When matter is exposed to focused excimer light pulses, the pulse energy is absorbed in a thin layer of materials, typically less than 0.1µm thick, due to the short wavelength of deep UV light. The high peak power of an excimer light pulse, when absorbed into this tiny volume, results in strong electronic bond breaking in the material. The resultant molecular fragments expand in a plasma plume that carries any thermal energy away from the work piece. As a result, there is little or no damage to the material surrounding the produced feature.
The photo ablation process