High-accuracy micromachining of ceramics by frequency-tripled Nd:YAG lasers

Arnold Gillner; Claudia Hartmann

doi:10.1117/12.596565

8 October 2004 High-accuracy micromachining of ceramics by frequency-tripled Nd:YAG lasers

Arnold Gillner, Claudia Hartmann

Proceedings Volume 5662, Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.596565
Event: Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, 2004, Nara, Japan

Abstract

Micro ceramic parts are used in electronics, medicine and MEMS for different purposes such as isolators, rigid supports and biocompatible components. Furthermore ceramics are increasingly used as a tool material since high hardness combined with inert surface properties against lubricants qualify them for micro stamping and forming tools. Especially polycrystalline diamonds have a growing market in micro stamping and forming applications with tool geometries < 100 μm and accuracies < 10 μm at surface qualities < 2 μm. Mostly ceramics are processed by high precision grinding but for 3-dimensional parts grinding processes do not offer the possibilities for small and complex geometries. Here laser ablation offers new possibilities by selective processing of all kind of technical ceramics. Using frequency tripled Nd:YAG-Lasers at wavelength of λ = 355 nm structures with single size geometries less than 10 μm can be produced. For the manufacturing of 3-D-parts and processing of micro structures on larger 3D-Parts a multi-axes machine with 5 moving axes for the parts and additionally 2 scanning axes for fast laser movements have been set up. With this system different ceramic parts have been processed using a 5W frequency tripled high repetition rate Nd:YAG-Laser. Optimum accuracies and surface qualities have been achieved using scanning strategies with varying scanning angles for subsequent ablation layers, a combination of contour mode and form filling scanning ablation. For a further increase of surface qualities in terms of roughness a combination of ablation and polishing using different laser parameters has been used leading to surface roughness < 0,5 μm at polycrystalline diamond.

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Arnold Gillner and Claudia Hartmann "High-accuracy micromachining of ceramics by frequency-tripled Nd:YAG lasers", Proc. SPIE 5662, Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, (8 October 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.596565

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