Laser induced surface modifications: applications to nano-structure fabrication and deposition

Pulsed laser applications to surface modifications have been practised for many years with carbon dioxide laser in materials processings such as drilling, welding, cutting and surface treatment by its thermal effect. However, with advent of pulsed UV-laser which includes excimer lasers and Nd:YAG laser in 3rd and 4th harmonic modes, pulsed laser application to surface modification becomes more precise, and fine-tuned, as has been well demonstrated by clean wall-profile of ablated holes made by an excimer laser in comparison with those by carbon dioxide IR-laser. Our interest here ranges from nano-structure fabrication using pulsed polarized laser beams to metal deposition on fluorocarbons and to crystalline diamond deposition from plumes generated by an excimer laser photoablation of polymers in presence of reactive species. These studies will be reviewed with those of other groups.