Effect of sample temperature on femtosecond laser ablation of copper

We conduct an experimental study supported by theoretical analysis of single laser ablating copper to investigate the interactions between laser and material at different sample temperatures,and predict the changes of ablation morphology and lattice temperature.For investigating the effect of sample temperature on femtosecond laser processing,we conduct experiments on and simulate the thermal behavior of femtosecond laser irradiating copper by using a two-temperature model.The simulation results show that both electron peak temperature and the relaxation time needed to reach equilibrium increase as initial sample temperature rises.When the sample temperature rises from 300 K to 600 K,the maximum lattice temperature of the copper surface increases by about 6500 K under femtosecond laser irradiation,and the ablation depth increases by 20%.The simulated ablation depths follow the same general trend as the experimental values.This work provides some theoretical basis and technical support for developing femtosecond laser processing in the field of metal materials.

High performance micromachining of sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA)using GHz burst mode femtosecond pulses

GHz burst-mode femtosecond(fs)laser,which emits a series of pulse trains with extremely short intervals of several hundred picoseconds,provides distinct characteristics in materials processing as compared with the conventional irradiation scheme of fs laser(single-pulse mode).In this paper,we take advantage of the moderate pulse interval of 205 ps(4.88 GHz)in the burst pulse for high-quality and high-efficiency micromachining of single crystalline sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA).Specifically,the preceding pulses in the burst generate plasma by ablation of copper placed behind the sapphire substrate,which interacts with the subsequent pulses to induce ablation at the rear surface of sapphire substrates.As a result,not only the ablation quality but also the ablation efficiency and the fabrication resolution are greatly improved compared to the other schemes including single-pulse mode fs laser direct ablation,single-pulse mode fs-LIPAA,and nanosecond-LIPAA.

Hierarchical microstructures with high spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures possessing different orientations created by femtosecond laser ablation of silicon in liquids

High spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures(HSFLs)on silicon substrates are often developed on flat surfaces at low fluences near ablation threshold of 0.1 J/cm2,seldom on microstructures or microgrooves at relatively higher fluences above 1 J/cm^2.This work aims to enrich the variety of HSFLs-containing hierarchical microstructures,by femtosecond laser(pulse duration:457 fs,wavelength:1045 nm,and repetition rate:100 kHz)in liquids(water and acetone)at laser fluence of 1.7 J/cm^2.The period of Si-HSFLs in the range of 110–200 nm is independent of the scanning speeds(0.1,0.5,1 and 2 mm/s),line intervals(5,15 and 20μm)of scanning lines and scanning directions(perpendicular or parallel to light polarization direction).It is interestingly found that besides normal HSFLs whose orientations are perpendicular to the direction of light polarization,both clockwise or anticlockwise randomly tilted HSFLs with a maximal deviation angle of 50°as compared to those of normal HSFLSs are found on the microstructures with height gradients.Raman spectra and SEM characterization jointly clarify that surface melting and nanocapillary waves play important roles in the formation of Si-HSFLs.The fact that no HSFLs are produced by laser ablation in air indicates that moderate melting facilitated with ultrafast liquid cooling is beneficial for the formation of HSFLs by LALs.On the basis of our findings and previous reports,a synergistic formation mechanism for HSFLs at high fluence was proposed and discussed,including thermal melting with the concomitance of ultrafast cooling in liquids,transformation of the molten layers into ripples and nanotips by surface plasmon polaritons(SPP)and second-harmonic generation(SHG),and modulation of Si-HSFLs direction by both nanocapillary waves and the localized electric field coming from the excited large Si particles.

