Laser ablation of aluminum from normal evaporation to phase explosion

A study of laser ablation of Aluminum sample by nanosecond laser pulses considering two simultaneous mechanisms of normal evaporation and phase explosion is theoretically carried out. The temperature distribution in the sample is calculated by a one dimensional heat conduction equation. Ablation depth due to the evaporation and explosion is calculated as a function of laser pulse energies. Variation in some effective sample parameters during the laser ablation and their effects on laser ablation mechanisms are taken into account. At low irradiance, ablation is mainly due to the evaporation, while after a threshold intensity, the phase explosion becomes the dominant mechanism. Theoretical results of transition from the normal evaporation to the phase explosion are in good agreement with the experimental results.