Physics Commons^™

Laser Ablation Of Optically Thin Absorbing Liquid Layer Predeposited Onto A Transparent Solid Substrate, S. I. Kudryashov, K. Lyon, S. D. Shukla, D. Murry, S. D. Allen

Mechanical Engineering - Daytona Beach

Ablation of optically thin liquid 2-propanol layers of variable thickness on IR-transparent solid Si substrate by a nanosecond CO ₂laser has been experimentally studied using time-resolved optical interferometric and microscopy techniques. Basic ablation parameters - threshold fluences for surface vaporization and explosive homogeneous boiling of the superheated liquid, ablation depths, vaporization (ablation) rates, and characteristic ablation times versus laser fluence - were measured as a function of alcohol layer thickness. The underlying ablation mechanisms, their thermodynamics, and microscopic details are discussed.

c 2006 American Institute of Physics