EFFECT OF AMBIENT-PRESSURE ON THE GENERATION AND THE PROPAGATION OF PLASMAS PRODUCED BY PULSED-LASER ABLATION OF METAL AL IN AIR

Simultaneous time-and space-resolved emission spectra from a Nd: YAG l aser-ablated plasma on an Al target have yielded quantitative informat ion on the generation and the propagation of species in the plasma. Fi ve ambient pressures from atmosphere to 5 Pa were chosen. The experime ntal results showed that the characteristics of the species in the pla sma were strongly influenced by the ambient pressure. The mean spatial ly projected ranges of Al2+ ions in the atmosphere of different densit ies were calculated in theory, and the slowing-down processes were sim ulated by using a popular Monte Carlo simulation program, TRIM90. The calculated results can be used to explain observed experimental phenom ena.