Tracing the Formation of Femtosecond Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) by Implanted Markers

The generation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) using femtosecond lasers facilitates the engineering of material surfaces with tailored functional properties. Numerous aspects of their complex formation process are still under debate, despite intensive theoretical and experimental research in recent decades. This particularly concerns the challenge of verifying approaches based on electromagnetic effects or hydrodynamic processes by experiment. In the present study, a marker experiment is designed to conclude on the formation of LIPSS. Well-defined concentration depth profiles of ⁵⁵Mn⁺- and ¹⁴N⁺-ions were generated below the polished surface of a cast Mn- and Si-free stainless steel AISI 316L using ion implantation. Before and after LIPSS generation, marker concentration depth profiles and the sample microstructure were evaluated by using transmission electron microscopy techniques. It is shown that LIPSS predominantly formed by material removal through locally varying ablation. Local melting and resolidification with the redistribution of the material occurred to a lesser extent. The experimental design gives quantitative access to the modulation depth with a nanometer resolution and is a promising approach for broader studies of the interactions of laser beams and material surfaces. Tracing LIPSS formation enables to unambiguously identify governing aspects, consequently guiding the path to improved processing regarding reproducibility, periodicity, and alignment.