Experimental study of drilling sub-10 mm holes in thin metal foils with femtosecond laser pulses

Aluminum foils with thickness ranging from 1.5 to 50 mm, and W, Mo, Ti, Cu, Fe, Ag, Au, and Pb foils of 25 mm thickness have been drilled with femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses centered at 800 nm. The influence of laser parameters and material properties on hole drilling processes at sub-10 mm scale has been examined. A simple model is shown to predict the ablation rate for a range of metals. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved