Evaluation of excimer laser ablation of thin Cr film on glass substrate by analysing acoustic emission

Abstract

Excimer laser ablation of a thin Cr film on a glass substrate was evaluated through detecting acoustic emission arising from the ablation process and observing surface morphology. In the experiment, an acoustic emission transducer was coupled to the sample to acquire acoustic emissions of laser–material interaction and an oscilloscope was used to record the signals. The patterned areas were examined by using an optical microscope. Characteristics of the acoustic emissions were studied through applying a range of signal analysis tools. Several features (e.g., average power, RMS) showed a clear linkage with the ablation mechanism of thin Cr film when varying the fluence of the laser source. Moreover, the damage to the glass substrate was well discriminated by the extracted features. In sum, evaluation of acoustic emissions not only provided a tool to study the ablation mechanisms of the thin metal film but also addressed a monitoring strategy for excimer laser micromachining.