was developed. The effective absorptivity was defined through reverse engineering, and the material’s cooling rates were also estimated. This study’s findings provide significant insights into the influence of machining parameters on the ablation process and its progression with varying numbers of consecutive repetitions. A primarily linear correlation was deduced between the ablation depth, energy density, and number of repetitions, while the relationship with the pile-up height appeared to be more ambiguous and nonlinear. The estimated cooling rates ranged from 106 to 1010 [K/s]. Additionally, a heat accumulation phenomenon and a gradual temperature increase resulting from consecutive laser scans were also observed. A good agreement between the simulation results and experiments for the ablation depths was observed.

Analysis of Thermal Effects During Laser Ablation of Materials

Analysis of Thermal Effects During Laser Ablation of Materials

Generation of pulse bursts in an Yb-doped all-normal dispersion passively mode-locked fiber laser with Raman scatting

Pulse bursts are generated in an Yb-doped all-normal dispersion (ANDi) passively mode-locked fiber laser with Raman scatting based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR). The number of pulses can be continuously adjusted from 1 to 8 by adjusting the pump power. The output power varies stepwise with linearly increasing of input power and pulse numbers in the bursts. We explain that the pulse bursts in ANDi fiber laser are formed by the clamping of pulse width and peak power. The energy evolution of the pulses burst with Raman component is experimentally realized in Yb-doped fiber laser, which is excepted to benefit energy controlling in applications such as laser material ablation and so on.

Numerical modeling of laser ablation of materials

In this paper, we report a numerical simulation of laser ablation of a material by ultrashort laser pulses. The thermal mechanism of laser ablation is described in terms of a one-dimensional nonstationary heat conduction equation in a coordinate system associated with a moving evaporation front. The laser action is taken into account through the functions of the source in the thermal conductivity equation that determine the coordinate and time dependence of the laser source. For a given dose of irradiation of the sample, the profiles of the sample temperature at different times, the dynamics of the displacement of the sample boundary due to evaporation, the velocity of this boundary, and the temperature of the sample at the moving boundary are obtained. The dependence of the maximum temperature on the sample surface and the thickness of the ablation layer on the radiation dose of the incident laser pulse is obtained. Numerical calculations were performed using the finite difference method. The obtained results agree with the results of other works obtained by their authors.

Novel laser-based metasurface fabrication process for transparent conducting surfaces

Transparent conducting film provides key functions for various optoelectronic devices. Existing manufacturing processes of a transparent conducting film are usually very costly in terms of materials or processing time. The goal of this research is to develop a new surface engineering method for low-cost and high-throughput fabrication of large-size, transparent conducting glass windows. A novel laser-based metasurface fabrication process is presented in this work, which comprises two steps: (1) evaporating the glass substrate by an ultrathin metal film with a thickness on the order of 10 nm and (2) laser patterning the coated surface using a nanosecond pulsed laser (1064 nm wavelength) with a typical feature size of hundreds of micrometers. During the second step of the laser scanning process using an appropriate pulse energy density, the metal film absorbs most of the laser pulse energy and is patterned through laser material ablation, while little damage will be induced on the substrate since its absorptivity at the laser wavelength is low. Experimental results have shown that a transparent conducting film with an average visible transmittance of ∼67% and a sheet resistance of ∼20 Ω/sq can be successfully fabricated. Compared with the other existing methods, this novel laser surface patterning process significantly improves the processing efficiency and reduces the production cost that renders practical treatment of glass materials or transparent ceramics to produce transparent conducting surfaces.

Highly porous micro-roughened structures developed on aluminum surface using the jet of rotating arc discharges at atmospheric pressure

Aluminum 6061 samples were exposed to the jet of an atmospheric pressure rotating arc discharge operated in either nitrogen or air. After multiple passes of treatment with an air-based plasma jet at very short source-to-substrate distances, scanning electron microscopy combined with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a highly porous micro-roughened alumina-based structure on the surface of aluminum. Based on optical emission spectroscopy and high-speed optical imaging of the jet interacting with aluminum samples, it was found that the process is mainly driven by the energy transfer from the plasma source to the surface through transient plasma-transferred arcs. The occurrence of multiple arc discharges over very short time scales can induce rapid phase transformations of aluminum with characteristics similar to the ones usually observed during laser ablation of materials with femto- to nanosecond laser pulses or during the formation of cathode spots on the surface of metals.

