Mechanism of resonant infrared laser ablation of polystyrene

Although resonant infrared (RIR) pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was discovered in 2001 [1] and has since been applied to produce technologically interesting thin films and rudimentary opto-electronic devices [2], the mechanism governing RIR-PLD has been primarily a matter of conjecture. Understanding these mechanisms at the microscopic level has significant implications for process control in thin-film deposition, by linking laser parameters to film characteristics such as surface roughness. In this paper, we describe new experiments and calculations on the model material polystyrene that facilitate quantitative conclusions about these issues.