Fast photography of UV laser ablated metal films

The single pulse KrF laser ablation patterning of thin metal films on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and α-Si:H substrates has been studied using fast shadow photography. The photographs of the ablated products were taken using 5 ns dye laser illumination as a time-series, delayed with respect to the ablation laser. This visualisation of the ablation process together with post-ablation examination of the irradiated site has allowed the dynamics of the products and the laser fluence `windowʹ for effective removal from the substrate to be established.