Excimer laser ablation of thick SiOx-films: Etch rate measurements and simulation of the ablation threshold

Excimer laser ablation of 4.5 μm thick SiOx-films with x ≈ 1 is investigated at 193 nm, 248 nm, and 308 nm. Strong absorption enables precisely tunable removal depths. The ablation rates correlate with laser penetration depths calculated from low level absorption coefficients. The experimental ablation thresholds are in agreement with numerical simulations on the basis of linear absorption and one-dimensional heat flow. This behaviour is similar to that of strongly UV-absorbing polymers, leading to well controllable micro machining prospects. After laser processing, SiOx can be converted to SiO2, opening a route to laser based fabrication of micro optical components.