High-quality sapphire microprocessing by dual-beam laser induced plasma assisted ablation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Laser Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Sapphire's ultrahard and chemically resistant properties pose challenges for microfabrication.
• Existing methods struggle to achieve high-quality microstructures on sapphire.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel dual-beam laser induced plasma assisted ablation (LIPAA) technique for precise sapphire microprocessing.
• To enhance the efficiency and quality of sapphire microfabrication.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a dual-beam LIPAA approach with a sacrificial target for nanoparticle generation.
• Optimizing laser fluence for nanoparticle generation to assist sapphire ablation.
• Employing the assisted ablation for fabricating micro-optics.

Main Results:

• Successfully reduced the ablation threshold of sapphire.
• Significantly decreased the surface roughness of fabricated structures.
• Demonstrated the fabrication of a sapphire Dammann grating and an OAM generator.

Conclusions:

• The novel dual-beam LIPAA method enables high-quality microprocessing of sapphire.
• This technique offers a promising solution for fabricating complex micro-optical devices.
• The method is adaptable for precision machining of various transparent materials.