Material surface modification by ns, ps and fs laser pulses

Abstract

The laser surface modifications of a bulk material Inconel 600 and a multilayered titanium-aluminium-nitride/titanium-nitride(TiAlN/TiN) coating are of great interest for fundamental and practical aspects. Observation of surface changes of the Inconel 600 and TiAlN/TiN induced by ultra-short (fs and ps) and short (ns) lasers is considered. It is shown that all laser systems can stimulate morphological changes at the target surface, and the irradiation with ultra-short pulses results in a better definition of the damage. Fs laser pulses can produce a sharper destruction in comparison to the ps pulses and it gives the conical cross section of the crater, which is in contrast to the semispherical shapes ps laser beams. Furthermore, thermal effects are dominant in the case of ns pulse, and all irradiations are accompanied by the plasma.