Some benefits of micromachining with ultrashort optical pulses are well established in the literature. The most well known advantage is that a minimal amount of heat is transferred to the bulk material during processing. The small amount of thermal transfer is an effect of the physics behind the ablation process. In contrast to long pulse interactions, the ablation of materials with ultrashort optical pulses results in plasma generation at or near the surface. This plasma plume arises from optical breakdown of the substrate and perhaps the surrounding atmosphere. The highly chaotic plume will subsequently interact with the surroundings, which include the bulk material and the ambient atmosphere.
This initial survey examines the practical effects of atmospheric conditions on material processing using ultrashort optical pulses. Data examining the quality, size, and debris of processed features will be shown. We will also compare the adherence of debris to the processed substrate as a function of the atmospheric conditions.