Table-top 50-W laser system for ultra-fast laser ablation
Date
2004
Authors
Luther-Davies, Barry
Kolev, Vesselin Z
Lederer, Maximilian
Madsen, Nathan
Rode, Andrei V
Giesekus, J
Du, K-M
Duering, M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
We have built a mode-locked Nd : YVO4 laser with a very long resonator which produces an average power of 50 W in 13-ps pulses at 1064 nm and was designed for applications in micro-machining, the deposition of optical thin films, and the growth of nano-clusters in the laser-ablated plumes. By operating the laser at very low mode-locking repetition rates (1.5 MHz, 2.6 MHz, and 4.1MHz), high pulse power is available in a near diffraction limited beam, allowing focused intensities to exceed 1012 W/cm2 and permitting efficient evaporation of difficult materials such as Si. The high power also allows conversion into the second harmonic at 532 nm with an efficiency exceeding 80%. Measurements of the ablation mass in experiments with metals show a 30-100 times increase in the ablation rate compared to the conventional low-repetition-rate ns-range lasers.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: Laser ablation; Micromachining; Nanostructured materials; Optical films; Optimization; Second harmonic generation; Superconducting materials; Thin films; Film quality; Low-repetition-rate ns-range lasers; Optical thin films; Ultrafast pulsed laser deposit
Citation
Collections
Source
Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing
Type
Journal article