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Femtosecond laser interactions with dielectric materials: insights of a detailed modeling of electronic excitation and relaxation processes

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Abstract

Electronic excitation–relaxation processes induced by ultra-short laser pulses are studied numerically for dielectric targets. A detailed kinetic approach is used in the calculations accounting for the absence of equilibrium in the electronic subsystem. Such processes as electron–photon–phonon, electron–phonon and electron–electron scatterings are considered in the model. In addition, both laser field ionization ranging from multi-photon to tunneling one, and electron impact (avalanche) ionization processes are included in the model. The calculation results provide electron energy distribution. Based on the time-evolution of the energy distribution function, we estimate the electron thermalization time as a function of laser parameters. The effect of the density of conduction band electrons on this time is examined. By using the average electron energy, a new criterion is proposed based on determined damage threshold in agreement with recent experiments (Sanner et al. in Appl. Phys. Lett. 96:071111, 2010).

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the help of Grant ANR “Ultra-sonde” 0010 BLAN 0943 01. They are also grateful to CINES for computer support (under Project C2011085015). NSS acknowledges the Ministry of National Education (France) for the support of his Ph.D. research.

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  1. Laboratoire Hubert Curien, UMR CNRS 5516/Université de Lyon, Bat. F, 18 rue de Professeur Benoît Lauras, 42000, Saint-Etienne, France

    Nikita S. Shcheblanov & Tatiana E. Itina

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  1. Nikita S. Shcheblanov
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  2. Tatiana E. Itina
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Correspondence to Tatiana E. Itina.

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Shcheblanov, N.S., Itina, T.E. Femtosecond laser interactions with dielectric materials: insights of a detailed modeling of electronic excitation and relaxation processes. Appl. Phys. A 110, 579–583 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-012-7130-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-012-7130-0

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