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The Effect of Process Parameters in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

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Bulg. J. Phys. 43 (2016) 110–120

The Effect of Process Parameters in

Femtosecond Laser Micromachining∗

K. Garasz1 , M. Tański1 , M. Kocik1 , E. Iordanova2 , G. Yankov2 ,

S. Karatodorov2 , M. Grozeva2
1
Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, The Szewalski Institute of Fluid Flow
Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences. Fiszera 14, 80-231 Gdańsk, Poland
2
Laboratory of Metal Vapour Lasers, Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State
Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd.,
1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

Received 17 May 2016

Abstract. The paper presents extensive parametric study on ultrashort pulse

laser micromachining of different materials. The experiment was conducted
using SpectraPhysics femtosecond laser system. The laser offers 35 fs pulses
with tunable wavelength and 1 kHz repetition rate. Therefore, the system itself
allows to perform a complex research for a wide range of various parameters
and materials.
Laser micromachining is a process based on a laser ablation phenomenon, i.e.
microscopic removal of the material from the sample surface during laser ir-
radiation. The process is strongly dependent from the applied laser radiation
parameters and is considered the most precise method of material removal. The
use of femtosecond laser pulses in micromachining allows a high concentration
of energy within a single laser pulse and enables the detachment of particles
from the irradiated target without any thermal damage to the surrounding ma-
terial. The removal of the material occurs in the Rayleigh range from the laser
focus.
The effect of laser fluence, wavelength, and machining process velocity on the
crater size was measured and analyzed. It has been established, that the qual-
ity and efficiency of laser ablation process using femtosecond pulses allows to
avoid most of the unwanted effects of the heat affected zone. The use of ultra-
short laser pulses creates therefore an attractive opportunity for precise micro-
machining of many groups of materials.

PACS codes: 79.20.Eb

∗ This paper has been presented at the International Workshop on Laser and Plasma Matter Inter-

action, 18-20 November, 2015, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

110 1310–0157
c 2016 Heron Press Ltd.
 The Effect of Process Parameters in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

1 Introduction

The research problem presented in this paper is a parametric study of the short-
pulsed laser interactions with matter during micromachining process. Although
the research topic itself is very popular in the scientific community, it is rela-
tively little elucidated and lacks a complex approach. The experimental results
obtained from the study and further theoretical considerations will allow to ver-
ify the existing theories on laser-matter interactions and increase the applicabil-
ity of short-pulse laser micromachining. The experimental investigations were
carried out on different materials (metals and plastics), which are considered
industrially relevant.
Micromilling and drilling, surface structuring, cutting and scribing have been
used on both, metals and dielectrics to create micromechanical devices (MEMS,
MOEMS), nozzles, solder masks and stencils, biomedical device, micro-optics
(micro-lenses, diffractive elements), photonics devices (optical waveguides,
telecommunications devices) and more [1].
The investigation of the post-processing craters in the material samples is impor-
tant for demonstrating the effect of a various laser parameters on micromachin-
ing process. The further analysis and interpretation of the results leads to under-
standing the laser ablation phenomena, which occurs during a highly energetic
laser irradiation of the material, and results in detachment of microparticles. The
nature of the ablation process in a femtosecond laser pulses regime differs from
the ablation caused by the nanosecond and picoseconds laser pulses, which is
presented in Figure 1.
Since the development of mode-locked lasers, ultrashort pulse durations became
available, allowing measurements in the femtosecond range. The next significant
advance in laser technology was the development of chirped pulse amplification

Figure 1. Long and ultrashort laser pulses interactions with matter.

111

Figure 1. Long andultrashort laser pulses interactions with matter.

