Influence of Laser Beam Polarization on Laser Micro-Machining of Molybdenum

Ultrashort pulse lasers have been established as precise and universal tools for the micromachining of solid materials (cutting, texturing ). For these applications the quality of the cutting cross-section is important. The use of a Gaussian beam profile and linear polarization leads to tapered cutting sidewalls. It is possible to change the polarization orientation in order to machine a material for obtaining straight and vertical sidewalls. For this purpose a specific polarization converter was used. The transformation of the polarization distribution from linear to radial and azimuthal is done by a subwavelength, binary grating creating a phase shift between the TE and TM transmitted waves. In this paper we report on investigations on the influence of laser polarization (radial, azimuthal, circular, linear) on the ablation characteristics of molybdenum and PZT using an Yb doped crystal laser (500 fs) and compare these results with previously published results.