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Picosecond Laser-Induced Hierarchical Periodic Near- and Deep-Subwavelength Ripples on Stainless-Steel Surfaces.
Shijie Ding1, Dehua Zhu2, Wei Xue1
1College of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 1, 2020
Summary
Researchers fabricated hierarchical periodic near-subwavelength ripples (NSRs) and deep-subwavelength ripples (DSRs) on stainless steel using picosecond lasers. This study explains their formation mechanism, enabling large-area uniform ripple fabrication.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Engineering
- Laser-Material Interactions
Background:
- Ultrafast laser-induced periodic surface structures, including near-subwavelength ripples (NSRs) and deep-subwavelength ripples (DSRs), are observed across diverse materials.
- Fabricating both NSRs and DSRs in a single laser-irradiated area presents a significant challenge due to an incomplete understanding of their interconnected formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the formation of hierarchical periodic NSRs and DSRs on stainless steel surfaces using linearly polarized picosecond lasers.
- To establish a unified mechanism for the simultaneous generation of NSRs and DSRs.
- To achieve large-area fabrication of uniformly structured surfaces with controlled ripple periodicity.
Main Methods:
- Irradiation of stainless steel surfaces with linearly polarized picosecond laser pulses.
- Systematic variation of laser parameters, including peak power density and scanning strategy.
- Microscopic analysis to characterize the morphology and periodicity of the induced surface structures.
- Theoretical modeling based on surface plasmon polariton (SPP) interactions and Coulomb explosion.
Main Results:
- Hierarchical periodic NSRs and DSRs were observed on stainless steel at a peak power density exceeding 91.9 GW/cm².
- DSRs were found to be vertically oriented within the valleys of parallel NSRs.
- Uniform large-area fabrication of hierarchical periodic NSRs (period 356 ± 17 nm) and DSRs (period 58 ± 15 nm) was achieved through optimized laser-scanning parameters.
- A proposed mechanism involving SPP-modulated periodic Coulomb explosion, influenced by grain lattice orientation, explains the formation of both ripple types.
Conclusions:
- A unified mechanism for the formation of hierarchical periodic NSRs and DSRs on stainless steel has been proposed, involving SPP and Coulomb explosion.
- The study demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating large areas with uniform hierarchical subwavelength ripples using optimized picosecond laser parameters.
- Understanding the formation mechanism provides a pathway for precise control over surface texturing for various applications.