Plasma ionization source for atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry imaging using near-field optical laser ablation.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) at ambient pressures with submicrometer resolution is challenging, due to the very low amount of material available for mass spectrometric analysis. In this work, we present the development and characterization of a method for MSI based on pulsed laser ablation via a scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) aperture tip. SNOM allows laser ablation of material from surfaces with submicrometer spatial resolution, which can be ionized for further chemical analysis with MS. Efficient ionization is realized here with a custom-built capillary plasma ionization source. We show the applicability of this setup for mass spectrometric analysis of three common MALDI matrices, α-4-hydroxycyanocinnamic acid, 3-aminobenzoic acid, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Although the ultimate goal has been to optimize sensitivity for detecting material ablated from submicrometer diameter craters, the effective lateral resolution is currently limited by the sensitivity of the MS detection system. In our case, the sensitivity of the MS was about 1 fmol, which allowed us to achieve a spatial resolution of 2 μm. We also characterize the analytical figures of merit of our method. In particular, we demonstrate good reproducibility, a repetition rate in the range of only a few seconds, and we determined the amount of substance required to achieve optimal resolution and sensitivity. Moreover, the sample topography is available from SNOM scans, a parameter that is missing in common MSI methods.

Ablation of Copper by a Single Ultrashort Laser Pulse

Thermal ablation of copper films by a single Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser pulse of wavelength 800 nm and duration 100 fs was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The laser experiments were performed; the ablation depth and crater profiles were measured for laser fluences up to 1037 J/cm. A comprehensive axisymmetric model, including a two-temperature model, phase change models for rapid melting and evaporation, and a phase explosion model for ejecting metastable liquid and vapor, was developed to simulate the laser material ablation process. The simulated ablation depths and crater profiles agree well with the experimental measurements.

Dynamics of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in femtosecond laser-ablated aluminum plumes in argon gas at atmospheric pressures

Plasma expansion with shockwave formation during laser ablation of materials in a background gasses is a complex process. The spatial and temporal evolution of pressure, temperature, density, and velocity fields is needed for its complete understanding. We have studied the expansion of femtosecond (fs) laser-ablated aluminum (Al) plumes in Argon (Ar) gas at 0.5 and 1 atmosphere (atm). The expansion of the plume is investigated experimentally using shadowgraphy and fast-gated imaging. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is also carried out. The position of the shock front measured by shadowgraphy and fast-gated imaging is then compared to that obtained from the CFD modeling. The results from the three methods are found to be in good agreement, especially during the initial stage of plasma expansion. The computed time- and space-resolved fields of gas-dynamic parameters have provided valuable insights into the dynamics of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in fs-pulse ablated Al plumes in Ar gas at 0.5 and 1 atm. These results are compared to our previous data on nanosecond (ns) laser ablation of Al [S. S. Harilal et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 083504 (2012)]. It is observed that both fs and ns plumes acquire a nearly spherical shape at the end of expansion in Ar gas at 1 atm. However, due to significantly lower pulse energy of the fs laser (5 mJ) compared to pulse energy of the ns laser (100 mJ) used in our studies, the values of pressure, temperature, mass density, and velocity are found to be smaller in the fs laser plume, and their time evolution occurs much faster on the same time scale. The oscillatory shock waves clearly visible in the ns plume are not observed in the internal region of the fs plume. These experimental and computational results provide a quantitative understanding of plasma expansion and shockwave formation in fs-pulse and ns-pulse laser ablated Al plumes in an ambient gas at atmospheric pressures.

