Magnetic Field Effects on Laser Drilling

A magnetic field-assisted laser drilling process has been studied, where nanosecond laser ablation is performed under an external magnetic field. The study shows that the magnetic field-assisted laser drilling process produces deeper drilling depth and generates more confined plasma plume and relative less residual, as compared with laser drilling without magnetic field. This phenomenon has been rarely reported in the literature. The magnetic field effects on laser ablation have been analyzed analytically and a hypothesized explanation has been proposed based on the effect of the magnetic field on the plasma produced during laser ablation.