Impact of ambient air medium on the surface profile of the material ablated with high-power lasers

Shiv Raj Vatsya; Chengde Li; Suwas K. Nikumb

doi:10.1117/12.567473

9 December 2004 Impact of ambient air medium on the surface profile of the material ablated with high-power lasers

Shiv Raj Vatsya, Chengde Li, Suwas K. Nikumb

Proceedings Volume 5578, Photonics North 2004: Photonic Applications in Astronomy, Biomedicine, Imaging, Materials Processing, and Education; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.567473
Event: Photonics North, 2004, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

MIcro machining of materials with high power ultra-short-pulsed lasers is becoming a preferred technique to obtain cleaner surface characteristics. Due to the short duration of the pulse, there is insufficient time to establish the thermal equilibrium. Consequently, ablation does not pass through the melting phase. Instead, it proceeds mainly with direct removal of the material at the molecular level. To fully benefit from these properties, a high quality beam profile is required. However, during processing the optical wave front suffers distortions while passing through the medium such as air. Passage through the medium causes the beam to self-focus and the gas breaks down, thus generating plasma, which distorts the geometrical and energy profiles of the beam. This phenomenon offsets the advantages of the procedure to a certain extent. For these reasons, processing is usually conducted in vacuum with associated inconvenience and expense. As a step towards improvement over the technique, we develop a numerical scheme to determine the beam profile in air medium. The profile of the beam is then used to determine the shape of the processed surface by a geometrical method developed recently. The calculated surface profile is compared with the experimental observations with good agreement. This provides a method to develop an understanding of the interactions of the laser beam, air and the material.

Citation Download Citation

Shiv Raj Vatsya, Chengde Li, and Suwas K. Nikumb "Impact of ambient air medium on the surface profile of the material ablated with high-power lasers", Proc. SPIE 5578, Photonics North 2004: Photonic Applications in Astronomy, Biomedicine, Imaging, Materials Processing, and Education, (9 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.567473

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