Experimental investigation of recoil-momentum-generation efficiency under near-IR femtosecond laser ablation of refractory metals in vacuum

The use of ultrashort laser pulses is a way to increase recoil momentum under laser ablation of materials, because, in this case, the energy deposition per unit volume of the target material is substantially higher due to reduced heat dissipation. By using methods of combined interferometry, we estimated the specific impulse (∼200–900 s), momentum coupling coefficient (∼2 × 10−5−3 × 10−4 Ns/J), laser-energy conversion efficiency to kinetic energy of the gas-plasma flow (∼0.05–0.82), and degree of the gas-plasma flow monochromaticity (∼0.72–0.92) under femtosecond (τ ∼ 45 fs, λ ∼ 800 nm) ablation of refractory metals (Ti, Zr, Mo, and Nb) in vacuum.

Micromachining of copper by femtosecond laser pulses

Simulation results of femtosecond laser ablation of copper were compared to experimental data. The numerical analysis was performed using a predictive model, including a two temperature model, an optical critical point model with three Lorentzian terms, two phase change models for melting and evaporation under superheating, and a phase explosion criterion for ejection of metastable liquid decomposing into droplets and vapor phase. The experiments were conducted with a 120-fs, 800-nm Ti:sapphire lasers for fluences up to 408J/cm2. The ablation depths were measured, and the ablation rate was estimated. It was shown that the present numerical simulations correlate well with the experimental data over the entire range of the laser fluences investigated except for those below 0.8J/cm2, indicating that the proposed model is an accurate and efficient tool for predicting ultrashort-pulsed laser material ablation.

Generation and expansion of laser-induced plasma as a spectroscopic emission source

Laser-induced plasma represents today a widespread spectroscopic emission source. It can be easily generated using compact and reliable nanosecond pulsed laser on a large variety of materials. Its application for spectrochemical analysis for example with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has become so popular that one tends to forget the complex physical and chemical processes leading to its generation and governing its evolution. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the backgrounds necessary to understand and describe the laser-induced plasma from its generation to its expansion into the ambient gas. The objective is not to go into the details of each process; there are numerous specialized papers and books for that in the literature. The goal here is to gather in a same paper the essential understanding elements needed to describe laser-induced plasma as results from a complex process. These elements can be dispersed in several related but independent fields such as laser-matter interaction, laser ablation of material, optical and thermodynamic properties of hot and ionized gas, or plasma propagation in a background gas. We believe that presenting the ensemble of understanding elements of laser-induced plasma in a comprehensive way and in limited pages of this paper will be helpful for further development and optimized use of the LIBS technique. Experimental results obtained in our laboratory are used to illustrate the studied physical processes each time such illustration becomes possible and helpful.

Microsecond Pulsed Laser Material Ablation by Contacting Optical Fiber

The conditions that allow productive material ablation via contacting fiber, delivering microsecond pulses of Nd:YAG laser without damage of the fiber tip, are found. Stomatologic materials such as ceramics, composites and metal alloys were used as targets in atmospheric air. The choice of materials is caused by high potential of contacting fiber ablation technique in dentistry. Silica fiber with core diameter of 300μm was positioned at distances Δ=0-1mm from the target surface. Pumpprobe laser shadowhraphy allowed to study the material plasma expansion dynamics and peculiarities (size, speed, direction of motion) of the target microparticles ejection. Two types of fiber tip damage were studied: catastrophic (mechanical destruction preventing further ablation) and acceptable (enhanced light absorption and scattering by the target material deposited on the fiber accompanied by the tip surface low rate etching by laser beam with formation of a minor negative lens). It is shown that for laser fluencies E≈20-40J/cm, when microsecond pulsed materials ablation rates are quite high (~1-10μm/pulse), for the investigated targets no catastrophic damage of contacting fiber tip occurs for all gaps and laser pulse number N≤10-10, excluding metal case with Δ≤10-20μm.

Plume splitting in pico-second laser–material interaction under the influence of shock wave

In this work, molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to study the physics of plume splitting in pico-second laser material interaction in background gas. The velocity distribution shows a clear split into two distinctive components. Detailed atom trajectory track reveals the behavior of atoms within the peaks and uncovers the mechanisms of peak formation. The observed plume velocity splitting emerges from two distinguished parts of the plume. The front peak of the plume is from the faster moving atoms and smaller particles during laser–material ablation. This region experiences strong constraint from the ambient gas and has substantial velocity attenuation. The second (rear) peak of the plume velocity originates from the larger and slower clusters in laser-material ablation. These larger clusters/particles experience very little constraint from the background, but are affected by the relaxation dynamics of plume and appear almost as a standing wave during the evolution. Density splitting only appears at the beginning of laser–material ablation and quickly disappears due to spread-out of the slower moving clusters. It is found that higher ambient pressure and stronger laser fluence favor earlier plume splitting.

