Laser ablation of solid substrates in ambient air and under water is investigated. It is found that the laser ablation rate is highly enhanced by the water film. A wide-band microphone is used to detect the audible acoustic wave generated during laser ablation. Peak-to-peak amplitude of the acoustic wave recorded in water confinement regime (WCR) is greater than that recorded in ambient. It is assumed that the plasma generated in WCR induces a much stronger pressure. This high-pressure, high-temperature plasma results in a much higher ablation rate. Theoretical calculation is also carried out to verify this assumption. By proper calibration, acoustic wave detection can be used as a real-time monitoring of the laser ablation.

A monolayer of self-assembled silica particles can be imprinted into a silicon substrate by laser irradiation (KrF excimer laser, = 248 nm). Periodical hemispherical cavities can be therefore created on the substrate surface. The influences of various particle sizes and laser fluence were investigated. In addition, preheating of the substrate significantly improves the performance. One-dimensional thermal calculation was employed to understand the thermal effect in this process. Three-dimensional optical simulation provided an accurate insight into the light intensity enhancement. Raman spectroscopy was used to examine the stress induced by the laser imprinting process resided in the cavity structures.

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We studied the laser annealing effects on the structures and properties of silicon (Si) nanocrystal films fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition in inert argon gas. The as-deposited samples show large particles (i.e., droplets) with size ranging from ∼100 nm to several μm on a uniform background film. The strong photoluminescence (PL) was from the background film rather than from the crystalline droplets. The consistency of the PL and crystal size from the background film supports the quantum confinement effect theory. After KrF excimer laser annealing, nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes of 10–50 nm were formed in the as-deposited films. In the vicinity of the droplets, the NPs were aligned together to form incident-light-angle-dependent cylindrical ripples which were caused by the interference of the incident light and the surface-scattered waves. The threshold fluence of surface melting was also reduced due to the interference. The intensity enhancement and blueshift of PL, the correlation between the indirect transition in optical absorption, and the bonding information in infrared spectra, further reveal the oxidation and ablation during the laser annealing process.