Evolution of Microstructures on Stainless Steel induced by ultra-short pulsed Laser Ablation

Abstract

Ultra-short pulsed efficient laser ablation of stainless steel is accompanied by the evolution of different microstructures. The regimes of cones from impurities, laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) and cone-like protrusion (CLP) are studied in more detail. Here, the identified region shows a small process window for defined 515nm sub 1ps ablation. A pre-cursor structure to the CLP shows a grain orientation and polarization dependent growth. The CLP structures could be beneficial for tribology, where micrometer features can lead to a reduced coefficient of friction under lubrication.