 K. Garasz et al.

(CPA) technique, which enabled pulse energies in the mJ range [2,3]. Thanks
to this technique, Liu et al. were able to study the ablation dynamics with pulse
width varying from 10 ns to 100 fs, and observed that the lowering of the ablation
threshold was proportional to the shortening of the laser pulse [4]. However, the
details of the physical mechanisms behind femtosecond laser ablation were still
far from complete understanding.
A numerous groups studied the ablation processes analytically and numerically.
Many models have been proposed to explain various aspects of the femtosecond
ablation process including: ultrafast laser pulse absorption by solid targets, fem-
tosecond heating, expansion, stress generation, defect capture and formation of
periodic surface structures on surfaces [5-7].
The dynamics of the ablation process can be roughly divided into several stages:
energy absorption, energy transfer to the lattice and subsequent material re-
moval. The first step of the ablation process is deposition of energy into the
material. The primary absorption mechanism involves excitation of electrons
from the valance to the conduction band and free carrier absorption. The inter-
band excitation can occur through nonlinear processes, such as multiphoton and
avalanche ionization, with high enough laser intensity. Nonlinear absorption is
very important in femtosecond interaction due to the high intensity of the incom-
ing radiation [8]. During the laser-matter interaction all of the processes occur
simultaneously and it is difficult to estimate the contribution of each one. Due
to the complexity of the process, it is also difficult to calculate or measure the
effective penetration depth of the radiation.
The energy transfer from electrons to the lattice occurs via carrier-phonon scat-
tering on a timescale estimated from several hundred femtoseconds to a few
picoseconds, depending on the material. Since the electrons and the lattice are
not in equilibrium, this situation is often described by a two temperature model,
where a distinction is made between the electron and the lattice temperature [9].
The energy transferred to the lattice leads to rapid thermal or nonthermal melting
[10]. Since the timescale for mass transport is significantly longer than for non-
thermal or even thermal melting, the melted material is left at near solid state
densities and a high initial temperature. The subsequent processes of material
removal have been described in terms of transient thermal processes. Follow-
ing melting, the hydrodynamic expansion of the ablated material begins a few
100 ps after the initial excitation [11]. In spite of numerous investigations the
fundamental mechanisms leading to the material removal are still rather poorly
understood. Several different ablation mechanisms were identified in theoretical
investigations including: spallation, explosive boiling, and vaporization [12-15].
Spallation occurs at a laser fluence just above the ablation threshold, and refers
to ejection of material fragments induced by relaxation of the laser induced
stresses. Higher fluence rates cause the transition to the phase explosion regime
and the change in the dominant mechanism responsible for the material ejection.

112
 The Effect of Process Parameters in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

The phase explosion id driven by the explosive release of the vapor. Phase ex-
plosion is believed to be the primary mechanism in femtosecond laser ablation,
below the threshold of plasma formation [16]. At very high excitation fluences,
the surface layer of the material can be completely atomized and the material is
removed by vaporization.
The physics of ultrashort laser ablation of metals is essentially the same like in
the case of dielectrics, semiconductors and polymers. The main difference is that
in metals the electron density can be considered constant during the laser-matter
interaction. In plastics, the electron density changes due to interband transitions
and multiphoton and avalanche ionization followed by optical breakdown. The
two temperature model is valid mainly for metals [17].
The entire ablation process occurs on time scales of several tens ns. Ablation
experiments are usually performed with laser beams that have a near Gaussian
spatial profile, therefore energy deposition varies across sample surface.
The ablation process mechanisms briefly described above depends, on the one
hand, on the laser radiation parameters, such as pulse duration, wavelength,
pulse energy, repetition rate or irradiation time, and on the other hand – material
properties, i.e. absorption coefficient or thermal conductivity [9].
In laser – irradiated material sample, a various features, such as crater profiles,
ablated volume, local changes in crystallography and chemistry, surface modifi-
cations can be related to various dynamical mechanisms and the ablation thresh-
old and ablation rates can be readily obtained from the analysis of the final state
of material.
Exploring the physical mechanisms during laser irradiation is crucial for the full
understanding of the laser ablation phenomena. In the ultrashort pulse range, the
most significant mechanisms are: liquid phase explosion due to the heterogenic
and homogenic heating, due to the subsurface heating and the ablation plasma
interactions with the material surface in so called Knudsen layer. Apart from
the liquid phase ablation, the phenomena can also occur through direct subli-
mation. In that case, the most important ablation mechanisms are: spallation,
fragmentation, charge separation due to avalanche and multiphoton ionization
and coulomb explosion. The contribution of these particular mechanisms de-
pends on the laser radiation parameters and material properties. Because of the
complexity of the ablation process, a complete theory describing the laser-matter
interactions in ultrashort pulse region has not been developed yet.

2 Methodology

The aim of this research is to investigate femtosecond interactions with matter

under various processing parameters and on a wide group of materials. There-
fore, a schematic research plan is presented in Figure 2, to enlist the parameters,

113
avalanche and multiphoton ionization and coulomb explosion. The contribution of these particular mechanisms
ends on the laser radiation parameters and material properties. Because of the complexity of the ablation process, a
mplete theory describing the laser-matter interactions in ultrashort pulse region has not been developed yet.

