Effect of the pulse duration on graphitisation of diamond during laser ablation

Processes of graphitisation of laser-irradiated polycrystalline diamond surface exposed to multipulse irradiation are studied experimentally. The thickness of the laser-modified layer as a function of the laser-pulse duration ranging from 100 fs to 1.5 mu s and the effect of the radiation wavelength on this thickness are studied. It is shown that the diamond graphitisation during multipulse laser ablation is a thermally stimulated process. The dependences of the diamond-ablation rates on the radiation energy density under the action of laser pulses of various durations are presented.