Line-Based Laser Induced Plasma Micro-Machining (L-LIPMM)

Recently, the technique of Spot-based Laser Induced Plasma Micro-Machining (Spot-LIPMM) has been developed to address the limitations of conventional ultrashort pulse laser micro-machining. Its main advantages are adaptability to a wide range of materials and superior wall geometries. We propose a variation of the Spot-LIPMM process by creating line plasma instead of spot plasma, with the use of suitable optics. This paper describes the experimental setup used to create line plasma and the process used for micro-machining with L-LIPMM. Optics simulations are developed as a means of guiding the choice of optics to be used for line plasma generation and estimating the energy and shape of the plasma created. It is shown that this Line-based LIPMM (L-LIPMM) process is capable of micromachining channels at a much higher speed than conventional Spot-based laser ablation or spot-based LIPMM. Additionally, the effects of process parameters on machined geometry using L-LIPMM are discussed.