skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Resonant-Plasmon-Assisted Subwavelength Ablation by a Femtosecond Oscillator

Journal Article · · Physical Review Applied
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [4];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [1];  [4];  [10];  [3];  [1]
  1. Leibniz Univ. Hannover, Hannover (Germany). Inst. fur Quantenoptik; Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research (QUEST), Hannover (Germany)
  2. Leibniz Univ. Hannover, Hannover (Germany). Inst. fur Quantenoptik; SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Photon Ultrafast Laser Science and Engineering Inst. (PULSE)
  3. Univ. Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
  4. Korea Advanced Inst. Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
  5. Leibniz Univ. Hannover, Hannover (Germany). Inst. fur Werkstoffkunde
  6. Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hannover (Germany); Hochschule Bremen City Univ. of Applied Sciences, Bremen (Germany)
  7. Univ. of Twente, Enschede (Netherlands). Laser Physics and Nonlinear Optics, MESA+Inst. for Nanotechnology
  8. Leibniz Univ. Hannover, Hannover (Germany). Inst. fur Quantenoptik; Laser-Laboratorium Gottingen e.V., Gottingen (Germany); Max-Born-Inst., Berlin (Germany)
  9. eibniz Univ. Hannover, Hannover (Germany). Inst. fur Quantenoptik; Max-Born-Inst., Berlin (Germany)
  10. Max-Born-Inst., Berlin (Germany)

Here, we experimentally demonstrate the use of subwavelength optical nanoantennas to assist a direct nanoscale ablation using the ultralow fluence of a Ti:sapphire oscillator through the excitation of surface plasmon waves. The mechanism is attributed to nonthermal transient unbonding and electrostatic ablation, which is triggered by the surface plasmon-enhanced field electron emission and acceleration in vacuum. We show that the electron-driven ablation appears for both nanoscale metallic as well as dielectric materials. While the observed surface plasmon-enhanced local ablation may limit the applications of nanostructured surfaces in extreme nonlinear nanophotonics, it, nevertheless, also provides a method for nanomachining, manipulation, and modification of nanoscale materials. Lastly, collateral thermal damage to the antenna structure can be suitably avoided, and nonlinear conversion processes can be stabilized by a dielectric overcoating of the antenna.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; German Research Foundation (DFG); European Union (EU)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; KO 3798/4-1
OSTI ID:
1424720
Journal Information:
Physical Review Applied, Vol. 9, Issue 2; ISSN 2331-7019
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 5 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (63)

