Coupling effects of the number of pulses, pulse repetition rate and fluence during laser PMMA ablation

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was ablated using a 248-nm long-pulsed KrF excimer laser operating at a pulse repetition rate (PRR) of 2 and 10 Hz, and fluence varying from 0.4 to 2 J/cm(2). The coupling effects of multiple shots, PRR, and fluence are found and discussed on the etching depth data and topography of PMMA. An increase in either PRR, or fluence or the number of pulses can accelerate the etching efficiency in terms of ablation rate, as a result of strengthened thermal effects. Quality of the craters such as roughness, porosity and contamination is sensitively dependent on the specific laser operating conditions. Basically, increasing the PRR and the number of pulses gives rise to a crater with smoother and less porous bottom. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.