Erbium laser ablation: The effect of dynamic optical properties

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Abstract
Ablation characteristics of Q‐switched Er:YAG (λ=2.94 μm) and Er:YSGG (λ=2.79 μm) lasers have been compared. For equivalent fluences per pulse, the Er:YAG laser radiation cuts deeper craters into a tissue phantom than the Er:YSGG laser radiation. The Er:YAG laser irradiation created lower plume velocities than Er:YSGG laser irradiation. The data have been interpreted in terms of a dynamically changing absorption coefficient model and suggest that, in contradistinction to low‐intensity water absorption spectra, the effective absorption coefficient during ablation is greater at 2.79 than at 2.94 μm.