Liquid vortexes and flows induced by femtosecond laser ablation in liquid governing formation of circular and crisscross LIPSS

Orientations of laser induced periodic surface structures(LIPSS)are usually considered to be governed by the laser polarization state.In this work,we unveil that fluid dynamics induced by femtosecond(fs)laser ablation in liquid(fs-LAL)can easily break this polarization restriction to produce irregular circular-LIPSS(CLIPPS)and crisscross-LIPSS(CCLIPSS).Fs laser ablation of silicon in water shows formation of diverse LIPSS depending on ablation conditions.At a high power of 700 mW(repetition rate of 100 kHz,pulse duration of 457 fs and wavelength of 1045 nm),single/twin CLIPSS are produced at the bottom of macropores of several microns in diameter due to the formation of strong liquid vortexes and occurrence of the vortex shedding effect.Theoretical simulations validate our speculation about the formation of liquid vortex with an ultrahigh static pressure,which can induce the microstructure trenches and cracks at the sidewalls for fs-LAL of Si and tungsten(W)in water,respectively.At a low power of 50 mW,weak liquid vortexes are produced,which only give birth to curved LIPSS in the valleys of grooves.Consequently,it is deduced that liquid vortex plays a crucial role in the formation of macropores.Mountain-like microstructures induce complex fluid dynamics which can cause the formation of CCLIPSS on them.It is believed that liquid vortexes and fluid dynamics presented in this work open up new possibilities to diversify the morphologies of LIPSS formed by fs-LAL.

Time-resolved shadowgraphs and morphology analyses of aluminum ablation with multiple femtosecond laser pulses

Aluminum ablation by multiple femtosecond laser pulses is investigated via time-resolved shadowgraphs and scanning electron microscope （SEM） images of the ablation spot. The spatial distribution of the ejected material and the radius of the shock wave generated during the ablation are found to vary with the increase in the number of pulses. In the initial two pulses, nearly concentric and semicircular stripes within the shock wave front are observed, unlike in subsequent pulses. Ablation by multiple femtosecond pulses exhibits different characteristics compared with the case induced by single femtosecond pulse because of the changes to the aluminum target surface induced by the preceding pulses.

Effect of surface roughness on femtosecond laser ablation of 4H-SiC substrates

Ablation threshold is an important concept in the study of femtosecond laser micro-and nano-machining.In this paper,the ablation experiments of three kinds of surface roughness 4H-Si C substrates irradiated by femtosecond laser were carried out.The feature thresholds were systematically measured for three surface roughness Si C substrates and found in the modification and annealing regions ranging from coincidence(R_(a)=0.5 nm)to a clear demarcation(R_(a)=5.5 nm),eventually being difficult to identify the presence of the former(R_(a)=89 nm).Under multi-pulse laser irradiation,oriented ripple structures were generated in the annealing region,where deep subwavelength ripples(about 110 nm,Λ≈0.2λ)can be generated above substrates with surface roughness higher than 5.5 nm.We investigated the effect of surface roughness on the ablation morphology,ablation threshold,and periodic structures of femtosecond laser ablation of 4H-Si C substrates,while the ablation threshold was tended to decrease and stabilize with the increase of pulse number N≥500.

Femtosecond laser shockwave peening ablation in liquids for hierarchical micro/nanostructuring of brittle silicon and its biological application

This paper presents a new technique,termed femtosecond laser shock peening ablation in liquids(fs-LSPAL),which can realize simultaneous crack micro/nanomanufacturing and hierarchical micro/nanolaser ablation,giving rise to the formation of diverse multiscale hierarchical structures,such as macroporous ratcheted structures and enéchelon microfringes decorated with parabolic nanoripples.Through analysis of surface morphologies,many phenomena have been confirmed to take place during fs-LSPAL,including enéchelon cracks,nanostriation,ripple densification,crack branching,and selective formation of high spatial frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures of 100–200 nm in period.At a high laser power of 700 mW,fs-LSPAL at scanning speeds of 0.2 mm s^-1 and 1 mm s^-1 enables the generation of height-fluctuated and height-homogeneous hierarchical structures,respectively.The height-fluctuated structures can be used to induce‘colony’aggregates of embryonic EB3 stem cells.At 200 mW,fs-LSPAL at 1 mm s^-1 is capable of producing homogeneous tilt macroporous structures with cracked structures interleaved among them,which are the synergistic effects of bubble-induced light refraction/reflection ablation and cracks.As shown in this paper,the conventional laser ablation technique integrated with its self-driven unconventional cracking under extreme conditions expands the horizons of extreme manufacturing and offers more opportunities for complex surface structuring,which can potentially be used for biological applications.

