The effect of polarization on ultrashort pulsed laser ablation of thin metal films

Ultrashort pulse lasers have proven to have superior advantages over conventional continuous wave and long pulse lasers for ablation of thin metal films. Though several investigations have been carried out to understand the phenomena of ultrashort pulse laser machining, the effect of the beam polarization on ablation of thin metal films has been seldom investigated. In this article, we report our recent observations on how the shape of the machined feature and also the damage threshold of the material varies according to the polarization of the ultrashort pulse laser beam. Based on this we have explained how the polarization of the beam controls the laser cutting rate, kerf width, edge quality, and ablation depth of the ablated feature. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.