Laser ablation of high bandgap materials: Novel process strategies for efficient laser- material interaction

Laser materials processing is of great interest for industrial applications as well as for scientific investigations. The underlying laser- material interaction depends on the specific properties of the laser system such as wavelength, pulse duration and peak power. Depending on these laser parameters, the underlying mechanisms of laser ablation are of different nature. As an example the non-thermal nature of ultrashort pulsed ablation together with the ultrafast mechanism offers well-defined ablation threshold fluences and enables laser structuring with high precision. This book mainly discusses the structuring of semiconductors and insulators with focus on technologically important materials like silicon or silicon carbide where laser ablation is shown to be a promising process solution compared to conventional structuring methods. Finding process parameters for enhanced structuring quality accompanied with high process productivity was of particular interest.