The mass and velocity distributions of neutral species, ejected from a laser‐ablated 6H‐SiC target, are measured by time‐of‐flight mass spectroscopy. The laser‐generated plume is shown to consist of atomic silicon and carbon and small neutral clusters. Measured values of the mean kinetic energies of neutral Si and SiC2species are 1.1 and 1.5 eV, respectively, when a 6H‐SiC target is irradiated with 248 nm radiation at a power density of 1×108W/cm2. The kinetic energy distribution of Si+ions is also measured for comparison with the neutral species, and shows a peak in the distribution at 38 eV. These data illustrate that an electronic, and not a thermal, mechanism for particle emission is active during the ablation of a 6H‐SiC target. The relationship between the dynamics of the photoablation process and the properties of pulsed‐laser‐deposited films is also briefly discussed. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.