LASER-ASSISTED OXIDATION OF METALLIC FILMS ON INSULATORS.

When metallic films are irradiated in air by means of powerful laser beams, oxidation takes place. Features specific to the mechanisms of laser-matter interaction are observed which are not found under furnace-annealing conditions. Two such features are described in this paper. Laser-induced oxidation of thin cadmium films on glass substrates indicates that oxidation accelerates when the metallic film (below a solid oxide film) rapidly melts. In the case of copper films, feedback effects between laser energy absorption and film temperature give rise to oscillating oxidation rates.