Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, Vol.14, No.3, 1111-1114, 1996
Mechanisms Affecting Kinetic Energies of Laser-Ablated Materials
A dynamic source effect was found to accelerate the plume expansion velocity much higher than that from a conventional free-expansion model. A self-similar theory and a hydrodynamic model are developed to study this effect, which may help to explain experimentally observed high front expansion velocity. Background gas can also affect the kinetic energies. High background gas may cause the ablated materials to go backward. Experimentally observed plume splitting is also discussed.