Zhonghua Shen

Mathematical modeling of laser induced heating and melting in solids

Abstract An analytical method for treating the problem of laser heating and melting is developed in this paper. The analytical method has been applied to aluminum, titanium, copper, silver and fused quartz and the time needed to melt and vaporize and the effects of laser power density on the melt depth for four metals are also obtained. In addition, the depth profile and time evolution of the temperature of aluminum before melting and after melting are given, in which a discontinuity in the temperature gradient is obviously observed due to the latent heat of fusion and the increment in thermal conductivity in solid phase. Additionally, the calculated melt depth evolution of fused quartz induced by 10.6 μm laser irradiation is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Numerical simulation of laser-generated ultrasound by the finite element method

The results obtained from the finite element model of laser-generated ultrasound are presented in terms of temperature and displacement. According to thermoelastic theory, considering the temperature dependence of the thermophysical parameters of the material, the transient temperature field can be precisely calculated by using the finite element method; then, laser-generated surface acoustic wave forms are calculated in Al plates of various thicknesses. The elastic waves excited by a pulsed laser in a thin plate are typical Lamb waves, and the numerical results demonstrate that the surface vibration is mainly determined by the lower frequency components of the symmetric mode s0 and antisymmetric mode a0 of the lowest order in very thin plate materials. It is also indicated that, when the sample thickness increases, both the higher frequency components of the lower Lamb wave modes and the higher order Lamb wave modes should be considered. In a relatively thicker plate, the numerical model can still captur...

Shock-wave propagation and cavitation bubble oscillation by Nd:YAG laser ablation of a metal in water

A highly sensitive fiber-optic sensor based on optical beam deflection is applied for investigating the propagation of a laser-induced plasma shock wave, the oscillation of a cavitation bubble diameter, and the development of a bubble-collapse-induced shock wave when a Nd:YAG laser pulse is focused upon an aluminum surface in water. By the sequence of experimental waveforms detected at different distances, the attenuation properties of the plasma shock wave and of the bubble-collapse-induced shock wave are obtained. Besides, based on characteristic signals, both the maximum and the minimum bubble radii at each oscillation cycle are determined, as are the corresponding oscillating periods.

Time-resolved temperature measurement and numerical simulation of millisecond laser irradiated silicon

Thermal process of 1064 nm millisecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiated silicon was time-resolved temperature measured by an infrared radiation pyrometer, temperature evolutions of the spot center for wide range of laser energy densities were presented. The waveforms of temperature evolution curves contained much information about phase change, melting, solidification and vaporization. An axisymmetric numerical model was established for millisecond laser heating silicon. The transient temperature fields were obtained by using the finite element method. The numerical results of temperature evolutions of the spot center are in good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, the axial temperature distributions of the numerical results give a better understanding of the waveforms in the experimental results. The melting threshold, vaporizing threshold, melting duration, and melting depth were better identified by analyzing two kinds of results.

Finite element model of laser-generated surface acoustic waves in coating-substrate system

The generation of ultrasound in coating-substrate systems subjected to laser beam illumination has been studied quantitatively by using the finite element method. Taking into account the temperature dependence of material properties, the transient temperature and temperature gradient field can be obtained in different coating-substrate systems. According to the thermoelastic theory, these temperature gradient fields are taken as bulk sources to generate ultrasound in coating-substrate systems. The typical surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in systems, a slow coating on a fast substrate and a fast coating on a slow substrate, are obtained. The influence of the propagation distance and the coating thickness on the SAWs is analyzed.

Effect of defects on long-pulse laser-induced damage of two kinds of optical thin films

In order to study the effect of defects on the laser-induced damage of different optical thin films, we carried out damage experiments on two kinds of thin films with a 1 ms long-pulse laser. Surface-defect and subsurface-defect damage models were used to explain the damage morphology. The two-dimensional finite element method was applied to calculate the temperature and thermal-stress fields of these two films. The results show that damages of the two films are due to surface and subsurface defects, respectively. Furthermore, the different dominant defects for thin films of different structures are discussed.

Thermoelastic finite element modeling of laser generation ultrasound

Thermoelastic finite element modeling of laser-generated ultrasound in aluminum plates is presented based on a numerical formulation for the transient response in terms of the characteristics of the source of the thermoelastic waves. The model accounts for the effects of thermal diffusion, as well as the finite width and duration of the laser source. The stress can be related to the laser energy and material properties. The numerical results indicate that the temperature dependence of the thermophysical parameters has a significant influence on the laser-generated surface-acoustic waves with high frequencies.

Mechanical properties of nanocrystalline diamond films

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with thicknesses in the range of 0.12–1.5μm were deposited on silicon substrates in CH4∕H2∕O2 gas mixtures by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The morphology and structure of these NCD films were analyzed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet-Raman spectroscopy. The lower limit of the grain size in the NCD films was estimated to be 10nm from the XRD measurements. These grains are embedded in a columnar-type structure. The elastic and mechanical properties of the NCD films were determined by measuring the dispersion of laser-induced surface acoustic waves. The densities were in the range of 3.41±0.11g∕cm3 and Young’s moduli varied between 674±34 and 953±48GPa, depending on the growth time and deposition conditions. It is concluded that oxygen may have a significant positive effect on the elastic properties of NCD films. The growth rate decreases sharply for an oxygen content in the source gas in exces...

Numerical and experimental study of the thermal stress of silicon induced by a millisecond laser

A spatial axisymmetric finite element model of single-crystal silicon irradiated by a 1064 nm millisecond laser is used to investigate the thermal stress damage induced by a millisecond laser. The transient temperature field and the thermal stress field for 2 ms laser irradiation with a laser fluence of 254 J/cm(2) are obtained. The numerical simulation results indicate that the hoop stresses along the r axis on the front surface are compressive stress within the laser spot and convert to tensile stress outside the laser spot, while the radial stresses along the r axis on the front surface and on the z axis are compressive stress. The temperature of the irradiated center is the highest temperature obtained, yet the stress is not always highest during laser irradiation. At the end of the laser irradiation, the maximal hoop stress is located at r=0.5 mm and the maximal radial stress is located at r=0.76 mm. The temperature measurement experiments are performed by IR pyrometer. The numerical result of the temperature field is consistent with the experimental result. The damage morphologies of silicon under the action of a 254 J/cm(2) laser are inspected by optical microscope. The cracks are observed initiating at r=0.5 mm and extending along the radial direction.

LASER PROPULSION FOR TRANSPORT IN WATER ENVIRONMENT

Problems that cumber the development of the laser propulsion in atmosphere and vacuum are discussed. Based on the theory of interaction between high-intensity laser and materials, such as air and water, it is proved that transport in a water environment can be impulsed by laser. The process of laser propulsion in water is investigated theoretically and numerically. It shows that not only the laser induced plasma shock wave can be used, but also the laser-induced bubble oscillation shock waves and the pressure induced by the collapsing bubble can be used. Many experimental results show that the theory and the numerical results are valid.