Advanced Laser Processing of Materials

Laser processing has been used in a wide variety of applications and materials such as semiconductors, superconductors, ceramics, polymers and metals. Lasers provide a controlled source of atomic and electronic excitations involving nonequilibrium phenomena that lend themselves to processing of novel materials and structures. The range of laser-solid interactions involving electronic excitation, melting and evaporation result in the formation of novel phases, selective gas excitations, surface modification and low-temperature thin-film deposition. This book from MRS focuses on the use of lasers in both the fundamental understanding and applied aspects of laser-solid and laser-gas interactions relevant to materials processing. Applications featured include thin-film transistors formed by laser-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon, diamond coatings and micromachining. Topics include: fundamentals of laser-solid interactions; fundamentals of pulsed laser ablation; pulsed laser deposition; novel applications of laser processing; laser-driven formation of nanocrystals; laser annealing; surface modification and etching; and laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition.