A general equation has been derived for computing the temperature distribution produced in a substrate heated by a high repetition rate pulsed laser. The theoretical predictions have been compared with experimental results obtained for etching of Mn‐Zn ferrite in KOH solution using a copper vapor laser. The effects of the laser power and substrate scan speed on the temperature distribution have been investigated, and the predicted melt‐zone boundaries have been compared with the experimentally observed width, depth, and shape of the etched grooves.