Fabrication of grooves on polymer-derived SiAlCN ceramics using femtosecond laser pulses

In this study, grooves were fabricated on the surface of fully dense polymer-derived SiAlCN ceramics. Industrial femtosecond laser source was used at wavelength of 1030 nm with pulse duration of 290 fs and repetition rate of 100 kHz. Moreover, comprehensive study was carried out to evaluate the influence of scan speed and energy fluence on grooves quality, including the heat-affected zone around the laser-machined grooves, microstructures of laser-irradiated surface, and cross-section morphology of grooves. A series of grooves with width in the range of 30–80 μm and depth below 280 μm was successfully fabricated using femtosecond laser pulse. Laser parameters were optimized to obtain grooves with satisfying surface quality. Furthermore, formation and disappearance of laser-induced periodic surface structures were systematically investigated. This study proposes fabrication of grooves on SiAlCN ceramics via laser processing, which provides precise method for fabrication of microstructure with fascinating properties.