Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Ultrafast Laser Ablation of Fused Silica

In recent decades, ultrafast lasers have been used successfully to micro-machine fused silica. The high intensity laser pulses first excite valence electrons to the conduction band via photoionization and avalanche ionization. The excited free electrons absorb laser energy, and transfer its energy to the ions, resulting in the temperature rise. This ionization leads to significant changes in Coulomb forces among the atoms. Both thermal and non-thermal (Coulomb explosion) ablation processes have been discussed in the literature [1]. This work applies molecular dynamics technique to study the interaction between ultrafast laser pulses and fused silica and the resulting ablation. The main goal of this work is to investigate the ultrafast laser ablation process of fused silica, and to reveal the mechanisms leading to the material's removal. In this MD simulation, the equilibrium state of fused silica is first established at 300 K, and the laser heating and material removal processes are simulated. The ionization of the material and the energy coupling between the laser beam and free electrons and ions are considered. Thermal and non-thermal mechanisms of fused silica ablation are discussed based on calculation results.