Plateau-Rayleigh instability triggered transformation in thin chromium film on glass substrate under nanosecond laser irradiation

Mindaugas Gedvilas; Karolis Ratautas; Bogdan Voisiat; Kęstutis Regelskis; Gediminas Raciukaitis

doi:10.1117/12.2005303

Translator Disclaimer

9 March 2013 Plateau-Rayleigh instability triggered transformation in thin chromium film on glass substrate under nanosecond laser irradiation

Mindaugas Gedvilas, Karolis Ratautas, Bogdan Voisiat, Kęstutis Regelskis, Gediminas Raciukaitis

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8612, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XVIII; 861206 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2005303
Event: SPIE MOEMS-MEMS, 2013, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Metal films on transparent substrates are widely applied for mask production in lithography, and lasers are frequently used for their patterning. Quality of the patterning is limited by fundamental phenomena taking place close to edges of the laser ablated area. We experimentally and numerically investigated transformations in metal films during their irradiation with the nanosecond laser beam with fluence above the ablation threshold. Ridges of the resolidified metal with non-uniform thickness were always formed on edges of the cleaned area. Instabilities during the ablation process forced the molten metal in the ridges to break up into droplets with the periodicity predicted by the Plateau–Rayleigh instability. The droplets on ridges were starting points for formation of self-organized lines of metal film by irradiation with partially overlapping laser pulses. The initial droplets and later the self-organized parallel lines of chromium metal were heat sinks that cooled down the metal in their close proximity. Temperature modulation along the laser irradiation spot was high enough to initiate the Marangoni effect which resulted in movement of the molten metal from hot to colder areas.

Citation Download Citation

Mindaugas Gedvilas, Karolis Ratautas, Bogdan Voisiat, Kęstutis Regelskis, and Gediminas Raciukaitis "Plateau-Rayleigh instability triggered transformation in thin chromium film on glass substrate under nanosecond laser irradiation", Proc. SPIE 8612, Micromachining and Microfabrication Process Technology XVIII, 861206 (9 March 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2005303

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE