High precision laser drilling with ultra short pulses – Fundamental aspects and technical applications

Abstract

The accuracy of laser drilled holes in metals is limited by a relatively large amount of molten material which is produced when lasers with pulse durations in the range of nanoseconds or longer are used. Shortening the pulse duration down to the picosecond or femtosecond regime is generally considered as a suitable method to avoid melt formation. This contribution will give an overview about high precision drilling with ultrashort pulsed laser systems. Starting from fundamental aspects the influence of process parameters such as the repetition rate and the pulse duration on drilling velocity and hole quality will be presented and discussed. Furthermore different ways to enhance hole precision and drilling efficiency will be shown.The accuracy of laser drilled holes in metals is limited by a relatively large amount of molten material which is produced when lasers with pulse durations in the range of nanoseconds or longer are used. Shortening the pulse duration down to the picosecond or femtosecond regime is generally considered as a suitable method to avoid melt formation. This contribution will give an overview about high precision drilling with ultrashort pulsed laser systems. Starting from fundamental aspects the influence of process parameters such as the repetition rate and the pulse duration on drilling velocity and hole quality will be presented and discussed. Furthermore different ways to enhance hole precision and drilling efficiency will be shown.