MONTE-CARLO SIMULATIONS OF PLUME EVOLUTION FROM LASER-ABLATION OF GRAPHITE AND BARIUM-TITANATE

Evolution of laser ablation products from graphite and barium titanate targets has been simulated using a Monte Carlo method, assuming elast ic collisions. The calculated species arrival times and intensities, a t a hypothetical detection plane, compare favorably with those obtaine d experimentally by time-resolved mass spectrometric sampling of the e xpanded vapor plumes. As such experiments are difficult to perform, th e simulation method should prove useful for unstudied systems in defin ing the spatial and temporal distributions of species arriving for exa mple, at a film deposition substrate. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier S cience B.V.