TY - JOUR A1 - Höhm, S. A1 - Rosenfeld, A. A1 - Krüger, Jörg A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Laser-induced periodic surface structures on zinc oxide crystals upon two-colour femtosecond double-pulse irradiation N2 - In order to study the temporally distributed energy deposition in the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on single-crystalline zinc oxide (ZnO), two-colour double-fs-pulse experiments were performed. Parallel or cross-polarised double-pulse sequences at 400 and 800 nm wavelength were generated by a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, exhibiting inter-pulse delays up to a few picoseconds between the sub-ablation 50-fs-pulses. Twenty two-colour double-pulse sequences were collinearly focused by a spherical mirror to the sample surface. The resulting LIPSS periods and areas were analysed by scanning electron microscopy. The delay-dependence of these LIPSS characteristics shows a dissimilar behaviour when compared to the semiconductor silicon, the dielectric fused silica, or the metal titanium. A wavelength-dependent plasmonic mechanism is proposed to explain the delay-dependence of the LIPSS on ZnO when considering multi-photon excitation processes. Our results support the involvement of nonlinear processes for temporally overlapping pulses. These experiments extend previous two-colour studies on the indirect semiconductor silicon towards the direct wide band-gap semiconductor ZnO and further manifest the relevance of the ultrafast energy deposition for LIPSS formation. KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures, LIPSS KW - Laser ablation KW - Surface plasmon polariton PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/aa5578 SN - 1402-4896 SN - 0031-8949 VL - 92 IS - 3 SP - Article 034003, 1 EP - 7 PB - IOP CY - Bristol, UK AN - OPUS4-39082 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Derrien, T. J.-Y. A1 - Krüger, Jörg A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Properties of surface plasmon polaritons on lossy materials: lifetimes, periods and excitation conditions N2 - The possibility to excite surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the interface between two media depends on the optical properties of both media and geometrical aspects. Specific conditions allowing the coupling of light with a plasmon-active interface must be satisfied. Plasmonic effects are well described in noble metals where the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity is often neglected ('perfect medium approximation (PMA)'). However, some systems exist for which such approximation cannot be applied, hence requiring a refinement of the common SPP theory. In this context, several properties of SPPs such as excitation conditions, period of the electromagnetic field modulation and SPP lifetime then may strongly deviate from that of the PMA. In this paper, calculations taking into account the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivities are presented. The model identifies analytical terms which should not be neglected in the mathematical description of SPPs on lossy materials. These calculations are applied to numerous material combinations resulting in a prediction of the corresponding SPP features. A list of plasmon-active interfaces is provided along with a quantification of the above mentioned SPP properties in the regime where the PMA is not applicable. KW - plasmon lifetime KW - surface plasmon polaritons KW - lossy materials PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/2040-8978/18/11/115007 SN - 2040-8986 (online) / 2040-8978 (print) VL - 18 IS - 11 SP - 115007 PB - IOP Publishing Ltd AN - OPUS4-37905 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Scattering on scattering N2 - Ultrafast experiments can reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of nanostructure formation via scattering in background-free optical dark-field microscopy. KW - Ultrafast microscopy KW - Scattering KW - Darkfield microscopy KW - Laser ablation PY - 2017 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-411596 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/lsa.2017.88 SN - 2047-7538 VL - 6 SP - e17088, 1 EP - 2 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-41159 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Krüger, Jörg T1 - Pulse number dependence of laser-induced periodic surface structures for femtosecond laser irradiation of silicon N2 - The formation of nearly wavelength-sized laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on single-crystalline silicon upon irradiation with single (N = 1) and multiple (N ≤ 1000) linearly polarized femtosecond (fs) laser pulses (pulse duration τ = 130 fs, central wavelength λ = 800 nm) in air is studied experimentally. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy are used for imaging of the ablated surface morphologies, both revealing LIPSS with periodicities close to the laser wavelength and an orientation always perpendicular to the polarization of the fs-laser beam. It is experimentally demonstrated that these LIPSS can be formed in silicon upon irradiation by single fs-laser pulses—a result that is additionally supported by a recent theoretical model. Two-dimensional Fourier transforms of the SEM images allow the detailed analysis of the distribution of the spatial frequencies of the LIPSS and indicate, at a fixed peak fluence, a monotonous decrease in their mean spatial period between ~770 nm (N = 1) and 560 nm (N = 1000). The characteristic decrease in the LIPSS period is caused by a feedback-mechanism acting upon excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the rough silicon surface which is developing under the action of multiple pulses into a periodically corrugated surface. KW - Elemental semiconductors KW - Fourier transforms KW - Laser beam effects KW - Optical microscopy KW - Polarisation KW - Polaritons KW - Scanning electron microscopy KW - Silicon KW - Surface morphology KW - Surface plasmons PY - 2010 UR - http://jap.aip.org/resource/1/japiau/v108/i3/p034903_s1 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3456501 SN - 0021-8979 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 108 IS - 3 SP - 034903-1 - 034903-5 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY AN - OPUS4-21804 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Rosenfeld, A. A1 - Grebing, C. A1 - Steinmeyer, G. A1 - Mailman, N. A1 - Botton, G.A. A1 - Haugen, H.K. T1 - Ablation and structural changes induced in InP surfaces by single 10 fs laser pulses in air N2 - Ablation of single-crystalline (100) indium phosphide wafer surfaces with single 10 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses in air has been studied by means of complementary cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, scanning force microscopy, and optical microscopy. A local protrusion of ~70 nm height is generated within the ablation craters for fluences exceeding 0.78 J/cm². This morphological feature has been studied in detail, revealing the material structure of the laser-affected zone and its spatial extent. The resolidified layer (60-200 nm thick) consists of polycrystalline grains (5-15 nm diameter) and is covered by an ~10 nm thick amorphous top layer. Interestingly, the sharp boundary of the solidified layer to the unaffected crystal underneath exhibits a Gaussian-like shape and does not follow the shape of the surface topography. Evidence is presented that the central crater protrusion is formed by near-surface optical breakdown, and that the absorption in the material transiently changes during the femtosecond-laser pulse. KW - Femtosecond laser ablation KW - Optical breakdown KW - Transmission electron microscopy KW - Semiconductor KW - Indium phosphide KW - Scanning force microscopy KW - Time-resolved measurements PY - 2009 UR - http://link.aip.org/link/?JAPIAU/106/074907/1 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3236630 SN - 0021-8979 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 106 SP - 074907-1 - 074907-7 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY AN - OPUS4-20083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Krüger, Jörg T1 - Probing the heat affected zone by chemical modifications in femtosecond pulse laser ablation of titanium nitride films in air N2 - A new approach is presented to quantify the so-called "heat affected zone" (HAZ) during femtosecond laser pulse processing. Ablation of titanium nitride (TiN) thin films (~3 μm thickness) by multiple femtosecond laser pulses (τ=130 fs, λ=800 nm) in air environment was studied by means of two different surface analytical methods both being sensitive to chemical alterations at the surface. Scanning Auger electron microscopy was applied for a visualization of the spatial distribution of specific elements (Ti, O) within the laser-modified areas. The chemical state of the irradiated surface was revealed by complementary x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Both methods were used for a depth-profiling chemical analysis (tracking the elements Ti, N, O, and C) using an Ar-ion beam for surface sputtering. In a narrow laser fluence range slightly below the ablation threshold of TiN significant superficial oxidation can be observed leading to the formation of substoichiometric TiO2-x. At fluences above the ablation threshold, an increased titanium concentration is observed within the entire ablation craters. Following upon sputter removal the elemental distribution into the depth of the nonablated material, the results allow an estimation of the heat-affected zone for femtosecond laser