Deep Observation: The Application of Ultrafast Laser in Materials Science

Currently, ultrafast lasers (such as picosecond and femtosecond lasers) have been widely used in the fields of materials science and engineering. The progress made in amplification systems has greatly promoted the development of ultrafast lasers, bringing enormous benefits to various industries, especially materials science.

It is gratifying that scientists have been able to fully utilize ultrafast lasers to alter the properties of various materials. With its ultra-high resolution and short pulse advantages, ultrafast lasers have become the best choice for precisely boosting specific applications.

[image from NIST]

Ultra fast laser for nanomaterial structures

Recently, the research and commercial materials science departments have shown strong interest in the field of using ultrafast lasers to generate nanoscale parameters. The global industry's focus on miniaturization, as well as the rise of new manufacturing technologies and tools such as ultrafast lasers, have made products smaller and more compact.

A recent article in Nanophotonics magazine pointed out that the most advanced method used in industry to shape various materials, especially solids, is to guide high-energy ultrafast lasers to their surfaces with sufficient intensity to stimulate and remove materials

In addition to the direct ablation process, another structural phenomenon utilizing ultrafast lasers also occurs when the surface is excited - this requires transforming the surface morphology into regular patterns with sub wavelength periodicity, known as ultrafast laser-induced periodic surface structures.

The initial concept that was crucial for large nanostructures involved so-called "microexplosions". This concept requires the use of ultrafast lasers to stimulate high-density plasma, leading to the development of a large amount of electron pressure, shock waves, and rare elements at the millibar level. The nanoscale structure is achieved through precise focusing of ultrafast lasers.

The application fields of ultra fast laser preparation of nanostructures are wide and diverse. They have high-performance functions in optics, mechanics, and biology, especially when the structure occurs within the optical wavelength range - this can be attributed to characteristics related to surface morphology, specific surface features, or feature sizes.

Ultra fast laser for material processing

In the past decade, the application of ultrafast lasers in material processing has made significant progress, and their scientific, technological, and industrial applications have become increasingly evident.

In the field of ultrafast lasers used in manufacturing, light energy is utilized through pulses from tightly focused femtosecond or picosecond ultrafast lasers and directed to highly specific positions within the material. This is achieved through two-photon or multiphoton excitation, occurring at a much faster time scale than the exchange of thermal energy between photoexcited electrons and lattice ions.

At present, scientists have achieved maximum accuracy in managing photoionization of ultrafast lasers and thermal processes, making it possible for local light modification in areas smaller than 100 nanometers.

According to an article published in the journal Light: Science, ultrafast lasers typically operate in continuous wave (CW) or pulse mode at 10μm or 1μm, significant contributions have been made in the fields of automobiles, architecture, and marking.

For example, ultrafast lasers like femtosecond (fs) lasers play an important role in applications that require high precision, especially when it comes to surfaces and bulk structures of brittle and hard transparent materials. In addition, ultrafast lasers (such as femtosecond laser structures) have been proven to be highly effective when complex 3D structures of composite and layered materials are required.

Challenges faced in ultrafast laser processing

The use of ultrafast laser processing and functionalization of materials is a fascinating process; However, as pointed out in a recent article in Advanced Optical Technologies, there are some challenges that must be overcome in this process.

Many modern ultrafast lasers have a ablation depth of only a few hundred nanometers. This means that a large number of ultrafast laser pulses need to be directed to a single region to ablate the material. In addition, in recent studies, the material processing efficiency of Gaussian ultrafast lasers can reach up to about 12% - this efficiency percentage presents many new possibilities for the industrial application of Gaussian ultrafast lasers.

Processing optical systems is an important component of ultrafast lasers, which can cause nonlinear effects and alter the characteristics of emitted pulses. This may affect parameters such as pulse duration and the spectrum of ultrafast lasers. In extreme cases, the strong energy inside optical components may cause ultrafast laser damage to the target material.

Ultra fast lasers have a wide range of applications in materials science. With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology and the combination of big data analysis, it is expected that a more reliable correlation will be established between process, structure, and performance in the field of ultrafast laser material processing in materials science. This method is expected to simplify the use of ultrafast lasers in material additive manufacturing, improve computational accuracy, and provide effective means for achieving various commercial goals.

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