Near-infrared laser ablation of poly tetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) sensitized by nanoenergetic materials

Laser ablation of Teflon doped with size-selected (30–250nm) Al nanoparticles is studied. Unlike pure Teflon, which requires a vacuum-ultraviolet or femtosecond excimer laser for ablation, this sensitized Teflon can be ablated with a near-infrared laser. Using 100ps duration pulses, near-infrared ablation thresholds are lower by about a factor of 10 from excimer ablation of pure Teflon. A mechanism is discussed that involves Teflon decomposition by spherical shock fronts originating at each irradiated nanoparticle. Studies of the distance dependence of this process as a function of particle diameter and oxide layer thickness suggest ways of optimizing the ablation process.