Laser-induced focused ultrasound for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Abstract

Focused ultrasound pulses generated by photoacoustic transformation at a metal surface immersed in water possess a pronounced compression phase on the nanosecond time scale. For 8 ns laser pump pulses, the spectrum of the initially generated ultrasonic pulse covered a frequency range between 0.1 and 150 MHz. A concave spherical geometry of the light-absorbing metal surface can be used to achieve focusing. In the present experiments a conical ultrasound beam was directed at a solid glass plate or silicon wafer, where the tilt of the normal of the metal mirror defined the efficiency of mode conversion at the water-solid interface. Depending on the configuration, focused bulk waves as well as Rayleigh and Lamb waves could be launched in the sample with this setup. The laser probe-beam-deflection method was employed for local detection of elastic disturbances at the sample surface. Due to the nonlinear elastic response of water and harmonics generation, frequencies ≥100 MHz were realized, despite a strong attenuation in this frequency range. Gradual increase of the laser power density from 5 to 14 MW/ cm2 led to shock formation in the compressive pressure pulse in water and shortening of the Rayleigh pulse induced at the surface of the glass plate. The observed transient surface profiles were highly sensitive to nearby mechanical discontinuities such as a microcrack in glass or an edge discontinuity in silicon. Therefore, laser-induced focused ultrasound seems to be a very promising method of accomplishing diverse tasks of nondestructive evaluation. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.