Using interference and atomic force microscopy, we investigate ablation properties of nickel nanofilms of varying thickness on silicon substrates after single exposure to 70-fs laser pulses with an intensity of 1012–1013 W/cm2 in air. Threshold values for the absorbed energy density are determined for rupture within the film and for its separation from the substrate. For samples with thicknesses of 30 and 125 nm, differences in the dependence of crater depth on the energy density of the heating pulses are observed over a wide range of values.
Komarov et al. (Mon,) studied this question.