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- Englisch (9) (entfernen)
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- Ablation (2)
- Femtosecond pulse laser (2)
- Laser safety (2)
- Damage (1)
- Eye protection (1)
- Femtosekunden (1)
- Glass (1)
- Incubation (1)
- Kurzpulslaser (1)
- Laser damage (1)
- Laser processing (1)
- Lasersicherheit (1)
- Lasertechnik (1)
- Materialbearbeitung (1)
- Micromachining (1)
- Polymer (1)
- Silica (1)
- Steel (1)
- Structuring (1)
- Threshold fluence (1)
- Time-resolved reflectivity measurements (1)
- Ultrashort laser pulses (1)
This contribution investigates laser-induced damage of thin film and bulk polymer
samples, with the focus on physical processes occurring close to the damage threshold. In-situ
real-time reflectivity (RTR) measurements with picosecond (ps) and nanosecond (ns) temporal
resolution were performed on thin polymer films on a timescale up to a few microseconds (µs).
A model for polymer thin film damage is presented, indicating that irreversible chemical
modification processes take place already below the fluence threshold for macroscopic damage.
On dye-doped bulk polymer filters (as used for laser goggles), transmission studies using fs-and
ps-laser pulses reveal the optical saturation behavior of the material and its relation to the
threshold of permanent damage. Implications of the sub-threshold processes for laser safety
applications will be discussed for thin film and bulk polymer damage.
In recent years, femtosecond lasers matured from sensitive research setups to turnkey systems for an increasing number of applications. Now that running an ultra-short pulse laser system needs no longer a specialized scientist, safety issues become more crucial. Ultrashort laser pulses have extremely high peak powers and even scattered radiation may possess severe risks to the unprotected eye. Accordingly,
special protection schemes are necessary for these unique laser systems.
Femtosecond laser pulses are close to industrial use. The advantages of ultrashort laser pulses for micromachining applications especially in the case of dielectric and biological samples down to pulse durations of 5 fs have been established. The current international standards of laser safety are primarily concerned with CW and pulsed lasers down to the nanosecond range. Therefore, human tissue and laser-protection equipment was investigated with respect to its resistance and protection performance for femtosecond laser illumination down to 30 fs. This included filter glasses for laser protection eyewear, polymer and textile materials used in curtains and guards. Bulk absorber filters can provide enough protection against laser radiation, give a sufficiently broad absorption spectrum. Materials are damaged more easily by femtosecond laser radiation. The need for sufficient spectral broadness as well as the different damage thresholds have to be included in international laser safety standards. This work should trigger the development of novel eye-protection devices that are lighter and ergonomically more acceptable than present commercial models.
Damage experiments of absorbing filters (Schott BG18 and BG36) were performed with Ti:sapphire laser pulses with durations from 30 fs to 340 fs (800 nm, 1 kHz) in air. The direct focusing technique was employed under single- and multi-pulse irradiation conditions. Ablation threshold fluences were determined from a semi-logarithmic plot of the ablation crater diameter vs. laser fluence. The damage threshold fluence decreases for shorter pulse durations. In the investigated pulse duration range, the measured multi-pulse ablation threshold fluences are practically similar to those of undoped glass material (~1 Jcm-2). That means that the multi-pulse ablation threshold is independent on the doping level of the filters. For more than 100 pulses per spot and all pulse durations applied, the threshold fluence saturates. This leads to technically relevant damage threshold values in the femtosecond laser pulse duration domain.
Commercially available absorption filters (Schott BG18 and BG36) were investigated with respect to their single- and
multi-pulse ablation threshold using laser pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser in the range between 30 and 340 fs. It could be
observed, that the threshold fluence decreases for shorter pulse durations. The similarity of the measured multi-pulse
threshold fluences with those of undoped glass material (around 1 J/cm^2 for a pulse duration of 30 fs) suggests that, for
very short pulses, the threshold is independent on the doping level and therefore, linear absorption does not significantly
contribute to laser-induced damage. For >100 pulses per spot and all pulse durations applied, the threshold fluences
saturate. This independence on the number of applied pulses leads to technically relevant damage threshold values.
Structuring of dielectric and metallic materials with ultrashort laser pulses between 20 fs and 3 ps
(1997)
Laser-micromachining of barium aluminum borosilicate glass, fused silica and stainless steel has been extended down to a pulse duration of 20 fs generated by a Ti:sapphire laser system at a wavelength of 0.8 micrometer. A systematic study shows that, below 100 fs, an enhanced precision and a substantial decrease of the ablation threshold fluence in comparison to pulse laser processing with pulses in the picosecond and nanosecond range could be achieved. The physical mechanism and the technical relevance of this novel microtechnology is discussed.