Energy-efficient microwelding of copper by continuous-wave green laser: Insights into nanoparticle-assisted absorptivity enhancement

Abstract

As a highly reflective material, copper has been difficult to weld with IR lasers. Short-wavelength (400–600 nm) lasers offer promising solutions to copper welding due to significant increases in absorptivity (to > 50 %). In this work, we present an experimental study on copper welding by CW green laser. We unveil that nanoparticles redeposited on the copper surface from the vaporized plume can strongly modify the surface condition and result in significant enhancement of the surface absorptivity. The absorptivity can be theoretically enhanced by nanoparticles up to 82 % compared to the polished copper surface. Assisted by this absorptivity enhancement, the threshold power density (critical laser intensity) for copper melting is reduced by more than 50 %, so that continuous and smooth conductive welding tracks can be generated in energy-efficient manner. In situ deposition of nanoparticles generated upon cooling and oxidation of the vapor plume in the vicinity of the melt zone has been identified as the key mechanism of absorptivity enhancement. XPS measurements of the nanoparticles indicated that Cu2O is the dominant species in the redeposited nanoparticles. This study provides novel insights into the fundamental mechanisms in highly-reflective material welding by short-wavelength lasers and offers an opportunity for energy-efficient high-quality welding of highly-reflective material thin films, which can find numerous applications in consumer electronics and electric vehicles, as well as battery industries. Moreover, it enables a new process-material-environment design route for laser additive manufacturing of nanoparticle-reinforced metal matrix composites.