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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik

MM 29: Poster II

MM 29.30: Poster

Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 17:00–19:00, Poster B

Fundamental studies of laser-polishing processes on polycristalline niobium — Florian Brockner, •Patrick Schwoche, and Dirk Lützenkirchen-Hecht — Bergische Universität Wuppertal

The interaction of intense pulsed- and CW-laser beams with metallic surfaces can be used to melt a near-surface region of the treated material for a short time, ideally leading to smoothed surfaces after cooling. In many cases, depending on the details of the laser treatment, periodic structures are observed on the surfaces of the irradiated materials. In particular due to its energy-efficient and flexible fabrication process and the resulting sub-wavelength periodic structures, there are many potential applications for laser polishing in the fields of materials processing, in particular for optics and mechatronics. However, a practical challenge for the laser treatments is the achievement of a homogenous and uniform surface after the procedure, because of the influence of local surface structures as e.g. polycrystalline materials feature grains of different size and crystallographic orientations, and the grain boundary regions further complicate the polishing. Here we will discuss the influence of the orientation of the laser polarization with respect to the crystallographic orientation of the grains at the surface and the presence of periodic surface structures, as well as their periodicity and amplitude. Investigations consist of a combined analysis with optical profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction experiments.

Keywords: laser polishing; laser induced periodic surface structures; profilometry; niobium