%0 Journal Article
%K Ablation
%K Laser ablation
%K Plasma
%K Silicon
%K Bremsstrahlung
%K Critical temperature
%K Electron density
%K Electron temperature
%K Elemental semiconductors
%K Laser radiation
%A Haichen Liu
%A Xianglei Mao
%A Jong-Hyun Yoo
%A Richard E Russo
%B Applied Physics Letters
%D 1999
%F Laser
%G eng
%N 9
%P 1216-1218
%R 10.1063/1.124646
%T Nonlinear changes in plasma and crater properties during laser ablation of Si
%V 75
%2 LBNL-44076
%! Appl. Phys. Lett.
%X <p>A dramatic change in plasma characteristics, as well as a significant increase in the quantity of ablated mass were observed at a laser power density threshold of 20 GW/cm<sup>2</sup>. The electron number density and temperature of the laser-induced plasma show dramatic changes in their nonlinear behavior in the range of 2-80 GW/cm<sup>2</sup>. The crater volume undergoes some type of phase explosion at the threshold. Mechanisms such as inverse bremsstrahlung and self-regulation were used to describe the behavior below threshold. Self-focusing and critical temperature are discussed to explain the dramatic changes at the threshold.</p>