Eugene G Gamaly

Ablation of solids by femtosecond lasers: ablation mechanism and ablation thresholds for metals and dielectrics

The mechanism of ablation of solids by intense femtosecond laser pulses is described in an explicit analytical form. It is shown that at high intensities when the ionization of the target material is complete before the end of the pulse, the ablation mechanism is the same for both metals and dielectrics. The physics of this new ablation regime involves ion acceleration in the electrostatic field caused by charge separation created by energetic electrons escaping from the target. The formulas for ablation thresholds and ablation rates for metals and dielectrics, combining the laser and target parameters, are derived and compared to experimental data. The calculated dependence of the ablation thresholds on the pulse duration is in agreement with the experimental data in a femtosecond range, and it is linked to the dependence for nanosecond pulses.

Ultrafast ablation with high-pulse-rate lasers. Part I: Theoretical considerations

We propose a novel ultrafast pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, which eliminates the well-known problem of contamination of the films produced by PLD with particulates ejected from the target. The method uses low energy, picosecond duration laser pulses delivered onto a target at rates of several tens of MHz and thus differs from conventional the PLD method which utilizes high energy, nanosecond duration pulses delivered at low (≈10 Hz) repetition rates. In this article we present the theoretical background justifying the method and define the optimal conditions for efficient evaporation of a target with given thermodynamic properties. By reducing the laser pulse energy while maintaining optimum evaporation, the number of atoms evaporated by each pulse is reduced to the point where it becomes impossible for macroscopic lumps of material to be ejected with the available laser energy, thus preventing the source of particle contamination in the film. To achieve high evaporation rate, the laser pulse re...

Ultrafast ablation with high-pulse-rate lasers. Part II: Experiments on laser deposition of amorphous carbon films

Ultrafast pulsed laser deposition is a novel technique for depositing particle-free, thin solid films using very high repetition rate lasers. The process involves evaporation of the target by low energy laser pulses focused to an optimum intensity to eliminate particles from the vapor. This results in films with very high surface quality while the very high repetition rate increases the overall deposition rate. Here we report an experimental demonstration of the process by creating ultrasmooth, thin, amorphous carbon films using high repetition rate Nd:YAG lasers. Both a 10 kHz, 120 ns Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, or a 76 MHz 60 ps mode-locked Nd:YAG laser were used in the experiments. The number of particles visible with an optical microscope on the carbon film deposited using the mode-locked laser was less than one particle per mm2. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated that the deposited film had a very fine surface texture with nanoscale irregularities. Atomic force microscopy surface microroug...

Evidence of superdense aluminium synthesized by ultrafast microexplosion

At extreme pressures and temperatures, such as those inside planets and stars, common materials form new dense phases with compacted atomic arrangements and unusual physical properties. The synthesis and study of new phases of matter at pressures above 100 GPa and temperatures above 104 K—warm dense matter—may reveal the functional details of planet and star interiors, and may lead to materials with extraordinary properties. Many phases have been predicted theoretically that may be realized once appropriate formation conditions are found. Here we report the synthesis of a superdense stable phase of body-centred-cubic aluminium, predicted by first-principles theories to exist at pressures above 380 GPa. The superdense Al phase was synthesized in the non-equilibrium conditions of an ultrafast laser-induced microexplosion confined inside sapphire (α-Al2O3). Confined microexplosions offer a strategy to create and recover high-density polymorphs, and a simple method for tabletop study of warm dense matter.

Laser-induced microexplosion confined in a bulk of silica: Formation of nanovoids

We report on the nanovoid formation inside synthetic silica, viosil, by single femtosecond pulses of 30–100nJ energy, 800nm wavelength, and 180fs duration. It is demonstrated that the void is formed as a result of shock and rarefaction waves at pulse power much lower than the threshold of self-focusing. The shock-compressed region around the nanovoid is demonstrated to have higher chemical reactivity. This was used to reveal the extent of the shock-compressed region by wet etching. Application potential of nanostructuring of dielectrics is discussed.

Picosecond high-repetition-rate pulsed laser ablation of dielectrics : the effect of energy accumulation between pulses

We report experiments on the ablation of arsenic trisulphide and silicon using high-repetition-rate (megahertz) trains of picosecond pulses. In the case of arsenic trisulphide, the average single pulse fluence at ablation threshold is found to be >100 times lower when pulses are delivered as a 76-MHz train compared with the case of a solitary pulse. For silicon, however, the threshold for a 4.1-MHz train equals the value for a solitary pulse. A model of irradiation by high-repetition-rate pulse trains demonstrates that for arsenic trisulphide energy accumulates in the target surface from several hundred successive pulses, lowering the ablation threshold and causing a change from the laser-solid to laser-plasma mode as the surface temperature increases.

Boron nitride nanostructures formed by ultra-high-repetition rate laser ablation

Abstract High-repetition rate (2×10 5 pulses/s), short-pulse (60 ps) laser was used for the first time for ablation of a hexagonal boron nitride (BN) target at nitrogen pressure of ∼100 Torr in search for the optimum conditions of BN nanostructure formation. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and energy-filtered TEM analysis of the produced nanomaterial revealed a variety of BN nanostructures formed due to the interaction of BN plume with nitrogen ambient. Nanorods, multi-layered nanocages, double-layered ‘nanohorns’, and multi- and single-walled BN nanotubes were discovered in the product. BN nanotubes exhibiting various diameters and numbers of layers, including single-walled nanotubes, were frequently assembled in bundles.

Experimental evidence of new tetragonal polymorphs of silicon formed through ultrafast laser-induced confined microexplosion

Ordinary materials can transform into novel phases at extraordinary high pressure and temperature. The recently developed method of ultrashort laser-induced confined microexplosions initiates a non-equilibrium disordered plasma state. Ultra-high quenching rates overcome kinetic barriers to the formation of new metastable phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal for subsequent exploitation. Here we demonstrate that confined microexplosions in silicon produce several metastable end phases. Comparison with an ab initio random structure search reveals six energetically competitive potential phases, four tetragonal and two monoclinic structures. We show the presence of bt8 and st12, which have been predicted theoretically previously, but have not been observed in nature or in laboratory experiments. In addition, the presence of the as yet unidentified silicon phase, Si-VIII and two of our other predicted tetragonal phases are highly likely within laser-affected zones. These findings may pave the way for new materials with novel and exotic properties.

Nanoscale Precision of 3D Polymerization via Polarization Control

NATO SPS-985048 “Nanostructures for Highly Effi cient Infrared Detection” grant is acknowledged. D.G. is grateful for the fi nancial support by “FOKER” (Grant No. MIP-14459) grant from the Research Council of Lithuania.

Three-dimensional recording by tightly focused femtosecond pulses in LiNbO3

One of the authors M.S. thanks the Matsumae International Foundation for the research fellowship. Another author E.G.G. acknowledges support of the Australian Research Council through its Center of Excellence.