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- Femtosecond laser ablation (22) (entfernen)
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Ultrashort pulse laser microstructuring (pulse duration 130 fs, wavelength 800 nm, repetition rate 2 Hz) of titanium nitride (TiN) films on silicon substrates was performed in air using the direct focusing technique. The lateral and vertical precision of laser ablation was evaluated. The TiN ablation threshold changed with the number of pulses applied to the surface due to an incubation effect. An ablation depth per pulse below the penetration depth of light was observed. Columnar structures were formed in the silicon substrate after drilling through the TiN layer.
Ablation experiments with ultrashort laser pulses (pulse duration 150 fs, wavelength 800 nm) on polymers (PC, PMMA) relevant for biomedical technology have been performed in air. The lateral and vertical machining precision was evaluated by optical, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. The ablation threshold reaches values in the range of 0.52.5 J/cm2 and depends significantly on the number of laser pulses applied to the same spot. The hole diameters are influenced by the laser fluence and the number of laser pulses. The relation between the ablation threshold and the number of laser pulses applied to the same spot is described in accordance with an incubation model.
Ablation of indium phosphide wafers in air was performed with 130 fs laser pulses at a wavelength of 800 nm at a low repetition rate of 10 Hz. In order to evaluate the role of the incubation effects, the relationship between the number of laser pulses used for the ablation and the threshold fluence was studied. Particular attention was paid to the chemical composition, surface morphology and structural variations of the ablated area.
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.
The irradiation of single-crystalline indium phosphide (c-InP) by Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulses (130 fs, 800 nm) in air is studied by means of in-situ time resolved reflectivity measurements [fs-time-resolved microscopy (100 fs-10 ns) and point probing analysis (ns - µs)] and by complementary ex-situ surface analytical methods (Micro Raman Spectroscopy, Scanning Force, and Optical Microscopy). The dynamics of melting, ablation, and optical breakdown as well as structural changes resulting from rapid solidification are investigated in detail. Different laser-induced surface morphologies are characterized and discussed on the basis of recent ablation and optical breakdown models.
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.
The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) upon irradiation of semiconductors and dielectrics by linearly polarized high-intensity Ti:sapphire fs-laser pulses (τ ~100 fs, λ ~800 nm) is studied experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, two different types of LIPSS exhibiting very different spatial periods are observed (socalled LSFL low spatial frequency LIPSS, and HSFL - high spatial frequency LIPSS), both having a different dependence on the incident laser fluence and pulse number per spot. The experimental results are analyzed by means of a new theoretical approach, which combines the generally accepted LIPSS theory of J. E. Sipe and co-workers [Phys. Rev. B 27, 1141-1154 (1983)] with a Drude model, in order to account for transient changes of the optical properties of the irradiated materials. The joint Sipe-Drude model is capable of explaining numerous aspects of fs-LIPSS formation, i.e., the orientation of the LIPSS, their fluence dependence as well as their spatial periods. The latter aspect is specifically demonstrated for silicon crystals, which show experimental LSFL periods Λ somewhat smaller than λ. This behaviour is caused by the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons, SPP, (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 fields with that of the incident laser beam, resulting in a spatially modulated energy deposition at the surface.
Upon multi-pulse irradiation, a feedback mechanism, caused by the redshift of the resonance in a grating-assisted SPP excitation, is further reducing the LSFL spatial periods. The SPP-based mechanism of LSFL successfully explains the remarkably large range of LSFL periods between ~0.6 λ and λ.
The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) upon irradiation of fused silica with multiple irradiation sequences of parallel polarized Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulse pairs (160 fs pulse duration, 800 nm central wavelength) was studied experimentally. For that purpose, a Michelson interferometer was used to generate near-equal-energy double-pulse sequences allowing the temporal pulse delay between the parallel-polarized individual fs-laser pulses to be varied between 0 and 40 ps with ~0.2 ps temporal resolution. The surface morphologies of the irradiated surface areas were characterized by means of scanning electron and scanning force microscopy. In the sub-ps delay range a strong decrease of the LIPSS periods and the ablation crater depths with the double-pulse delay was observed indicating the importance of the laser-induced free-electron plasma in the conduction band of the solids for the formation of LIPSS.
The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) in different materials (metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics) upon irradiation with linearly polarized fs-laser pulses (τ~30–150 fs, λ~800 nm) in air environment is studied experimentally and theoretically. In metals, predominantly low-spatial-frequency-LIPSS with periods close to the laser wavelength λ are observed perpendicular to the polarization. Under specific irradiation conditions, high-spatial-frequency-LIPSS with sub-100-nm spatial periods (~λ/10) can be generated. For semiconductors, the impact of transient changes of the optical properties to the LIPSS periods is analyzed theoretically and experimentally. In dielectrics, the importance of transient excitation stages in the LIPSS formation is demonstrated experimentally using (multiple) double-fs-laser-pulse irradiation sequences. A characteristic decrease of the LIPSS periods is observed for double-pulse delays of less than 2 ps.
The formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures upon irradiation of titanium, silicon, and fused silica with multiple irradiation sequences consisting of parallel polarized Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser pulse pairs (pulse duration 50–150 fs, central wavelength ~800 nm) is studied experimentally. The temporal delay between the individual near-equal energy fs-laser pulses was varied between 0 and 5 ps with a temporal resolution of better than 0.2 ps. The surface morphology of the irradiated surface areas is characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In all materials a decrease of the rippled surface area is observed for increasing delays. The characteristic delay decay scale is quantified and related to material dependent excitation and energy relaxation processes.