Laser-Induced Plasma-Assisted Ablation (LIPAA) of Transparent Materials

An overview of the significance of microchannels and transparent materials in many scientific and industrial applications is given in this chapter. The importance of laser machining of transparent materials is also presented, followed by a comprehensive discussion on laser-induced plasma-assisted ablation (LIPAA) process in terms of its types, laser process parameters and workpiece materials. The current study also presents the effective fabrication of microchannels on polycarbonate (PC) by LIPAA using a conventional millisecond Nd: YAG laser and copper as the target metal.