The use of laser light to selectively drive chemical reactions on a micron scale is an extremely rapidly evolving technology. Laser light can be used as a source of local heating on a solid surface in order to accelerate surface reactions, or alternatively it can provide radiation of an appropriate wavelength to drive a photochemical reaction in a localized region, either above or Toivo Kodas received his Ph.D. with Sheldon Friedlander from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1986. He was a Visiting Scientist at IBM Research Division, Almaden Research Center in San Jose until 1988, when he joined the University of New Mexico as an assistant professor of chemical engineering. His research interests include photon-assisted processing of materials, chemical vapor deposition, processing of superconducting ceramics, and aerosol physics and chemistry. Paul B. Comita is presently a research staff member at IBM Almaden Research Center. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, and he received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley In 1981, for his work in the area of vibratlonally excited states and infrared laser multiphoton dissociation with Professor R. G. Bergman. After postdoctoral work at Stanford University with Professor John I, Brauman, he joined the IBM Research Division. His primary research interests are in the areas of laser-induced surface phenomena and laser diagnostic techniques.