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Scanning electron microscope studies on laser ablation of solids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2019

Mohamed E. Shaheen Open the ORCID record for Mohamed E. Shaheen [Opens in a new window] ,
Joel E. Gagnon  and
Brian J. Fryer
Mohamed E. Shaheen*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
Joel E. Gagnon
Affiliation:
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
Brian J. Fryer
Affiliation:
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada
*
Author for correspondence: Mohamed E. Shaheen, Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt, E-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigates the interaction of picosecond laser pulses with sapphire and brass in air using scanning electron microscopy. A picosecond laser system operating at a wavelength of 785 nm, pulse width of 110 ps, and variable repetition rate (1–1000 Hz) was used in this study. The pulse width applied in this work was not widely investigated as it lies in the gap between ultrashort (femtosecond) and long (nanosecond) pulse width lasers. Different surface morphologies were identified using secondary electron and backscattered electron imaging of the ablated material. Thermal ablation effects were more dominant in brass than in sapphire. Exfoliation and fractures of sapphire were observed at high laser fluence. Compared with brass, multiple laser pulses were necessary to initiate ablation in sapphire due to its poor absorption to the incident laser wavelength. Ablation rate of sapphire was lower than that of brass due to the dissipation of a portion of the laser energy due to heating and fracturing of the surface.

Keywords

Brasslaser ablationpicosecondsapphireSEM
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 101 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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