LASER-INDUCED MICROEXPLOSIONS OF A PHOTOSENSITIVE POLYMER

Laser ablation of a photosensitive triazene polymer was studied in a m icro region by means of a nanosecond imaging technique. The propagatio n of a blast wave, 100 ns after laser irradiation, sufficiently matche d a planar blast wave model including the decomposed source mass which indicates characteristics of a microexplosion. The measured velocitie s of the fronts indicates two blast waves: an initially fast unsupport ed wave around the peak of the laser pulse, and a relatively slow supp orted wave involving the main component of the decomposition.