Laser Ablation: Mechanisms and Applications

Lasers can readily remove very thin layers from small areas of a material and can thus be used both to control the structure of the surface and to determine its composition. Laser ablation thus has a wide variety of applications - from re-shaping the cornea of the eye to correct vision and micro-machining electronic devices, to detection of minute contaminants on catalysts. This book is the proceedings of one of the first workshops held on this topic.