SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES ON THE LASER-ABLATION DYNAMICS OF SILICON AND BORON-NITRIDE

Spectroscopic techniques including optical time-of-flight and probe be am deflection, have been applied to investigate the dynamics of Nd:YAG laser (266 nm) ablation of silicon and pyrolytic boron nitride. The l aser-generated plume expansions in a high vacuum and ambient gas condi tion were studied. The most probable velocities of atomic species were obtained using an optical time-of-flight method. In the case of a pyr olytic boron nitride (BN) target, emissions from boron nitride molecul es, as well as atomic species, were observed. Shockwave generation was confirmed by probe beam deflection and its velocity was derived by an alysis of the transit time of the acoustic wave produced by laser abla tion.