Preliminary studies of material surface cleaning with a multi-pulse passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

• Published in: Optics and laser technology Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 125 - 130
• Main Authors: Fenic, Constantin, Dabu, Razvan, Stratan, Aurel, Blanaru, Constantin, Ungureanu, Constantin, Luculescu, Catalin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2004; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Ablation rate; Biological and medical applications; Doped-insulator lasers and other solid state lasers; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Industrial applications; Laser optical systems: design and operation; Lasers; Multi-pulse passively Q-switched laser; Optics; Physics; Q-switching; Surface cleaning; Surface cleaning; Ablation rate; Multi-pulse passively Q-switched laser; Ultrashort pulse; Solid state lasers; YAG laser; Surface treatments; Experimental device; Laser ablation technique; Laser beam applications; Q switched laser; Pulsed lasers; Neodymium lasers
• ISSN: 0030-3992; 1879-2545
• DOI: 10.1016/S0030-3992(03)00144-0

A multi-pulse Q-switched (MPQ) Nd:YAG laser system for surface material cleaning has been developed. Trains of pulses having total output energy of as much as 1.05 J , 10–30 pulses/train, 20– 70 ns individual pulse-width, and about 100 μs whole duration were generated. Ablation threshold fluence and ablation rate for limestone substrate have been measured and compared with the theoretical calculations. Safe surface cleaning of limestone samples was demonstrated thanks to the high gap between the ablation threshold fluence of the substrate and black crust. Tests of surface cleaning for samples of stone, ceramics, and metal were performed.