ablation in air environment. According to our analyses, the HAZ extends up to a few hundreds of nanometers into the nonablated material. KW - Femtosecond laser ablation KW - Heat affected zone KW - Titanium nitride KW - Scanning Auger electron microscopy KW - X-ray KW - Photoelektron spectroscopy PY - 2010 UR - http://link.aip.org/link/?JAP/107/054902 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3311552 SN - 0021-8979 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 107 IS - 5 SP - 054902-1 - 054902-5 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY AN - OPUS4-20949 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Puerto, D. A1 - Siegel, J. A1 - Gawelda, W. A1 - Galvan-Sosa, M. A1 - Ehrentraut, L. A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Solis, J. T1 - Dynamics of plasma formation, relaxation, and topography modification induced by femtosecond laser pulses in crystalline and amorphous dielectrics N2 - We have studied plasma formation and relaxation dynamics along with the corresponding topography modifications in fused silica and sapphire induced by single femtosecond laser pulses (800 nm and 120 fs). These materials, representative of high bandgap amorphous and crystalline dielectrics, respectively, require nonlinear mechanisms to absorb the laser light. The study employed a femtosecond time-resolved microscopy technique that allows obtaining reflectivity and transmission images of the material surface at well-defined temporal delays after the arrival of the pump pulse which excites the dielectric material. The transient evolution of the free-electron plasma formed can be followed by combining the time-resolved optical data with a Drude model to estimate transient electron densities and skin depths. The temporal evolution of the optical properties is very similar in both materials within the first few hundred picoseconds, including the formation of a high reflectivity ring at about 7 ps. In contrast, at longer delays (100 ps–20 ns) the behavior of both materials differs significantly, revealing a longer lasting ablation process in sapphire. Moreover, transient images of sapphire show a concentric ring pattern surrounding the ablation crater, which is not observed in fused silica. We attribute this phenomenon to optical diffraction at a transient elevation of the ejected molten material at the crater border. On the other hand, the final topography of the ablation crater is radically different for each material. While in fused silica a relatively smooth crater with two distinct regimes is observed, sapphire shows much steeper crater walls, surrounded by a weak depression along with cracks in the material surface. These differences are explained in terms of the most relevant thermal and mechanical properties of the material. Despite these differences the maximum crater depth is comparable in both material at the highest fluences used (16J/cm2). The evolution of the crater depth as a function of fluence can be described taking into account the individual bandgap of each material. KW - Femtosecond laser ablation KW - Plasma formation KW - Time-resolved microscopy KW - Dielectrics KW - Fused silica KW - Sapphire KW - Scanning force microscopy KW - Reflectivity measurements KW - Transmission measurements KW - Drude model PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.27.001065 SN - 0740-3224 SN - 1520-8540 VL - 27 IS - 5 SP - 1065 EP - 1076 PB - Optical Society of America CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-21167 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beke, S. A1 - Kobayashi, T. A1 - Sugioka, K. A1 - Midorikawa, K. A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Time-of-flight mass spectroscopy of femtosecond and nanosecond laser ablated TeO2 crystals N2 - Single-pulse femtosecond (fs) (pulse duration ~200 fs, wavelength 398 nm) and nanosecond (ns) (pulse duration 4 ns, wavelength 355 nm) laser ablation have been applied in combination with time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) to analyze the elemental composition of the plasma plume of single-crystalline telluria (c-TeO2, grown by the balance controlled Czochralski growth method). Due to the three-order difference of the peak intensities of the ns and fs-laser pulses, significant differences were observed regarding the laser-induced species in the plasma plume. Positive singly, doubly and triply charged Te ions (Te+, Te2+, Te3+) in the form of their isotopes were observed in case of both irradiations. In case of the ns-laser ablation the TeO+ formation was negligible compared to the fs case and there was no Te trimer (Te3+) formation observed. It was found that the amplitude of Te ion signals strongly depended on the applied laser pulse energy. Singly charged oxygen ions (O+) are always present as a byproduct in both kinds of laser ablation. KW - Time-of-flight mass spectroscopy KW - Tellurium dioxide crystals KW - second laser KW - Nanosecond laser KW - Ablation PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2010.08.022 SN - 0168-1176 SN - 0020-7381 SN - 1387-3806 SN - 1873-2798 VL - 299 IS - 1 SP - 5 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-22490 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mermillod-Blondin, A. A1 - Mauclair, C. A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Stoian, R. A1 - Audouard, E. A1 - Rosenfeld, A. A1 - Hertel, I.V. T1 - Time-resolved imaging of laser-induced refractive index changes in transparent media N2 - We describe a method to visualize ultrafast laser-induced refractive index changes in transparent materials with a 310 fs impulse response and a submicrometer spatial resolution. The temporal profile of the laser excitation sequence can be arbitrarily set on the subpicosecond and picosecond time scales with a pulse shaping unit, allowing for complex laser excitation. Time-resolved phase contrast microscopy reveals the real part of the refractive index change and complementary time-resolved optical transmission microscopy measurements give access to the imaginary part of the refractive index in the irradiated region. A femtosecond laser source probes the complex refractive index changes from the excitation time up to 1 ns, and a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser emitting 1 ns duration pulses is employed for collecting data at longer time delays, when the evolution is slow. We demonstrate the performance of our setup by studying the energy relaxation in a fused silica sample after irradiation with a double pulse sequence. The excitation pulses are separated by 3 ps. Our results show two dimensional refractive index maps at different times from 200 fs to 100 µs after the laser excitation. On the subpicosecond time scale we have access to the spatial characteristics of the energy deposition into the sample. At longer times (800 ps), time-resolved phase contrast microscopy shows the appearance of a strong compression wave emitted from the excited region. On the microsecond time scale, we observe energy transfer outside the irradiated region. KW - High-speed optical techniques KW - Light transmission KW - Neodymium KW - Optical harmonic generation KW - Optical pulse shaping KW - Refractive index KW - Self-induced transparency KW - Silicon compounds KW - Solid lasers PY - 2011 UR - http://rsi.aip.org/resource/1/rsinak/v82/i3/p033703_s1 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3527937 SN - 0034-6748 SN - 1089-7623 VL - 82 IS - 3 SP - 033703-1 EP - 033703-8 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY AN - OPUS4-23308 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Rosenfeld, A. A1 - Krüger, Jörg T1 - Implications of transient changes of optical and surface properties of solids during femtosecond laser pulse irradiation to the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures N2 - The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) upon irradiation of silicon wafer surfaces by linearly polarized Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulses (pulse duration 130 fs, central wavelength 800 nm) is studied experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, so-called low-spatial frequency LIPSS (LSFL) were found with periods smaller than the laser wavelength and an orientation perpendicular to the polarization. The experimental results are analyzed by means of a new theoretical approach, which combines the widely accepted LIPSS theory of Sipe et al. with a Drude model, in order to account for transient (intra-pulse) changes of the optical properties of the irradiated materials. It is found that the LSFL formation is caused by the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons, SPPs, once the initially semiconducting material turns to a metallic state upon formation of a dense free-electron-plasma in the material and the subsequent interference between its electrical field with that of the incident laser beam resulting in a spatially modulated energy deposition at the surface. Moreover, the influence of the laser-excited carrier density and the role of the feedback upon the multi-pulse irradiation and its relation to the excitation of SPP in a grating-like surface structure is discussed. KW - Femtosecond laser ablation KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures KW - (LIPSS) KW - Optical properties KW - Surface plasmon polaritons KW - Semiconductors KW - Silicon PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2010.11.059 SN - 0169-4332 SN - 1873-5584 VL - 257 IS - 12 SP - 5420 EP - 5423 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-23309 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -