Ablation of Copper by a Single Ultrashort Laser Pulse

Thermal ablation of copper films by a single Ti:Sapphire femtosecond laser pulse of wavelength 800 nm and duration 100 fs was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The laser experiments were performed; the ablation depth and crater profiles were measured for laser fluences up to 1037 J/cm 2 . A comprehensive axisymmetric model, including a two-temperature model, phase change models for rapid melting and evaporation, and a phase explosion model for ejecting metastable liquid and vapor, was developed to simulate the laser material ablation process. The simulated ablation depths and crater profiles agree well with the experimental measurements.