Ultrashort pulse laser processing has been proved as an efficient method of microfabricating dielectric materials such as silicon carbide, sapphire, and glass, yet damages are formed around the processed area. In this study, we combine a pump-probe imaging system with a high-speed camera to visualize the ultrafast phenomena of each pulse irradiation and identify the mechanism of damage generation of dielectric materials. In addition, the observations are conducted with various pulse widths to clarify the dependence on the processing conditions. The results demonstrate that the damage is mainly caused by the electron excitation and stress wave propagation.
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