Laser Ablation Principles and Applications [Paperback]

Laser Ablation provides a broad picture of the current understanding of laser ablation and its many applications, from the views of key contributors to the field. Discussed are in detail the electronic processes in laser ablation of semiconductors and insulators, the post-ionization of laser-desorbed biomolecules, Fourier-transform mass spectroscopy, the interaction of laser radiation with organic polymers, laser ablation and optical surface damage, laser desorption/ablation with laser detection, and laser ablation of superconducting thin films.Laser Ablation provides a broad picture of the current understanding of laser ablation and its many applications, from the views of key contributors to the field. Discussed are in detail the electronic processes in laser ablation of semiconductors and insulators, the post-ionization of laser-desorbed biomolecules, Fourier-transform mass spectroscopy, the interaction of laser radiation with organic polymers, laser ablation and optical surface damage, laser desorption/ablation with laser detection, and laser ablation of superconducting thin films.1. History, Scope, and the Future of Laser Ablation.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 History of Laser Ablation Studies and Applications.- 1.2.1 The Sixties.- 1.2.2 The Seventies.- 1.2.3 The Eighties.- 1.2.4 The Nineties.- References.- 2. Electronic Processes in Laser Ablation of Semiconductors and Insulators.- 2.1 Electronic Mechanisms in Desorption and Ablation.- 2.2 Interaction of Photons with Solids.- 2.2.1 Creation of Electron-Hole Pairs and Excitons.- 2.2.2 Excitation of Electrons and Holes Localized on Defects.- 2.2.3 Collective Effects: Free-Electron Heating and Plasma Effects.- 2.2.4 Density of Electronic Excitation.- 2.3 Electron-Lattice Interactions and the Localized Excited State.- 2.3.1 Interactions Between Free Carriers and Phonons.- 2.3.2 Capture of Charge Carriers at Defect Sites.- 2.3.3 Lattice-Induced Localization of Free Carriers and Excilß