Abstract
The structure of pulsed laser irradiated graphite surfaces has been elucidated. The pulse fluences range up to 4 J cm−2 with durations no longer than 30 ns. The region exterior to the irradiated spot is littered with ∼0.1 μm diameter carbon spheroids. The boundary region is characterized by both spheroids and torn layers 1–5 μm. in lateral extent. The central region displays carbon spheroids and surface upheavals. The carbon spheroids are attributed to hydrodynamic sputtering of carbon. The surface upheavals and torn carbon layers are attributed to constrained thermal expansion and contraction of the irradiated region. It is estimated that a nearly instantaneous 1000°C temperature change is necessary to cause the observed surface deformation. Pulse fluences in excess of 0.8 J cm−2 cause a thin layer of carbon to melt. This is proven by the fact that the irradiated layer in the solid phase has a turbostratic structure. Electron diffraction experiments and dark-field imaging experiments show that the basal plane grain size of the resolidified material varies from ∼20 Å at the melt threshold to ∼100 Å for samples irradiated with 4.0 J cm−2.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
F. P. Bundy, in Solid State Physics Under Pressure, edited by S. Minomura (Reidel, New York, 1986), p. 1.
J. Steinbeck, Studies of the High Temperature Properties of Graphite and Liquid Carbon Using Pulsed Laser Heating (Ph.D. Thesis, MIT, 1987).
F. P. Bundy, J. Chem. Phys. 38, 618 (1963).
J. Heremans, C. H. Olk, G. L. Eesley, J. Steinbeck, and G. Dresselhaus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 452 (1988).
T. Venkatesan, D. C. Jacobson, J. M. Gibson, B. S. Elman, G. Braunstein, and M. S. Dresselhaus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 360 (1984).
A. M. Malvezzi, N. Bloembergen, and C. Y. Huang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 146 (1986).
D. H. Reitze, X. Wang, H. Ahn, and M. C. Downer, Phys. Rev. B 40, 11986 (1989).
G. Braunstein, J. Steinbeck, M. S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, B. S. Elman, T. Venkatesan, B. Wilkens, and D. C. Jacobson (Proc. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp.) (Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 1986), Vol. 51, p. 233.
J. Abrahamson, Carbon 12, 111 (1974).
P. M. Fauchet and A. E. Siegman, Appl. Phys. Lett. 40, 824 (1982).
J. F. Young, J. S. Preston, H. M. van Driel, and J. E. Sipe, Phys. Rev. B 27, 1155 (1983).
I. W. Boyd, S. C. Moss, T. F. Boggess, and A. L. Smirl, Appl. Phys. Lett. 45, 80 (1984).
J. E. Sipe, J. F. Young, J. S. Preston, and H. M. van Driel, Phys. Rev. B 27, 1141 (1983).
R. Kelly and J. E. Rothenberg, Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. B7/8, 755 (1985).
H. M. Musal, Symp. on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers, Boulder, CO, 159 (1979).
M. S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, K. Sugihara, I. L. Spain, and H. A. Goldberg, Graphite Fibers and Filaments (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1988).
B. T. Kelly, Physics of Graphite (Applied Science, London, 1981).
G. G. Tibbetts and C. P. Beetz, J. Phys. D 20, 292 (1987).
S. V. Gaponov, A. A. Gudkov, and A. A. Fraerman, Sov. Tech. Phys. 27, 1130 (1982).
S. J. Thomas, R. F. Harrison, and J. F. Figueira, Appl. Phys. Lett. 40, 200 (1982).
J. E. Rothenberg and R. Kelly, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B1, 291 (1984).
J. M. Cowley, Diffraction Physics (North-Holland, New York, 1975).
B. E. Warren, Phys. Rev. 59, 693 (1941).
M. J. Buerger, Crystal Structure Analysis (Wiley, New York, 1960).
B. E. Warren, X-Ray Diffraction (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1969).
M.S. Dresselhaus and J. Steinbeck, Tanso 132, 44 (1988).
J. Steinbeck, G. Braunstein, J. Speck, M. S. Dresselhaus, C. Y. Huang, A. M. Malvezzi, and N. Bloembergen (Proc. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp.) (Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 1987), Vol. 74, p. 263.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Portions of the text and results were presented at the 1985 and 1987 Fall Meetings of the Materials Research Society
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Speck, J.S., Steinbeck, J. & Dresselhaus, M.S. Microstructural studies of laser irradiated graphite surfacesa). Journal of Materials Research 5, 980–988 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1990.0980
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1990.0980