Bibliothek

Notizen: We report here enhancement of nucleation and adhesion of diamond films on nondiamond substrates such as copper, stainless steel, and silicon substrates. The enhancement of nucleation is accomplished by pulsed laser irradiation which converts some of the amorphous carbon on the surface into the diamond phase or forms a reaction product that facilitates nucleation of diamond phase. The laser can also be used to evaporate carbon preferentially, leaving behind diamond particles unaffected. By pulsed laser irradiation it is possible to melt the substrate and embed the diamond particles into it, thus improving the adhesion of the diamond film.

Notizen: We have theoretically and experimentally analyzed the laser-induced evaporation process for deposition of superconducting thin films from bulk targets. The spatial thickness variations have been found to be significantly different from a conventional thermal deposition process. Unlike a cos θ thickness variation expected from a thermal evaporation process, the laser evaporation process is characterized by a forward-directed deposit with a sharp variation in its thickness as a function of distance from the center of the deposit. We have studied in detail the interactions of nanosecond excimer laser pulses with bulk YBa2Cu3O7 targets leading to evaporation, plasma formation, and subsequent deposition of thin films. A theoretical model for simulating the pulsed laser evaporation (PLE) process has been developed. This model considers an anisotropic three-dimensional expansion of the laser-generated plasma, initially at high temperature and pressure. The forward-directed nature of laser deposition has been found to result from anisotropic expansion velocities of the plasma edges arising due to the density gradients in the gaseous plasma.The physical process of the laser ablation technique for deposition of thin films can be classified into three separate interaction regimes: (i) interaction of the laser beam with the bulk target, (ii) plasma formation and initial isothermal expansion, and (iii) adiabatic expansion leading to deposition of thin films. The first two regimes occur during the time interval of the laser pulse, while the last regime initiates after the laser pulse terminates. Under PLE conditions, the evaporation of the target is assumed to be thermal in nature, while the plasma expansion dynamics is nonthermal as a result of interaction of the laser beam with the evaporated material. The expansion velocities of the plasma edges are related to the initial dimensions and temperature of the plasma, and the atomic weight of the respective species present in it. Preliminary calculations have been carried out on spatial thickness variations as a function of various parameters in PLE deposited thin films. The effects of the various beam and substrate parameters including energy density and substrate-target distance affecting the nature of deposition of superconducting thin films have been theoretically examined. Experimental results have been obtained from thin films deposited on silicon substrates by XeCl pulsed excimer laser (λ=308 nm, τ=45×10−9 s) irradiation. The spatial thickness and compositional variations in thin films have been determined using Rutherford backscattering technique and the results compared with the theoretical calculations.

Notizen: The theoretical analysis of thermal effects induced by nanosecond laser irradiation on bulk YBa2Cu3O7 superconductor targets provides insight into the nature of the target's ablation/evaporation characteristics during pulsed laser deposition of superconducting thin films. We have simulated the thermal history of YBa2Cu3O7 targets under intense nanosecond laser irradiation by numerically solving the one dimensional heat flow equation and taking into account the phase changes occurring at the near surface of the target. The numerical method is based on a higher-order finite difference scheme with a smaller truncation error and is not restricted by any stability criterion, thereby allowing faster convergence to the exact solution. Temperature-dependent optical and thermal properties of the irradiated material as well as the temporal variation in the laser intensity can be taken into account by this method. During planar surface evaporation of the target material, the subsurface temperatures were calculated to be higher than the surface temperatures as a result of combination of two unique effects. While the evaporating surface of the target is constantly being cooled due to the latent heat of vaporization, subsurface superheating occurs due to the finite absorption depth of the laser beam. The effects of various laser and target parameters, including pulse energy density, pulse duration, absorption coefficient, thermal conductivity, and latent heat on the transient thermal characteristics of the irradiated target, have been investigated in detail. Subsurface superheating was found to increase with decreasing absorption coefficient and thermal conductivity of the target, and with increasing energy density. The superheating may lead to subsurface nucleation and growth of the gaseous phase which expands rapidly leading to microexplosions and "volume expulsion'' of material from the target.

Notizen: Hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been deposited with a 100 fs (FWHM) Ti:sapphire laser beam at intensities I in the 1014–1015 W/cm2 range. The films were studied with scanning probe microscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy. DLC films with good scratch resistance, excellent chemical inertness, and high optical transparency in the visible and near infrared range were deposited at room temperature. As the laser intensity was increased from 3×1014 to 6×1015 W/cm2, the films showed an increased surface particle density, a decreased optical transparency (85%→60%), and Tauc band gap (1.4→0.8 eV), as well as a lower sp3 content (60%→50%). The time-of-flight spectra recorded from the laser plume exhibited a double-peak distribution, with a high energy suprathermal ion peak preceding a slower thermal component. The most probable ion kinetic energy showed an I0.55 dependence, increasing from 300 to 2000 eV, when the laser intensity was varied from 3×1014 to 6×1015 W/cm2, while the kinetic energy of suprathermal ions increased from 3 to over 20 keV and showed an I0.33 dependence. These high energy ions are believed to have originated from an electrostatic acceleration field established by suprathermal electrons which were formed by resonant absorption of the intense laser beams. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notizen: Application of picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses to the controlled ablation of materials represents a relatively unexplored yet important topic in laser processing. Such ultrashort pulses are of potential value in areas of thin-film deposition, micromachining, and surgical procedures. We report here some early results of systematic studies being done from the femtosecond to the nanosecond regime, as an assessment of the problems and benefits associated with various laser pulse durations and their use in processing optically absorbing media. Experimental data and theoretical results of computer simulations are presented and compared for the threshold energies of ablation in gold as a function of pulse width from 10 ns to 100 fs. This work is then extended to include further numerically computed results for gold and silicon on ablation rates, threshold surface temperatures, liquid thicknesses, and vaporization rates as a function of pulse duration throughout the ultrafast regime from tens of femtoseconds to a few hundred picoseconds. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.