The unique feature of laser beams to deliver intense light at a specific photon energy makes lasers useful and enabling in the processing of advanced materials. The availability of high-intensity laser sources over a wide spectral and temporal range has inspired advances in both the fundamental understanding of laser-solid interactions and the application of lasers in materials processing and characterization. This progress has resulted in a growing acceptance of lasers in material and device synthesis. For instance, pulsed-laser deposition has emerged as an important process for growing...