Laser induced flow of phosphosilicate glass, where the glass is a member of a multi-layer structure, was modeled with a one-dimensional coupled set of heat conduction and generation equations; the conventional approach was modified for explicit inclusion of non-ideal interfacial regions. There were no restrictions on the number or nature of material layers. Modeled behavior for 0.7 μm or 1 μm thick glass covering Al, or Si02, or Si agreed with observation; aluminum fusion accompanied by minimal glass flow when the AZ layer was covered by 0.7 μm glass was predicted and observed for the experimental laser pulse, as an example. Analysis also exposed the characteristics for successful laser generated glass flow; a rectangular pulse shape will permit the greatest control over the laser induced flow as well as provide the largest window for producing the desired flow while minimizing the effect on other material regions. Finally, experimental results with CW laser induced flow support the conclusion that the modeling successfully bridges four orders of magnitude in the thermal flux regime.