Enhanced efficiency of laser shock cleaning process by geometrical confinement of laser-induced plasma

Abstract

Surface cleaning based on the laser-induced breakdown of gas and subsequent plasma and shock wave generation can remove small particles from solid surfaces. Accordingly, several studies were performed to expand the cleaning capability of the process. In this work, the cleaning process using laser-induced plasma (LIP) under geometrical confinement is analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. Two-dimensional numerical analysis is conducted to examine the behavior of the LIP shock wave under geometrical confinement for several geometries. As a result of the analysis, we propose a simple and practical method to amplify the intensity of laser-induced shock. In the proposed method, a flat quartz plate placed close to the focal point of the laser pulse confines the expansion of the LIP, allowing the plasma to expand only in one direction. As a consequence of the plasma confinement, the intensity of the shock wave produced is increased significantly. Experiments demonstrate that the enhanced shock wave can remove smaller particles from the surface better than the existing process.