Theoretical and experimental study of energy transportation and accumulation in femtosecond laser ablation on metals

The energy transportation and accumulation effect for femtosecond(fs)laser ablation on metal targets were studied using both theoretical and experimental methods.Using finite difference method,numerical simulation of energy transportation characteristics on copper target ablated by femtosecond laser was performed.Energy accumulation effects on metals of silver and copper ablated by an amplified Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser system were then studied experimentally.The simulated results show that the electrons and lattices have different temperature evolvement characteristics in the ablation stage.The electron temperature increases sharply and reaches the maximum in several femtoseconds while it needs thousands of femtoseconds for lattice to reach the maximum temperature.The experimental results show that uniform laser-induced periodic surface structures(PSS)can be formed with the appropriate pulsed numbers and laser energy density.Electron-phonon coupling coefficient plays an important role in PSS formation in different metals.Surface ripples of Cu are more pronounced than those of Au under the same laser energy density.

Thermal analysis of intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum

This paper numerically simulates the process of ablation of an aluminum target by an intense femtosecond laser with a fluence of 40 J/cm2 based on the two-temperature equation, and obtains the evolution of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature over a large temporal and depth range, for the first time. By investigating the temporal evolution curves of the free electron temperature and lattice temperature at three representative depths of 0, 100 nm and 500 nm, it reveals different characteristics and mechanisms of the free electron temperature evolution at different depths. The results show that, in the intense femtosecond laser ablation of aluminum, the material ablation is mainly induced by the thermal conduction of free electrons, instead of the direct absorption of the laser energy; in addition, the thermal conduction of free electrons and the coupling effect between electrons and lattice will induce the temperature of free electrons deep inside the target to experience a process from increase to decrease and finally to increase again.

Effects of Parameters in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining on Ablation of Silicon

A series of ablation experiments on silicon surface by femtosecond laser system of 775 nm and 150 fs duration pulses were carried out.The morphological characteristics and the associated effect in the ablation were tested by atomic force microscope(AFM),scanning electron microscope(SEM),focused ion beam(FIB),and the optic microscope.The single pulse threshold can be obtained directly.For the multiple pulses,the ablation threshold varies with the number of pulses applied to the surface due to the incubation effect.By analyzing the experimental data,the thresholds of laser fluences under various laser pulse numbers were obtained,and the relationships between ablation area and laser energy and laser pulse number were concluded.Meanwhile,the periodic ripple structure on silicon surface was found.Under the condition of certain laser power,the number of laser pulse can influence the formation of ripples.

<i>In Situ</i>Analysis of Copper Alloys by Femtosecond Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry: Constrains on Matrix Effects

Direct analysis of copper-base alloys using laser ablation techniques is an increasingly common procedure in cultural heritage studies. However, main discussions remain focused on the possibility of using non-matrix matched external reference materials. To evaluate the occurrence of matrix effects during in situ microanalysis of copper-base materials, using near infrared femtosecond laser ablation techniques (NIR fs-LA-ICP-MS), two bronzes, i.e., (Sn-Zn)-ternary and (Sn)-binary copper-matrix reference materials, as well as a reference synthetic glass (NIST-SRM-610) have been analyzed. The results have been compared to data obtained on a sulfide-matrix reference material. Similar values in relative sensitivity averages of 63Cu, 118Sn and 66Zn, as well as in 118Sn/63Cu and 66Zn/63Cu ratios were obtained, for all analyzed matrix types, i.e., copper-base-, silicate-, and sulfide-reference materials. Consequently, it is possible to determinate major and minor element concentrations in copper alloys, i.e., Cu, Sn and Zn, using silicate and sulfide reference materials as external calibrators, without any matrix effect and over a wide range of concentrations (from wt.% to ppm). Equally, Cu, Sn and Zn concentrations can be precisely determined in sulfides using homogeneous alloys (reference) materials as an external calibrator. Thus, it is possible to determine Cu, Sn and Zn in copper-base materials and their ore minerals, mostly sulfides, in a single analytical session, without requiring specific external calibrators for each matrix type. In contrast, immiscible elements in copper matrix, such as Pb and Fe show notable differences in their relative sensitivity values and ratios for different matrix-materials analyzed, implying that matrix-matched external calibrations remain to be applied for their trace quantification.