Methodology
aim of this research is to investigate femtosecond interactions with matter under various processing parameters and
a wide group of materials. Therefore, a schematic research plan is presented in Fig. 2, to enlist the parameters,
K. Garasz
erials and significant post-processing analysis goals, taken et al. consideration in this study.
under

re 2. The schematic of the laser micromachining

Figure parametric
2. The scheme study.
of the laser micromachining parametric study.

experiments were conducted with two different setups dedicated to the two different values of laser wavelengths,
materials
wn on Fig. 3-4. The sourceandofsignificant post-processing
the femtosecond analysis
laser pulses wasgoals, taken under considera-
a SpectraPhysics laser system, i.e. Ti:Sapphire
tion in this study.
The experiments were conducted with two different setups dedicated to the two
different values of laser wavelengths, shown in Figures 3-4. The source of the
femtosecond laser pulses was a SpectraPhysics laser system, i.e. Ti:Sapphire
ultrafast oscillator, ultrafast amplifier and a wavelength converter. The system
offer 35 fs pulses of 1 kHz repetition rate, a tunable wavelength from 240 nm to
2600 nm and > 6 mJ pulse energy.
In each setup, a 15 cm focusing lens together with several broadband mirrors,
dedicated to the desired wavelength, was used to direct the laser beam to the
machining area. A variable neutral density filter was applied directly at the laser
output, to adjust the beam energy.
With the (A) experimental setup, a programmable, high precision Aerotech XY
linear motor stage was used, to move the laser beam along the sample surface.

114
laser beam along the sample surface. This variation of the (A) setup was applied to obtained high velocities in
a machining process and is later referred to as “fast”. In a “slow” variation of this setup, a linear XY stage with
a significantly lower velocity was used. The later has been also used in the (B) setup. The anti-dust suction system was
applied in both setups.
The samples were mounted directly on the linear stages, in the laser focus. The micromachining process was scribing
a straight line, approximately 1 – 2 cm long, on the surface of the material. The process was applied to each of the
samples
ultrafast from “metals”
oscillator, group,
ultrafast using both
amplifier and aofwavelength
the setups converter.
(two different wavelength
The system offer values). The of
35 fs pulses materials from “plastic”
1 kHz repetition rate,
groups
a tunablewere machined
wavelength only
from 240using a “fast”
nm to 2600 nmvariation,
and >6mJto pulse
prevent the significant heat damage of the samples, occurring
energy.
In each
when thesetup, a 15iscm
velocity toofocusing
low. lens together with several broadband mirrors, dedicated to the desired wavelength, was
used
In to direct
each the laser beam
setup variation, to the machining
a parametric study witharea. A variable
different neutralenergy
laser pulse densitywas
filter was applied
conducted. Thedirectly
desired atenergy
the laser
was
output, tousing
obtained adjustthe
theND The
beam Effect
energy.
filter of Process
and varied Parameters
from 50 µJ to 650 in
µJ.Femtosecond
A power meter Laser
was Micromachining
used to confirm the energy value.
With the (A) experimental setup, a programmable, high precision Aerotech XY linear motor stage was used, to move the
laser beam along the sample surface. This variation of the (A) setup was applied to obtained high velocities in
a machining process and is later referred to as “fast”. In a “slow” variation of this setup, a linear XY stage with
a significantly lower velocity was used. The later has been also used in the (B) setup. The anti-dust suction system was
applied in both setups.
The samples were mounted directly on the linear stages, in the laser focus. The micromachining process was scribing
a straight line, approximately 1 – 2 cm long, on the surface of the material. The process was applied to each of the
samples from “metals” group, using both of the setups (two different wavelength values). The materials from “plastic”
groups were machined only using a “fast” variation, to prevent the significant heat damage of the samples, occurring
when the velocity is too low.
In each setup variation, a parametric study with different laser pulse energy was conducted. The desired energy was
obtained using the ND filter and varied from 50 µJ to 650 µJ. A power meter was used to confirm the energy value.

Figure
Figure 3. The experimental setup for 3. The
800 nm experimental
wavelength (A). setup for 800 nm wavelength (A).

