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Laser structuring: a short laser pulse with high power vaporizes the material and produces a depression |
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Structuring and ablation are closely related processes. Short
laser pulses of extremely high power produce an energy density
so high that the material practically vaporizes without
passing through a liquid phase (it sublimates). Very little molten
material results in this process. Each laser pulse produces a
small depression that is typically 10, 20, or more micrometers
in diameter and only a few micrometers deep.
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|  | For a long time, very few people had ever heard about structuring and ablation with solid -state lasers. The rise in the popularity of microprocessing, however, has focused more attention on these processes. The reason for this is simple: both processes make it possible to machine workpieces in small and ultrasmall dimensions.
Structuring
produces uniformly arranged geometries in surfaces with the aim of inducing specific changes to the surface’s technical properties. In such structures, one single element often measures only a few micrometers.
Laser ablation
is usually employed in the manufacture of tools and molds as well as in electronics and semiconductor technology. In injection molding, for instance, lasers produce highly detailed, three -dimensional molds into which resin is injected for creating plastic parts. The laser, however, can also be used to trim resistors or mark parts by selectively removing thin layers of material.
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Structuring
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