Thermal characteristics of double-layer thin film target ablated by femtosecond laser pulses

Thermal characteristics of tightly-contacted copper-gold double-layer thin film target under ablation of femtosec- ond laser pulses are investigated by using a two-temperature theoretical model. Numerical simulation shows that electron heat flux varies significantly on the boundary of copper-gold film with different maximal electron temperature of 1.15 x 103 K at 5 ps after ablating laser pulse in gold and copper films, which can reach a balance around 12.6 ps and 8.2 ps for a single and double pulse ablation, respectively, and in the meantime, the lattice temperature difference crossing the gold-copper interface is only about 0.04×103 K at the same time scale. It is also found that electron-lattice heat relaxation time increases linearly with laser fluence in both single and double pulse ablation, and a sudden change of the relaxation time appears after the laser energy density exceeds the ablation threshold.

The effects of heat treatment on microfluidic devices fabricated in silica glass by femtosecond lasers

We fabricated complex microfluidic devices in silica glass by water-assisted femtosecond laser ablation and sub- sequent heat treatment. The experimental results show that after heat treatment, the diameter of the microehannels is significantly reduced and the internal surface roughness is improved. The diameters of the fabricated microehannels can be modulated by changing the annealing temperature and the annealing time. During annealing, the temperature affects the diameter and shape of the protrusions in microfluidic devices very strongly, and these changes are mainly caused by uniform expansion and the action of surface tension.

INTRACELLULAR MANIPULATION BY FEMTOSECOND LASERS:REVIEW

Multiphoton absorption of femtosecond laser pulses focused through an objective with high numerical aperture(NA)can be used to image and manipulate cellular and intracellular objects.This review highlights recent advances in intracellular manipulation,including nanosurgery and labeling in living cells with femtosecond lasers.

Thermal response and optical absorptance of metals under femtosecond laser irradiation

A detailed study on correlation between residual thermal response of a sample and its optical absorptance change due to laser-induced sur-face structural modifications in multi-shot fem-tosecond laser irradiation is performed. Ex-periments reveal an overall enhancement for residual thermal coupling and absorptance in air. Surprisingly, residual thermal coupling in air shows a non-monotonic dependence on pulse number and reaches a minimum value after a certain number of pulses, while these behaviors are not seen in absorptance. In vacuum, how-ever, both suppression and enhancement are seen in residual energy coupling although ab-sorptance is always enhanced. From these ob-servations, it appears that air plasma plays a dominant role in thermal coupling at a relatively low number of applied pulses, while the forma-tion of craters plays a dominant role at a high number of pulses.

Experimental study on microdeposition of the copper thin film by femtosecond laser-induced forward transfer

The morphologies of the deposited dots on the 40 nm-thick copper film by the femtosecond laser-induced forward transfer that depend on the irradiated laser fluence have been studied, and the variations of orderliness of the diameter of deposited dots on the quartz substrate and forward ablated dot on the donor substrate with increasing pulse fluence have been obtained experimentally. The experimental results show that a thinner copper film would generate larger-sized ablated dot and deposited dot at the threshold fluence for transfer. By x-ray diffraction measurement, it is demonstrated that the crystal form of the transferred copper films is unaltered and the size of the crystallites is diminished.

An Experimental Study of Microstructure through SEM and AFM by Interaction from High Power Femtosecond Laser Wave with BaTiO3

This paper deals with the interaction of femtosecond laser with strain dependent high dielectric material. For this investigation, ferroelectric material like BaTiO3 has been chosen because of centrosymmetric structure. Due to irradiation of laser light, the micro-structure of BaTiO3 is found to change along the direction of heat propagation. SEM and AFM tools have been used to detect the morphology and roughness of the femotosecond laser treated BaTiO3. The change of morphology and surface behavior depends upon the laser fluence and intensity of laser light. The maximum change in morphology has been observed at a higher laser fluence.

