Laser ablation of (GeSe2)100−x(Sb2Se3)x chalcogenide glasses: Influence of the target composition on the plasma plume dynamics

The dynamics and properties of the (GeSe2)100−x(Sb2Se3)x laser-induced plasma were investigated by fast ICCD imaging and space- and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The experiments were performed at 10−6 Torr background pressure, using the second harmonic (532 nm) of the Nd-YAG laser (10 ns, 10 Hz). For all investigated samples, the ICCD images revealed a splitting of the plasma plume into three components with distinct dynamics. Based on OES measurements, the first and second plasma structures were found to be represented mainly by ionic and neutral species, respectively. As the Sb2Se3 content of the samples increases, the three structures present an increase in their velocities. This dynamic variation and also the compositional dependence of the excitation temperature obtained from Boltzmann plots were correlated to the changes in the structure and electrical/thermal properties of the bulk chalcogenide glasses.