Abstract :
Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation (t = 120 fs, l = 800 nm, repetition rate = 1 kHz) of thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) films
on silicon was conducted in air using a direct focusing technique for estimating ablation threshold and investigating the influence
of ablation parameter on the morphological features of ablated regions. The single-pulse ablation threshold estimated by two
different methods were fth(1) = 2.43 and 2.51 J/cm2. The morphological changes were evaluated by means of scanning electron
microscopy. A comparison with picosecond pulsed laser ablation shows lower threshold and reduced collateral thermal damage
