REAL-TIME MONITORING OF IONIC SPECIES GENERATED FROM LASER-ABLATED PB(ZR0.52TI0.48)O-3 TARGET USING PULSED-FIELD TIME-OF-FLIGHT MASS-SPECTROMETER

The characteristics of the ablation plume generated by 532 nm Nd:YAG l aser irradiation of a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O-3 (PZT) target have been inves tigated using a pulsed-field time-of-flight mass spectrometer TOFMS). The relative abundance of O+, Ti+, Zr+, Pb+, TiO+, and ZrO+ ions has b een measured and discussed. TiO+ and ZrO+ ions were also found to be p articularly stable within the laser ablation plasma with respect to Pb O+ species. The behavior of the temporal distributions of each ionic s pecies was studied as a function of the delay time between the laser s hot and the ion extraction pulse. The most probable velocity of each a blated ion is estimated to be V-mp=1.1-1.6x 10(5) cm/s at a laser flue nce of 1.2 J/cm(2), which is typically employed for the thin film depo sition of PZT. The TOF distribution of Ti+ and Zr+ ions shows a trimod al distribution with one fast and two slow velocity components. The fa st velocity component (6.8x 10(5) cm/s) appears to consist of directly ablated species via nonthermal process. The second component, origina ted from the thermal evaporation process, has a characteristic velocit y of 1.4-1.6x10(5) cm/s. The slowest component (1.2x10(5) cm/s) is com posed of a dissociation product formed from the corresponding oxide io n.