Tip-Enhanced Laser Ablation Sample Transfer for Biomolecule Mass Spectrometry journal October 2014
Transient States of Matter during Short Pulse Laser Ablation journal July 1998
Ablation of solids by femtosecond lasers: Ablation mechanism and ablation thresholds for metals and dielectrics journal March 2002
Nanoscience vs Nanotechnology—Defining the Field journal February 2015
Antennas for light journal February 2011
Simultaneous compression and characterization of ultrashort laser pulses using chirped mirrors and glass wedges journal December 2011
Development of a tip enhanced near-field laser ablation system for the sub-micrometric analysis of solid samples journal January 2016
Femtosecond laser ablation behavior of gold, crystalline silicon, and fused silica: a comparative study journal August 2014
Surface plasmon assisted electron acceleration in photoemission from gold nanopillars journal March 2013
The physics of ultra-short laser interaction with solids at non-relativistic intensities journal November 2011
Limitations of Extreme Nonlinear Ultrafast Nanophotonics journal January 2015
Femtosecond laser near-field ablation from gold nanoparticles journal December 2005
Ablation-cooled material removal with ultrafast bursts of pulses journal July 2016
Self-optimization of plasmonic nanoantennas in strong femtosecond fields journal January 2017
High-harmonic generation by resonant plasmon field enhancement journal June 2008
Plasmon-enhanced high-harmonic generation from silicon journal April 2017
Surface Charging and Impulsive Ion Ejection during Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Ablation journal February 2002
Light management for photovoltaics using high-index nanostructures journal April 2014
Thermal analysis of gold nanorods heated with femtosecond laser pulses journal August 2008
Single Particle Deformation and Analysis of Silica-Coated Gold Nanorods before and after Femtosecond Laser Pulse Excitation journal February 2016
Threading plasmonic nanoparticle strings with light journal July 2014
Microdroplet deposition by laser-induced forward transfer journal June 2005
Fabrication of metallic electrodes with nanometer separation by electromigration journal July 1999
Damage and ablation thresholds of fused-silica in femtosecond regime journal September 2011
Extraordinary Nonlinear Absorption in 3D Bowtie Nanoantennas journal December 2011
The effect of emitted electrons during femtosecond laser–metal interactions: A physical explanation for coulomb explosion in metals journal April 2014
Ultrashort-pulse laser machining of dielectric materials journal May 1999
Hot electron generation via vacuum heating process in femtosecond laser–solid interactions journal June 2001
Picosecond optical vortex pulse illumination forms a monocrystalline silicon needle journal February 2016
Floating Tip Nanolithography journal July 2008
Plasmon nano-optical tweezers journal May 2011
Growth, morphology, and optical and electrical properties of semicontinuous metallic films journal January 2003
Optical ablation by high-power short-pulse lasers journal January 1996
Third-harmonic-upconversion enhancement from a single semiconductor nanoparticle coupled to a plasmonic antenna journal March 2014
Heat accumulation in ultra-short pulsed scanning laser ablation of metals journal January 2015
Ablation of Solids under Femtosecond Laser Pulses journal December 2002
Modelling ultrafast laser ablation journal April 2017
Scaling laws of femtosecond laser pulse induced breakdown in oxide films journal March 2005
Possible evidence of Coulomb explosion in the femtosecond laser ablation of metal at low laser fluence journal November 2015
Resonant Optical Antennas journal June 2005
Photothermal reshaping of gold nanoparticles in a plasmonic absorber journal January 2011
UV fs–ns double-pulse laser induced breakdown spectroscopy for high spatial resolution chemical analysis journal January 2013
Investigating the origin of third harmonic generation from diabolo optical antennas journal October 2017
Femtosecond laser welded nanostructures and plasmonic devices journal September 2012
Near-field laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: a novel elemental analytical technique at the nanometer scale journal January 2009
[INVITED] Laser-induced forward transfer: A high resolution additive manufacturing technology journal April 2016
Mapping Heat Origin in Plasmonic Structures journal April 2010
Femtosecond Laser-Induced Nanowelding: Fundamentals and Applications journal January 2010
λ/4 Resonance of an Optical Monopole Antenna Probed by Single Molecule Fluorescence journal January 2007
Vacuum-Ultraviolet Photoionization Measurement and ab Initio Calculation of the Ionization Energy of Gas-Phase SiO 2 journal February 2009
Strong Field Acceleration and Steering of Ultrafast Electron Pulses from a Sharp Metallic Nanotip journal December 2012
Large single-molecule fluorescence enhancements produced by a bowtie nanoantenna journal October 2009
Shape and size dependence of radiative, non-radiative and photothermal properties of gold nanocrystals journal July 2000
Optical antenna thermal emitters journal October 2009
Controlled near-field enhanced electron acceleration from dielectric nanospheres with intense few-cycle laser fields journal April 2011
Extreme-ultraviolet light generation in plasmonic nanostructures journal March 2013
Photodetection with Active Optical Antennas journal May 2011
Ultrafast Strong-Field Photoemission from Plasmonic Nanoparticles journal January 2013
Electrostatic mechanism of ablation by femtosecond lasers journal September 2002
Atomic emission from a gold scanning-tunneling-microscope tip journal November 1990
Field evaporation between a gold tip and a gold surface in the scanning tunneling microscope configuration journal January 1994
Ultrafast strong-field photoemission from plasmonic nanoparticles conference May 2013
Adhesion molecules and oral mucosal diseases journal June 2008

Cited By (1)

Omnidirectional Surface Plasmon Polaritons Concentration in 3D Metallic Structures journal May 2019

Figures / Tables (8)