Laser ablation of aged resin layers: a means of uncovering the scalar degree of aging

This is the first study on the scalar properties of an aged resin film. The present work is concentrated in using the laser ablation as a means of studying the scalar characteristics of various spectral properties that are related to the degree of aging. It is shown that the observed trend has an exponential dependence on the distance from the surface, which in turn is associated with the exponential intensity distribution of UV light within the film. The results open the way of understanding the oxidation and polymerization mechanisms from a cross sectional point of view in the resin film.