On the role of multiphoton light absorption in pulsed laser nanoablation of diamond

The rates of multipulse nanoablation of the diamond surface in air by pico- and nanosecond laser pulses that cause singlephoton, two-photon, three-photon and four-photon absorption in diamond are measured. In the experiments the radiation of ArF, KrF and Ti:Al₂O₃ lasers and the second harmonic of the Yb:YAG laser was used. The power dependence of the material etching rate on the fluence of laser pulses was found. The power exponent of this dependence appeared to be twice lower than that found earlier for femtosecond pulses. We discuss the causes of the difference in the nanoablation regularities for 'short' and 'long' laser pulses.