Effect of sample position on collinear femtosecond double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of silicon in air

Abstract

A femtosecond double-pulse laser was used to induce the plasma of silicon in air. The laser wavelength was 800 nm. The interpulse delay of the femtosecond double-pulse was from −20 ps to 100 ps. During the experiment, the spectral line was fixed at the wavelength of 288.157 nm. The emission intensity was observed to lead to a significant increase by choosing the proper sample position. The range of the sample position is from 5.17 mm to 5.27 mm. And, the best sample position for the higher laser fluence was different from the position for the lower laser fluence. At the higher laser fluence, the optimized emission intensity can be obtained at either side of the best focal position for all interpulse delays of the double-pulse. The phenomena can be explained by the nonlinear propagation of the femtosecond laser pulse in air. At the lower laser fluence, the best sample position will change from one side to both sides with the increase of the interpulse delay of the double-pulse. The results showed that the effect of the sample position can be especially advantageous in the context of femtosecond double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The study will lead a further improvement in the applications of the femtosecond double-pulse laser.