This variation of the (A) setup was applied to obtained high velocities in a ma-
chining process and is later referred to as “fast”. In a “slow” variation of this
setup, a linear XY stage with a significantly lower velocity was used. The later
has been also used in the (B) setup. The anti-dust suction system was applied in
both setups.
The samples were mounted directly on the linear stages, in the laser focus.
The micromachining process was scribing a straight line, approximately 1–2 cm
long, on the surface of the material. The process was applied to each of the sam-
Figure 3. The experimental setup for 800 nm wavelength (A).

Figure 4. The experimental setup for 520 nm wavelength (B).

Figure
Figure 4. The experimental setup for 4. wavelength
520 nm The experimental
(B). setup for 520 nm wavelength (B).

115
 K. Garasz et al.

ples from “metals” group, using both of the setups (two different wavelength
values). The materials from “plastic” groups were machined only using a “fast”
variation, to prevent the significant heat damage of the samples, occurring when
the velocity is too low.
In each setup variation, a parametric study with different laser pulse energy was
conducted. The desired energy was obtained using the ND filter and varied from
50 µJ to 650 µJ. A power meter was used to confirm the energy value.
A Ti:S based femtosecond laser system offers very stable power levels in three
different ranges of radiation (UV, VIS, IR), which makes it most adequate for
various micromachining processes. Together with the optical focusing system
and high precision positioning setup, it is suitable to achieve our research goals
and have already proven a good quality of the results.
Evaluation of the experiment results is based mostly on the microscopic images.
The stereoscopic metallographic microscope (up to 200× magnification) is used
for crater dimensions, line width, HAZ range and debris measurements for most
of the materials.

3 Results

The following results were obtained with a single femtosecond laser (detailed
description can be found in the methodology chapter), which ensures a com-
plexity of the research and guarantees constancy of the invariable parameters in
each step.
As a reference, theoretical ablation thresholds for metals were calculated from
eq. (1). Materials: thin metal foils and plastics, as listed in Table 1, were exam-
ined. The effects of the laser pulse parameters on ablation threshold, heat accu-
mulation, ablation efficiency, cold and hot ablation mechanisms and the amount
of liquid phase occurring during the laser irradiation are studied for each mate-
rial. The specific material parameters, like absorption rate or heat conductivity
are included as a significant variables.

3 ληa
Fth = (εb + εesc ) (1)
8 2π

Table 1. Calculated ablation thresholds for materials used in the experiments

Wavelength Stainless Aluminium Nickel Zinc Copper Brass

steel
800 nm 1.18 J/cm2 1.06 J/cm2 0.64 J/cm2 0.63 J/cm2 0.56 J/cm2 0.56 J/cm2
520 nm 0.77 J/cm2 0.69 J/cm2 0.42 J/cm2 0.41 J/cm2 0.36 J/cm2 0.36 J/cm2

116
 3 𝜆𝜂𝑎
𝐹𝑡ℎ = 8 (𝜀𝑏 + 𝜀𝑒𝑠𝑐 ) 2𝜋
(1)

Wavelength Stainless steel Aluminium Nickel Zinc Copper Brass

2 2 2 2 2
800 nm 1,18 J/cm 1,06 J/cm 0,64 J/cm 0,63 J/cm 0,56 J/cm 0,56 J/cm2
520 nm 0,77 J/cm2 0,69 J/cm2 0,42 J/cm2 0,41 J/cm2 0,36 J/cm2 0,36 J/cm2

Table 1.
TheCalculated
Effect ofablation thresholds
Process for materials
Parameters used in the experiments.
in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

Effect of the femtosecond laser fluence on the crater size

Crater size [um]
250

200
Stainless steel

Aluminium (thick)
150
Nickel

Zinc
100
Copper

50 Brass

Aluminium (thin)
0
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00
Laser fluence [J/cm2]

Figure 5. Laser micromachining of metals with various pulse energy.

Figure 4. Laser micromachining of metals with various pulse energy.

A broad parametric study has been carried out on metals. Figure 5 represents
the results of laser scribing process on the surface of metal samples with pulse
energy varying from 50 µJ to 650 µJ. The study was conducted at 800 nm wave-
length and 1 kHz pulse repetition rate. The results are represented as crater size
dependency on laser fluence, as calculated form pulse energy per laser spot area.
It is clear that the crater size increases nonlinearly with increasing power level.
The shape of most of the characteristics is typical for femtosecond regime inter-
actions, where an ablation threshold (more rapid rise of the crater size) is visible
between the first two measurement points. From the presented samples, metals
with lower ablation thresholds (nickel, zinc, copper) are forming a slightly dif-
ferent, more linear characteristics, usually typical for a picoseconds regime. The
crater size is observed to be dependant not only on the material type, but also
the sample thickness. The difference is visible on two aluminum samples of dif-
ferent thickness, with high fluencies. It can be concluded that this parameter has
affected the results more than reflectivity and heat conductivity of the materials
above a certain pulse energy. The laser-matter interaction time had to be very
short compared to the heat conduction time from electrons to the lattice, which
is frequent for the short-pulsed interactions, especially femtosecond. The theo-
retical calculated ablation threshold for these materials are similar, but usually
lower than the experimental results.
A greater variety of the results was obtained with plastic materials (Figure 6).
Most plastics showed ablation thresholds above 2 J/cm2 and the crater size in-
creasing more rapidly with the laser fluence. In the case of nylon and polycar-
bonate, higher laser fluencies damaged the material causing local melting and
deformations and generating insignificant results. Very good machining quality
and clean cuts were obtained with PTFE and polypropylene for each value of
pulse energy.

117
 K. Garasz et al.

Effect of the femtosecond laser fluence on the crater size - plastics

Crater size [um]
180

160

140

120
Polypropylene
100
Polycarbonate
80
Nylon
60
PTFE
40

20

0
0.00 2.00 Effect
4.00of the6.00
femtosecond
8.00 laser fluence
10.00 on the14.00
12.00 crater size - plastics
16.00 18.00
Crater size [um]
Laser fluence [J/cm2]
180

160 Figure 6. Laser micromachining of plastics with various pulse energy.

Figure
140 5. Laser micromachining of plastics with various pulse energy.

120
The
100 effect of laser wavelength on crater size is unequivocal. As presented Polypropylene in
Effect of the laser wavelength on the crater size
Figure 7, the
80 wavelength [nm]
Laser
crater size is increasing with a lower wavelength. This tendency
Polycarbonate

is60 true for each sample, yet independent of material group (metalNylon or plastic)
PTFE
or40 the sample thickness. The slightest differences can be observedPTFEfor PTFE
Nylon
and
20
500
polycarbonate, which are partially transparent materials. The highest crater
Polycarbonate
size
0
obtained was for nylon and polypropylene in a VIS range, and for brass
Polypropylene
and0.00zinc 2.00
in an 4.00
IR range.
6.00 The
8.00 smallest
10.00 crater14.00
12.00 was obtained
16.00 18.00for copper in a IR

range, which can be easily explained by the absorption coefficient of thisAluminium

Laser fluence [J/cm2]
mate-(thin)
Brass
rial, which achieves its maximum value at about 500 nm a then decreases rapidly.
The5.absorption
Figure rate is more
Laser micromachining constant
of plastics withfor aluminum,
various steel and nickel, withCopper
pulse energy. a local
800 Zinc

Nickel
Effect of the laser wavelength on the crater size
Aluminium (thick)
Laser wavelength [nm]
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Stainless steel
PTFE
Crater size [um]
Nylon

500 Polycarbonate
Figure 6. Laser micromachining of materials with two different wavelengths.
Polypropylene

Aluminium (thin)

Brass

Copper
800 Zinc

Nickel

Aluminium (thick)
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Stainless steel

Crater size [um]

Figure 6. Figure 7. Laser micromachining

Laser micromachining of materials
of materials with withwavelengths.
two different two different wavelengths.

118
 The Effect of Process Parameters in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

Figure 8. Laser micromachining of metals with two different machining velocities.

Figure 7. Laser micromachining of metals with two different machining velocities.

