Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO4 Laser

Optically transparent materials are being found in an ever-increasing array of technological applications within industries, such as automotive and communications. These industries are beginning to realize the importance of implementing surface engineering techniques to enhance the surface properties of materials. On account of the importance of surface engineering, this paper details the use of a relatively inexpensive diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) Nd:YVO4 laser to modify the surfaces of fused silica glass, diamond, and sapphire on a micrometre scale. Using threshold fluence analysis, it was identified that, for this particular laser system, the threshold fluence for diamond and sapphire ranged between 10 Jcm−2 and 35 Jcm−2 for a laser wavelength of 355 nm, dependent on the cumulative effects arising from the number of incident pulses. Through optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, it was found that the quality of processing resulting from the Nd:YVO4 laser varied with each of the materials. For fused silica glass, considerable cracking and deformation occurred. For sapphire, good quality features were produced, albeit with the formation of debris, indicating the requirement for post-processing to remove the observed debris. The diamond material gave rise to the best quality results, with extremely well defined micrometre features and minimal debris formation, comparative to alternative techniques such as femtosecond laser surface engineering.

Laser-induced ablation of tantalum in a wide range of pulse durations

We present data and analysis of the laser-induced ablation of pure tantalum (Ta, $$Z=73$$ Z = 73 ). We have identified different physical regimes using a wide range of laser pulse durations. A comparison of the influence of strongly varying laser pulse parameters on high-Z materials is presented. The crater depth caused by three different laser systems of pulse duration $${\varDelta }\tau _1=5\,\mathrm {ns}$$ Δ τ 1 = 5 ns and wavelength $$\lambda _1=1064\,\mathrm {nm}$$ λ 1 = 1064 nm , $${\varDelta }\tau _2=35\,\mathrm {ps}$$ Δ τ 2 = 35 ps , $$\lambda _2=355\,\mathrm {nm}$$ λ 2 = 355 nm and $${\varDelta }\tau _3=8.5\,\mathrm {fs}$$ Δ τ 3 = 8.5 fs , $$\lambda _3=790\,\mathrm {nm}$$ λ 3 = 790 nm are analyzed via confocal microscopy as a function of laser fluence and intensity. The minimum laser fluence needed for ablation, called threshold fluence, decreases with shorter pulse duration from $$1.10\,\mathrm {J/cm}^2$$ 1.10 J / cm 2 for the nanosecond laser to $$0.17\,\mathrm {J/cm}^2$$ 0.17 J / cm 2 for the femtosecond laser.

Cumulative material damage from train of ultrafast infrared laser pulses

We developed a systematic experimental method to demonstrate that damage threshold fluence (DTF) for fused silica changes with the number of femtosecond laser (800 nm, $65\pm 5~\text{fs}$, 10 Hz and 600 Hz) pulses. Based on the experimental data, we were able to develop a model which indicates that the change in DTF varies with the number of shots logarithmically up to a critical value. Above this value, DTF approaches an asymptotic value. Both DTF for a single shot and the asymptotic value as well as the critical value where this happens, are extrinsic parameters dependent on the configuration (repetition rate, pressure and geometry near or at the surface). These measurements indicate that the power of this dependence is an intrinsic parameter independent of the configuration.

Femtosecond Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on Fused Silica: The Impact of the Initial Substrate Temperature

The formation and properties of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were investigated upon fs-laser irradiation of fused silica at different initial substrate temperatures, TS. For substrate heating between room temperature, TRT, and TS = 1200 °C, a continuous wave CO2 laser was used as the radiation source. The surface structures generated in the air environment at normal incidence with five successive fs-laser pulses (pulse duration, τ = 300 fs, laser wavelength, λ = 1025 nm, repetition frequency, frep = 1 kHz) were characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and 2D-Fourier transform analysis. The threshold fluence of fused silica was systematically investigated as a function of TS. It was shown that the threshold fluence for the formation of low-spatial frequency LIPSS (LSFL) decreases with increasing TS. The results reveal that the initial spatial period observed at TRT is notably increased by increasing TS, finally leading to the formation of supra-wavelength LIPSS. The findings are discussed in the framework of the electromagnetic interference theory, supplemented with an analysis based on thermo-convective instability occurring in the laser-induced molten layer. Our findings provide qualitative insights into the formation mechanisms of LIPSS, which allow improvements of the control of nanostructure formation to be made for corresponding applications of dielectric materials in the future.

Model of the final borehole geometry for helical laser drilling

A model for predicting the borehole geometry for laser drilling is presented based on the calculation of a surface of constant absorbed fluence. It is applicable to helical drilling of through-holes with ultrashort laser pulses. The threshold fluence describing the borehole surface is fitted for best agreement with experimental data in the form of cross-sections of through-holes of different shapes and sizes in stainless steel samples. The fitted value is similar to ablation threshold fluence values reported for laser ablation models.