Cluster emission under femtosecond laser ablation of silicon

Rich populations of clusters have been observed after femtosecond laser ablation of bulk silicon in vacuum. Size and velocity distributions of the clusters as well as their charge states have been analyzed by reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry. An efficient emission of both neutral silicon clusters Sin (up to n = 6) and their cations Sin+ (up to n = 10) has been observed. The clusters are formed even at very low laser fluences, below ablation threshold, and their relative yield increases with fluence. We show the dependencies of the cluster yield as well as the expansion dynamics on both laser wavelength and laser fluence. The mechanisms of the cluster formation are discussed

Electronic mechanism of ion expulsion under UV nanosecond laser excitation of silicon: Experiment and modeling

We present experimental and modeling studies of UV nanosecond pulsed laser desorption and ablation of (111) bulk silicon. The results involve a new approach to the analysis of plume formation dynamics under high-energy photon irradiation of the semiconductor surface. Non-thermal, photo-induced desorption has been observed at low laser fluence, well below the melting threshold. Under ablation conditions, the non-thermal ions have also a high concentration. The origin of these ions is discussed on the basis of electronic excitation of Si surface states associated with the Coulomb explosion mechanism. We present a model describing dynamics of silicon target excitation, heating and harge-carrier transport

Synthesis and Laser Processing of ZnO Nanocrystalline Thin Films

We present the results of experiments on synthesis of ZnO nanoclusters by reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The nanoclusters were formed and crystallized in the gas phase and deposited on SiO2 substrates. The nanostructured films were characterized by conventional photoluminescence (PL). The PL spectra consist of a narrow UV excitonic band and a broad visible band related to defects in the film. The film preparation conditions such as the substrate temperature, ambient gas nature and pressure, were optimized in order to increase the intensity of excitonic emission and prevent the formation of defects. A post-growth annealing by UV laser radiation improved the optical quality of the deposited films. The photoluminescence intensity was found to be dependent significantly on the laser fluence and on the number of shots per site. The nature of the defects responsible for the observed luminescence in a visible range is discussed

Laser ablation synthesis of zinc oxide clusters: a new family of fullerenes?

Positively charged zinc oxide clusters ZnnOm (up to n = 16, m <= n) of various stoichiometry were synthesized in the gas phase by excimer ArF laser ablation of a ZnO target and investigated using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Depending on ablation conditions, either metal rich or stoichiometric clusters dominate in the mass spectrum. When the irradiated target surface is fairly fresh, the most abundant clusters are metal rich with Zn(n+1)On and Zn(n+3)On being the major series. The stoichiometric clusters are observed with an etched ablated surface. The magic numbers at n = 9, 11 and 15 in mass spectra of (ZnO)n clusters indicate that the clusters have hollow spheroid structures related to fullerenes. A local abundance minimum at n = 13 provides an additional evidence for the presence in the ablation plume of fullerene-like (ZnO)n clusters

Interaction des photons UV avec le silicium massif et nanocristallin

In FrenchInternational audienceThe studies of interaction of the UV photons with bulk and nanocristalline silicon by time-of-flight (TOF) mass-spectrometry allowed to reveal two populations of Si ion monomers. The first rapid population ejected even at low laser fluences is attributed to Colombian repulsion between the surface charges which are induced by emission of the photoelectrons. When the laser fluence increases, the second slow ion population appears. This population originates from the thermal processes in the irradiated material. The original result of this work is the observation of the non-thermal ion population which represents a considerable part of the laser-induced plume.L'étude de l'interaction entre photons UV et le silicium massif et nanocristallin par spectrométrie de masse à temps de vol permet de distinguer deux populations de monomères ioniques Si+. Une population rapide est éjectée dès les faibles fluences laser, dont l'origine est attribuée aux répulsions Coulombiennes entre les charges de surface créées par l'émission de photo-électrons. Alors que la fluence d'irradiation est augmentée, une population plus lente apparaît issue de phénomènes thermiques initiés dans le matériau irradié. La mise en évidence d'une population ionique non thermique qui constitue une part importante des ions présents dans la plume laser est un résultat original de cette étude

Incorporation of cobalt into ZnO nanoclusters

The structural, optical and magnetic properties of nanostructured ZnO films co-doped with cobalt and aluminium have been studied. The nanocrystalline films, with cluster sizes in range 50 - 100 nm, were deposited by pulsed laser ablation in a mixed atmosphere of oxygen and helium. The nanocrystallites have the wurtzite structure and are highly oriented with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Both optical and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy results show the substitutional incorporation of Co$^{2+}$ ions on the Zn site inside the ZnO nanoclusters. The temperature dependence of the ESR spectra follows Curie law corresponding to a paramagnetic material

Water adsorption by a sensitive calibrated gold plasmonic nanosensor

International audienceWe demonstrate in this work that using nanoplasmonic sensing it is possible to follow the adsorption/desorption of water molecules on gold nanodisks nanofabricated by electron beam lithography. This quantitative method is highly sensitive allowing the detection of a few hundredths of adsorbed monolayer. Disk parameters (height, diameter, inter-disk distance) have been optimized after finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations in order to obtain the best localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, we have precisely measured the adsorption kinetics of water on gold as a function of the relative humidity of the surrounding medium

Phosphorus cluster production by laser ablation

Neutral and charged phosphorus clusters of a wide size range have been produced by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in vacuum at 532, 337, and 193 nm ablating wavelengths and investigated by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The neutral P_n clusters are even-numbered with local abundance maxima at n = 10 and 14, while the cationic and anionic clusters are preferentially odd-numbered with (P_7)+, (P_21)+, and (P_17)- being the most abundant ions. The dominance of the magic clusters is more pronounced at 337-nm ablation that is explained by efficient direct ejection of their building blocks under these conditions. Nanocrystalline phosphorus films have been produced by PLA in ambient helium gas