MoS_(2)core-shell nanoparticles prepared through liquid-phase ablation and light exfoliation of femtosecond laser for chemical sensing

Molybdenum disulfide(MoS_(2))-based nanostructures are highly desirable for applications such as chemical and biological sensing,photo/electrochemical catalysis,and energy storage due to their unique physical and chemical properties.In this work,MoS_(2)core-shell nanoparticles were first prepared through the liquid-phase processing of bulk MoS2by a femtosecond laser.The core of prepared nanoparticles was incompletely and weakly crystalline MoS_(2);the shell of prepared nanoparticles was highly crystalline MoS_(2),which wrapped around the core layer by layer.The femtosecond laser simultaneously achieved liquid-phase ablation and light exfoliation.The formation mechanism of the core-shell nanoparticles is to prepare the nanonuclei first by laser liquid-phase ablation and then the nanosheets by light exfoliation;the nanosheets will wrap the nanonuclei layer by layer through van der Waals forces to form core-shell nanoparticles.The MoS_(2)core-shell nanoparticles,because of Mo-S bond breakage and recombination,have high chemical activity for chemical catalysis.Afterward,the nanoparticles were used as a reducing agent to directly prepare three-dimensional(3D)Au-MoS_(2)micro/nanostructures,which were applied as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)substrates to explore chemical sensing activity.The ultrahigh enhancement factor(1.06×10^(11)),ultralow detection limit(10-13M),and good SERS adaptability demonstrate highly sensitive SERS activity,great ability of ultralow concentration detection,and ability to detect diverse analytes,respectively.This work reveals the tremendous potential of 3D Au-MoS_(2)composite structures as excellent SERS substrates for chemical and biological sensing.

飞秒激光加工参数对RB-SiC表面形貌的影响

目的揭示飞秒激光加工参数对反应烧结碳化硅(Reaction-Bounded Silicon Carbide,RB-SiC)表面形貌的影响规律。方法通过改变激光能量密度和有效脉冲数,研究RB-SiC表面烧蚀槽的形貌变化规律,确定飞秒激光加工RB-SiC的去除机理。采用扫描电镜、共聚焦显微镜、X射线能谱仪和拉曼光谱仪分析RB-SiC烧蚀前后的表面形貌演变行为。结果激光能量密度在0.62~10.48 J/cm^(2)时,Si富集区域形成凹陷结构,SiC颗粒区域形成周期性结构(Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures,LIPSS),周期约为970 nm。随着激光能量密度的增加,凹陷结构扩大加深,表面球形纳米颗粒增多,烧蚀槽宽度呈对数增长。有效脉冲数在69~1379,Si富集区域的去除量高于SiC颗粒区域的去除量。随着有效脉冲数增加,烧蚀槽深度显著加深,凹陷结构扩展成深坑结构,飞溅至烧蚀槽外侧的纳米颗粒聚集成团簇物,由Si、SiC和非晶态SiO_(2)构成的沉积物在烧蚀槽边缘形成堆积层。结论降低激光能量密度能够减少RB-SiC表面凹陷和纳米颗粒,有助于提升烧蚀形貌的一致性。增加有效脉冲数会促进烧蚀槽底部深坑结构的产生,进而扩大Si与SiC去除量之间的差异。

碳化硅陶瓷飞秒激光加工表面物化特性及去除过程研究

硬脆材料超快激光加工可有效抑制加工损伤,是碳化硅陶瓷精密加工的重要手段。采用飞秒激光,在不同能量密度和脉冲数下对碳化硅陶瓷进行加工,探究激光参数对其表面形貌特征、化学组分和微孔加工的影响,分析表面微观结构的演变规律和材料去除过程。结果表明:单脉冲加工碳化硅陶瓷表面形成沸腾区和熔化区,计算得到形成特征区的阈值能量分别为3.779、0.860 J/cm^(2);碳化硅陶瓷的去除过程是光热作用和光化学作用先后作用的结果,在温度较高的中心区域的作用机制是材料的蒸发作用,其他低温区域则是材料的热分解和氧化;微孔直径和烧蚀深度随着能量密度和脉冲数量的增大而增大。本研究从材料物理化学特性变化角度进一步完善了碳化硅陶瓷飞秒激光加工机理,为碳化硅陶瓷零部件的精密无损伤加工应用提供理论参考。