Plasma analyses during femtosecond laser ablation of Ti, Zr, and Hf

Femtosecond laser ablation of Ti, Zr, and Hf has been investigated by means of in situ plasma diagnostics. Fast imaging was used to characterize the plasma plume expansion on a nanosecond time scale. In addition, time- and space-resolved optical emission spectroscopy was employed to determine the plume composition and the characteristic expansion velocities of plasma species. It is shown that two plume components with different expansion velocities are generated by the interaction of ultrashort laser pulses with metals. The composition and the expansion behavior of the two components have been analyzed as a function of laser fluence and target material. The results are discussed in terms of mechanisms responsible for ablation by ultrashort laser pulses. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.