Femtosecond and ultraviolet laser irradiation of graphitelike hexagonal boron nitride

摘要

The effect of the femtosecond and nanosecond UV laser irradiation (below the ablation threshold) on graphitelike hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has been studied. Experiments were carried out with the compacted powder under high vacuum at room temperature using the excimer KrF laser (248 nm). In the nanosecond operation mode, the laser-induced fluorescence spectra are found strongly modified depending on the integrated doze, which is attributed to a progressive enrichment of the surface layer by an elemental boron. A slow sample recovery after the laser irradiation has been observed. On the other hand, in the femtosecond mode, the fluorescence spectra depend on the laser fluence, and the changes are reversible: low-energy fluorescence spectra are restored immediately when the laser energy decreases. This effect can be explained by a material bleaching, which favors a bulk centers emission. The ablation threshold has been determined as 78 mJ/cm(2) in the femtosecond laser operational mode. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.