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Effects of Top-hat Laser Beam Processing and Scanning Strategies in Laser Micro-Structuring
Hoang Le1, Pavel Penchev1, Anne Henrottin2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Micromachines
|February 26, 2020
Summary
Top-hat laser beams offer superior micro-processing by enabling uniform energy distribution. This study shows top-hat processing improves surface quality, reduces taper angle, and enhances edge definition compared to Gaussian beams.
Area of Science:
- Laser micro-processing
- Materials science
- Optical engineering
Background:
- Gaussian laser beams have limitations in micro-processing due to non-uniform energy distribution.
- Top-hat laser beams offer uniform energy distribution, potentially overcoming Gaussian beam shortcomings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically investigate the effects of top-hat laser beam processing in micro-structuring.
- To compare micro-structuring results obtained with top-hat beams versus conventional Gaussian beams.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a refractive field mapping beam shaper to generate a top-hat laser profile.
- Investigated effects of scanning strategies, pulse energy, and accumulated fluence (hatch/pulse distances).
Main Results:
- Top-hat laser processing generally improved surface and structuring quality compared to Gaussian beams.
- Reduced taper angle, improved surface roughness, and enhanced edge definition were observed with top-hat beams.
- Combining hatching with outlining passes further decreased taper angle.
Conclusions:
- Top-hat laser processing offers significant advantages for micro-structuring applications, yielding superior surface and structural integrity.
- Optimized scanning strategies and parameters with top-hat beams can achieve high ablation rates while maintaining excellent structuring quality.
