Novel ablation of wide band-gap materials by multiwavelength excitation using a VUV-UV laser system

Novel ablation of wide band-gap materials by multiwavelength excitation using a VUV-UV laser system is demonstrated. Two different kinds of novel ablation techniques of fused quartz are developed, that is, (1) selective removal of VUV-pre-irradiated fused quartz followed by UV laser irradiation (serial irradiation) and (2) direct patterning of fused quartz using a contact mask by simultaneous irradiation of VUV and UV laser beams (simultaneous irradiation). The mechanisms for each process are discussed and the role of VUV beams only possessing small pulse energy is made clear.