The controlled field evaporation of single atoms from an oxide surface assisted by ultra fast
laser pulses has recently been demonstrated. When UV light is used, a photoionization
mechanism was proposed. However, experimental results observed when the laser intensity
and wavelength are changed cannot be explained by this mechanism. Instead, a thermal
assisted evaporation mechanism characterized by two evaporation times is proposed. The
fast and slow evaporation rates are associated to two cooling processes inside the tip …