A broad parametric study has been carried out on metals. Figure 4 represents the results of laser scribing process o
maximum at about 800 nm. The laser radiation from the IR range is therefore
surface of metal samples with the pulse energy varying from 50 µJ to 650 µJ. The study was conducted at 80
better absorbed
wavelength and 1 kHzfor most
pulse metals,
repetition resulting
rate. The in results
a higher arequality of machining
represented as crater sizere- dependency on laser fluenc
sults. Aform
calculated fact,pulse
that energy
could have disturbed
per laser some
spot area. of clear,
It is the results,
that theiscrater
that the
size laser
increases nonlinearly with incre
fundamental
power level. Thebeam
shapeisof 520 nm,ofand
most the after passing through
characteristics is typicala converter, the 800regime
for femtosecond nm interactions, where an abl
beam may
threshold (more no rapid
longerrisehaveof athegaussian profile.
crater size) is visible between the first two measurement points. From the prese
samples, metals with lower ablation thresholds (nickel, zinc, copper) are forming a slightly different, more l
The effect of the micromachining process on the crater size was measured with
characteristics, usually typical for a picoseconds regime. The crater size is observed to be dependant not only o
two different machining velocities, for which the samples were moved under the
material type, but also the sample thickness. The difference is visible on two aluminum samples of different thick
laser
with highbeam. Generally,
fluencies. It can the bigger craters
be concluded, that were obtained with
this parameter the lower
has affected the veloc-
results more than reflectivity and
ity. With of
conductivity a laser beam moving
the materials, above slowly on the
the certain surface
pulse energy.of The
the material
laser-mattersample,
interaction time had to be very
there were
compared more
to the heattime to distribute
conduction time the
fromheat inside to
electrons thethe
material. Therefore,
lattice, which more for the short-pulsed interac
is frequent
fine micromachining
especially femtosecond. The results were obtained
theoretical calculated with the higher
ablation thresholdvelocity, i.e. materials
for these with are similar, but usually l
than
50the experimental results.
mm/s.
The more variety of the results was obtained with plastic materials (Figure 5). Most plastics showed ablation thre
In Figure
above 2 J/cm8,2 and
the size of thesize
the crater crater is represented
increasing by the with
more rapidly size of thethe circle,
laser and the
fluence. In case of nylon and polycarbo
samples
higher laser are arrange
fluencies by the the
damaged thickness
material,ofcausing
the material. It canand
local melting be deformations
observed, that and generating insignificant re
with
Very a lower
good machining
machining qualityspeed,
and clean the cuts
crater
weresize is morewith
obtained affected
PTFE and by the material for each value of pulse en
polypropylene
Thetype andofsample
effect thickness,on
laser wavelength and thatsize
crater more uniform results
is unequivocal. are achieved
As presented with 50
on Figure 6, the crater size is increasing w
lower
mm/s.wavelength. This tendency is true for each sample, yet independent of material group (metal or plastic) o
sample thickness. The slightest differences can be observed for PTFE and polycarbonate, which are partially transp
materials. The highest crater size obtained was for nylon and polypropylene in a VIS range, and for brass and zinc
4 Conclusions
IR range. The smallest crater was obtained for copper in a IR range, which can be easily explained by the absor
coefficient of this material, which achieves its maximum value at about 500 nm a then decreases rapidly. The absor
Femtosecond
rate laserfor
is more constant micromachining
aluminum, steelofand several
nickel, groups
with aoflocal
materials
maximum was atstudied.
about 800 nm. The laser radiation
theExperiments
IR range is therefore
have been better absorbedwith
conducted for most
variousmetals,
laserresulting
parametersin a higher quality of machining results. A fact
and machin-
could
ing have disturbedThe
parameters. some of the
results results, very
revealed is thatgoodthe efficiency
laser fundamental beam is
and accuracy of 520
the nm, and after passing throu
converter, the 800 nm beam may no longer have
process, as well as a high quality of the machined structures.a gaussian profile.
The effect of the micromachining process on the crater size was measured with two different machining velocitie
which the samples were moved under the laser beam. Generally, the bigger craters were obtained with the l
velocity. With a laser beam moving slowly on the surface of the material sample, there were more time distribut
heat inside the material. Therefore, more fine micromachining results were obtained119 with higher velocity, i.e. 50 mm
 K. Garasz et al.

It has been determined, that the size of the micromachining crater increases with
the pulse energy, but decreases with the lengthening of the laser wavelength. The
crater size increases more rapidly for plastics and depends also on sample thick-
ness. The effect of the laser wavelength is highly dependable on the material
type, due to the specific absorption rates.
The higher velocity of the machining process results in generally smaller crater
size. The whole micromachining process is less dependent on the material type
and sample thickness, when the speed increases.
During the laser micromachining process, the heat delivered into the material
usually changes the area surrounding the target. Depending on the material used
and machining type (cutting, drilling, engraving, dicing etc.), HAZ can cause
local melting, deformation inside and debris on the surface of the material. The
experiment results have shown that shortening the duration of the laser pulse to
the range of femtoseconds significantly reduces HAZ, which translates into the
high quality of the machined material.

Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the EU FP7 Project INERA
under the contract REGPOT 316309.

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