Excimer laser interactions with an aluminum alloy

An AlCuMg alloy was irradiated using a KrF pulsed excimer laser. A microstructural study showed the presence of a laser treated zone having a uniform depth of approximately 20 μm. The surface layer of the laser treated aluminum alloy exhibited a wavy topography and its surface roughness was found to depend on the number of laser pulses per step. A X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of aluminum oxides and nitrides on the surface of the laser irradiated specimens. Corrosion measurements showed that the laser treated aluminum alloy exhibited a higher corrosion resistance. The corrosion behavior of the irradiated specimens is related to the energy density of the incident laser pulses.