Comparison between ns-laser ablation in vacuum of two metals with very high and very low boiling points: zinc and tungsten

Pulse laser ablation of Zn and W has been performed in high vacuum using a Nd: YAG laser operating at 1064 nm, 3 ns pulse duration, and with a fluence up to about 70 J/cm2. The different laser ablation yields, higher for Zn, concerning W, and the different ablation thresholds, are correlated to the different boiling points and latent heat of evaporation of the two elements. The laser-generated plasma is characterized through ion velocity and energy measurements, ion emission yield, plasma temperature, and angular distribution of emitted ions. Results indicate that the differences can be due to the different properties of Zn and W, the first with a low ablation threshold, permits high energy transfer to the plasma particles, while the second, with a high ablation yield, permits lower energy transfer to the plasma, generating plasma at different temperature using the same laser pulse energy. Some applications of Zn and W laser ablation are presented and discussed.