Interaction of Excimer Laser Radiation with Solids

We review the nature of the interactions that occur when excimer laser radiation impacts on different materials. The physical processes that occur during such interactions can be traced by subsequent physical and chemical analysis of the interface following the irradiation. We illustrate this approach with data obtained for a variety of materials including Cu, Al, polyimide and foamed polystyrene. We also discuss the processes that initiate material removal in transparent (wide bandgap) materials.