Special Section on Applications of Laser Ablation and Micromachining

Abstract

Welcome to this special section on laser ablation. Advances in ultrafast pulsed laser technologies have made it possible to investigate physical processes on the shortest time scale and structure the materials with optical resolution. The technological potential of ultrashort laser pulses is based primarily on localization of energy, minimizing thermal damage to the materials, and ability to form three- dimensional structures. All three features are extremely attractive for various applications, ranging from microfab- rication of polymeric materials and optical thin-film deposition, through structuring the dielectric and metallics urfaces and optical-device integration, to life sciences and laser treatment of biological issues.