Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser
Optically transparent materials are being found in an ever-increasing array of technological applications within industries, such as automotive and communications. These industries are beginning to realize the importance of implementing surface engineering techniques to enhance the surface propertie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Optics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3269/2/3/16 |
| _version_ | 1797517751619682304 |
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| author | David G. Waugh Chris D. Walton |
| author_facet | David G. Waugh Chris D. Walton |
| author_sort | David G. Waugh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Optically transparent materials are being found in an ever-increasing array of technological applications within industries, such as automotive and communications. These industries are beginning to realize the importance of implementing surface engineering techniques to enhance the surface properties of materials. On account of the importance of surface engineering, this paper details the use of a relatively inexpensive diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> laser to modify the surfaces of fused silica glass, diamond, and sapphire on a micrometre scale. Using threshold fluence analysis, it was identified that, for this particular laser system, the threshold fluence for diamond and sapphire ranged between 10 Jcm<sup>−2</sup> and 35 Jcm<sup>−2</sup> for a laser wavelength of 355 nm, dependent on the cumulative effects arising from the number of incident pulses. Through optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, it was found that the quality of processing resulting from the Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> laser varied with each of the materials. For fused silica glass, considerable cracking and deformation occurred. For sapphire, good quality features were produced, albeit with the formation of debris, indicating the requirement for post-processing to remove the observed debris. The diamond material gave rise to the best quality results, with extremely well defined micrometre features and minimal debris formation, comparative to alternative techniques such as femtosecond laser surface engineering. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:20:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bbb10d00b36e45838d40dcedac6e33a4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-3269 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:20:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Optics |
| spelling | doaj.art-bbb10d00b36e45838d40dcedac6e33a42023-11-22T14:40:49ZengMDPI AGOptics2673-32692021-08-012316918310.3390/opt2030016Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> LaserDavid G. Waugh0Chris D. Walton1School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Environment and Computing, Coventry University, Gulson Road, Coventry CV1 2JH, UKDepartment of Physics and Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UKOptically transparent materials are being found in an ever-increasing array of technological applications within industries, such as automotive and communications. These industries are beginning to realize the importance of implementing surface engineering techniques to enhance the surface properties of materials. On account of the importance of surface engineering, this paper details the use of a relatively inexpensive diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> laser to modify the surfaces of fused silica glass, diamond, and sapphire on a micrometre scale. Using threshold fluence analysis, it was identified that, for this particular laser system, the threshold fluence for diamond and sapphire ranged between 10 Jcm<sup>−2</sup> and 35 Jcm<sup>−2</sup> for a laser wavelength of 355 nm, dependent on the cumulative effects arising from the number of incident pulses. Through optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, it was found that the quality of processing resulting from the Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> laser varied with each of the materials. For fused silica glass, considerable cracking and deformation occurred. For sapphire, good quality features were produced, albeit with the formation of debris, indicating the requirement for post-processing to remove the observed debris. The diamond material gave rise to the best quality results, with extremely well defined micrometre features and minimal debris formation, comparative to alternative techniques such as femtosecond laser surface engineering.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3269/2/3/16micromachininglaser surface engineeringoptically transparent materialsthreshold fluencediamondsapphire |
| spellingShingle | David G. Waugh Chris D. Walton Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser Optics micromachining laser surface engineering optically transparent materials threshold fluence diamond sapphire |
| title | Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser |
| title_full | Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser |
| title_fullStr | Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser |
| title_full_unstemmed | Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser |
| title_short | Micro-Machining of Diamond, Sapphire and Fused Silica Glass Using a Pulsed Nano-Second Nd:YVO<sub>4</sub> Laser |
| title_sort | micro machining of diamond sapphire and fused silica glass using a pulsed nano second nd yvo sub 4 sub laser |
| topic | micromachining laser surface engineering optically transparent materials threshold fluence diamond sapphire |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3269/2/3/16 |
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