Al/Ni reactive multilayer films enhancing the properties of plasma induced by nanosecond pulsed laser

In this paper, the influence of Al/Ni reactive multilayer films on laser ablation induced plasma process is investigated. Laser ablation of single Ni layer and Al/Ni RMFs was performed by nanosecond pulsed laser beam with 1064 nm wavelength. The characterization methods were applied for researching the structure and chemical composition with transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atom probe tomography. The effects of the Al/Ni RMFs on the plasma properties were then systematically investigated in terms of the electron temperature, density and ionization. Meanwhile, measurements of the plasma expansion velocity were performed using ICCD system. The results exhibit improved plasma behaviors with high electron temperature, fast expansion velocity and violent ablation phenomenon of Al/Ni RMFs in comparison with the Ni film, which is significant for broadening the potentials in military applications.