Evidence for the Thermal Nature of Laser-Induced Polymer Ablation

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Abstract
We report the results of an experiment designed to study the role of thermal processes in pulsed-laser-induced ablation of polymers. Using nonabsorbing polymer films on absorbing substrates and time-resolved reflectivity measurements, we show that laser-induced nanosecond heat pulses can cause rapid decomposition of polymers. This process exhibits all properties of so-called "ablative photodecomposition," namely high spatial resolution, nanosecond rates, and the presence of a threshold in laser energy density.