Laser ablation of silicon in neon gas: Study of excitation mechanism of neon neutrals by ablated silicon ions
- Department of Materials Science, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)
The excitation mechanism of buffer gas in the laser-ablation process was investigated by time- and space-resolved emission spectroscopies. A silicon disk was ablated in neon gas at a pressure of 1 torr by the fundamental beam output of a Nd: yttrium aluminum garnet laser (1064 nm). The time-resolved emission spectra showed the generation of excited silicon ions Si{sup n+}*(n=1-3) and excited neon neutrals Ne* to the 2p{sub 1} level immediately after laser irradiation. Excitation of Ne to the 2p{sub n}(n=2-10) levels was delayed by 150 ns. The temporal evolutions of the space-resolved emission from Ne* indicated excitation by fast (<100 ns) and/or slow (<300 ns) processes. The slow process contributed to all 2p{sub n} levels, while the fast process was observed only in excitation to the 2p{sub 1} level. This means that the fast process involves level-selective excitation. Based on temporal evolutions, the energy levels, and the collision cross sections of Ne and Si{sup n+}, we assigned the fast and slow processes to excitations by electronic-to-electronic energy transfer from Si{sup 2+}* and translational-to-electronic energy transfer from Si{sup +}, respectively.
- OSTI ID:
- 20714073
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 98, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2008387; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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