Effect of polarization on ripple formation in deep femtosecond laser machined cavities

Polarization has been identified as an important parameter in the generation of micro- and nano-structures during ultrafast laser machining. In this study, deep cavities (500 μm x 500 μm x 100 μm) were machined with a femtosecond laser. The influence of polarization on structure formation was investigated on a stainless steel, a commercially pure titanium, an aluminum alloy, and a silicon sample. Smooth surfaces relatively free of laser induced …