Texturing metal surface with MHz ultra-short laser pulses

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Laser Physics
• Surface Engineering

Background:

• Ultra-short pulse (USP) lasers are used for precise material processing.
• Understanding laser-induced surface structure formation is crucial for advanced manufacturing.
• High repetition rates in laser processing introduce thermal effects that need investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of heat accumulation in ultra-short pulse laser-induced surface structure morphology.
• To explore the influence of varying laser parameters (fluence, number of scans, repetition rate) on surface structuration.
• To demonstrate control over the size of laser-induced micro-spikes.

Main Methods:

• Systematic variation of laser fluence and number of scans.
• Utilizing high repetition rates, from 100 kHz up to 2 MHz.
• Analysis of the resulting surface structure morphology, focusing on micro-spike dimensions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the significant role of heat accumulation in surface structure evolution.
• Successfully tailored micro-spike sizes from approximately ten microns to several tens of microns.
• Established a correlation between laser parameters and the morphology of laser-induced surface structures.

Conclusions:

• Heat accumulation is a key factor in laser surface structuration at high repetition rates.
• Precise control over micro-spike morphology is achievable through systematic parameter adjustment.
• The findings provide a deeper understanding of laser-matter interactions for advanced surface engineering.