Localized absorption effects during 351 nm, pulsed laser irradiation of dielectric multilayer thin films

A correlation is attempted between atomic-force-microscopy-mapped, postmortem damage morphologies in model thin films irradiated near threshold at 351 nm and finite-element, numerical simulations of the damage process in such multilayer films. This comparison permits deriving lower bounds on the temperature field at and near the absorbing defect, necessitating revisions to any damage model based solely on thermal conduction as the energy dissipation mechanism.