| new type of ion source has been developed which combines KrF excimer laser ablation and a pulsed power discharge. The ionization dynamics produced in the laser ablation of aluminum and iron, along with the laser-ablation-assisted-plasma-discharge (LAAPD) ion source have been characterized by numerous plasma diagnostics including a newly developed resonant ultraviolet interferometry (RUVI) diagnostic. Focusing a KrF excimer laser (248 nm, 1 J, 4-10 J/cm;Both time-integrated and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy show the laser ablation plume spectra dominated by neutral atom transitions with ion emission only occurring at early times (;Absorption photography shows decreased neutral atom absorption and enhanced ion absorption over that from only laser ablation when the discharge is applied. Resonant photographs also show the iron plume is very forward directed, while the aluminum plume expands more strongly in the radial direction.;Iron neutral atom line-densities are measured with the RUVI diagnostic by tuning the dye laser near the 271.903 nm ground-state and 273.358 nm excited-state transitions, while iron singly-ionized line-densities are measured using the 273.955 and 263.105 nm excited-state transitions. The line-density, expansion velocity, temperature, and number of each species has been characterized as a function of time for laser ablation and the LAAPD. Data analysis, assuming a Boltzmann distribution, yields the ionization ratio... |
