Investigation of excimer laser ablation of iron

The excimer ablation of iron at 248 nm has been investigated by measuring the ablation depth and average ion energy as a function of laser fluence. Measurements have also been made of the laser transmission through the ablated vapour above the target. The absolute spectral intensity of the emission from the ablation plasma has been measured in both the vacuum ultraviolet and the visible. All results were compared with a simple numerical model describing the main physical processes involved in laser ablation of metal targets. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.