Study on the influence of target parameters on the mechanical properties of laser propulsion

Abstract

The laser ablation micro thruster uses the target vapor or plasma jet generated by the laser ablation working fluid to obtain the reaction impulse and thrust. The working mode of the laser micro thruster is divided into two types, reflection type and transmission type. In this paper, the influence of plasma treatment on the bonding force between ablation layer and transparent layer is studied in transmission mode, and the influence of different kinds of substrate materials on the mechanical properties of laser ablation is studied. The results show that the surface activity of the PET transparent substrate is greatly improved by the formation of N-C=O or C=O active groups after plasma treatment, and the interlayer bonding force of the target band is increased by about 50%. Thus the peeling of the ablation layer and the transparent layer around the ablation pit after laser ablation target zone is eliminated. The light transmittance of PET substrate material is better than that of PI substrate material. In the case of the same thickness of ablation layer, the single pulse impulse and specific impulse of PET substrate target band are better than that of PI substrate material target band. The punching is better than the PI base material target tape. The optimization of target parameters provides guidance for further application of laser propulsion.