Laser ablation of dental materials using a microsecond Nd:YAG laser

The action of microsecond laser pulses with a wavelength of 1064 nm on dental tissues (enamel and dentin) and various dental materials used for tooth replacement and filling (ceramics, metal alloys, and composites) is studied. It is demonstrated that the ablation thresholds of all of the dental materials are significantly lower than the threshold laser fluences for the dental tissue (Ethr = 200–300 J/cm2). At the laser fluences that do not allow ablation and damage of the dental tissues, the dental materials are effectively removed at a rate of no greater than 40 μm per pulse. It is shown that the laser ablation of the materials under study involves two processes (evaporation and volume explosion) depending on the optical density. The results obtained indicate that the laser radiation with a wavelength of 1064 nm and the microsecond pulse duration is promising for dental applications, since it allows effective cleaning of the tooth surface from various dental materials in the absence of the damages of dental tissues.

Model and computer simulation of nanosecond laser material ablation

A computer model to simulate the evolution of parameters describing laser ablation processes was developed. The absorbed laser energy, the heat diffusion, the phase transformations and the shielding effect of the ablated material were taken into account. The temporal development of the ablated volume, pore depth and extension of the melt zone were calculated for single pulses of 500, 100, 20, 5 and 1 ns. Simulations were performed for pulse energies of 50 μJ and spot diameters of 10 μm. From temporal evolution curves of the ablated volumes, the stoppage of the ablation process was evidenced before the end of the processing pulse. Comments with respect to optimal pulse duration (in the ns regime) are also formulated.

Geometrical modeling of surface profile formation during laser ablation of materials

Recent advances in laser machining technology have made it possible to fabricate parts and features with high accuracy and precision, using high-powered, short-pulsed, Q-switched lasers. To determine the machining parameters to obtain the desired geometrical quality, an understanding of the relationship between the process parameters and the resulting surface profile is necessary. In the present study, we adopt a geometrical approach which, coupled with the material properties and machining process parameters, yields a method to determine the surface profile of the material ablated by a laser pulse. It is reasoned that the energy incident upon an infinitesimal area of the surface at a given time is transferred in the outward normal direction to the surface, and the volume of ablation, centered about the normal, is determined by the laser–material interaction and the process parameters. The direction and depth of ablation determine the modified surface profile an infinitesimal time later, yielding a nonlinear partial differential equation, which is then integrated starting with the initial known surface to determine the profile at an arbitrary time. Theoretical predictions and the experimental results are compared for a test case of metals. The agreement between the two is satisfactory indicating the adequacy of the approach.

Extremely compact soft X-ray lasers based on capillary discharges

Extremely compact high repetition rate soft X-ray lasers based on capillary discharge excitation have demonstrated average powers of a few milliWatt at 46.9nm, milli-Joule-level pulse energy, peak spectral brightness several orders of magnitude larger than third-generation synchrotron beam lines, and excellent spatial coherence. Examples of the use of a capillary discharge soft X-ray laser in dense plasma diagnostics and laser ablation of materials are summarized.

Temporal Pulse Shaping and Optimization in Ultrafast Laser Ablation of Materials

The possibility of phase manipulation and temporal tailoring of ultrashort laser pulses enables new opportunities for optimal processing of materials. Phase-manipulated ultrafast laser pulses allow adapting the laser energy delivery rate to the material properties for optimal processing laying the groundwork for adaptive optimization in materials structuring. Different materials respond with specific reaction pathways to the sudden energy input depending on the efficiency of electron generation and on the ability to release the energy into the lattice. The sequential energy delivery with judiciously chosen pulse trains may induce softening of the material during the initial steps of excitation and change the energy coupling for the subsequent steps. We show that this can result in lower stress, cleaner structures, and allow for a materialdependent optimization process.