Spatial distribution of laser-ablated material by probing a plasma plume in three dimensions

A Pb0.2Bi1.8Sr2Ca1Cu2Ox target has been irradiated with 30 ns FWHM KrF excimer laser pulses having a wavelength of 248 nm and an energy density of ∼ 8 J/cm2. An intensified charge coupled device camera was used to measure the overall luminescence of the resulting plume in three dimensions as it moved from the target to the substrate. For small enough laser spots the plumes were found to have an ellipsoidal shape with two distinct axes. On the other hand, for a large rectangular laser spot (3.0 × 1.2 mm2 or 2.4 × 1.0 mm2) the plumes were found to have an ellipsoidal shape with three distinct axes. For example, at a time delay of 1000 ns the extensions were z = 34 mm (normal), y2 = 12 mm, and x2 = 8 mm, the lateral dimensions (x and y axes) being rotated at 90° with respect to the laser spot. The z extension is sufficiently greater than those for x2 and y2, and the z expansion-front velocity is sufficiently high, that both normal vaporization and normal boiling can be excluded as the mechanisms of the laser sputtering. Subsurface explosion can be eliminated on the grounds that the analysis demonstrating its existence was wrong. It follows that either an electronic process or else phase explosion (also termed explosive boiling) or else another still-to-be-defined but violent process may be involved. The results were finally compared with numerical solutions of the two-dimensional flow equations and a rotation effect was found essentially as observed. For example, it was largely absent at 200–700 ns, fully developed at 600–2000 ns, and, interestingly, starting to disappear at 3000–9000 ns.