KrF excimer laser ablation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI) and polycarbonate (PC) in air was studied by an in situ monitoring technique using a microphone. The microphone signal generated by a short acoustic pulse represented the etch rate of laser ablation depending on the laser fluence, i.e., the ablation "strength". From a linear relationship between the microphone output voltage and the laser fluence, the single-pulse ablation thresholds were found to be 30 mJ cm(-2) for PET, 37 mJ cm(-2) for PI and 51 mJ cm(-2) for PC (20-pulses threshold). The ablation thresholds of PET and PI were not influenced by the number of pulses per spot, while PC showed an incubation phenomenon. A microphone technique provides a simple method to determine the excimer laser ablation threshold of polymer films. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.