Bessel picosecond laser cutting glass ceramics: optimization of processing point spacing, incident power, and burst mode

In recent years, the field of glass ceramics has witnessed rapid advancements, leading to a substantial expansion in their varieties, structures, properties, and application domains. Glass ceramics have found applications in cutting-edge sectors such as astronomy, laser technology, and optoelectronics, solidifying their status as advanced materials. This study aims to investigate the impact of processing parameters on the picosecond laser cutting of glass ceramics to achieve high-quality cuts. A series of cutting experiments were conducted, revealing that processing point spacing, incident laser energy, and the number of pulse trains significantly influence sample processing. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis indicates that a processing point spacing of 1 micron facilitates the connection of microholes into an ablative groove, resulting in favorable surface roughness. An optimal number of two pulses yields the most consistent and effective improvement, achieving a local optimum. At an incident laser power of 12.5 W, the lowest average roughness and most uniform ablation are observed, also attaining a local optimum. In this study, glass ceramics with a thickness of 600 nm exhibited superior processing quality, characterized by an average roughness of 219 nm, a local optimal roughness of 208 nm.