Applications of vector vortex beams in laser micro-/nanomachining

Xie Chen; Liu Tongyan

doi:10.12086/oee.2024.240089

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Xie C, Liu T Y. Applications of vector vortex beams in laser micro-/nanomachining[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2024, 51(8): 240089. doi: 10.12086/oee.2024.240089

Citation:

Xie C, Liu T Y. Applications of vector vortex beams in laser micro-/nanomachining[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2024, 51(8): 240089. doi: 10.12086/oee.2024.240089

Applications of vector vortex beams in laser micro-/nanomachining

Xie Chen^1,2, ,,
Liu Tongyan^1,

1.
Ultrafast Laser Laboratory, College of Precision Instruments and Opto-electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
2.
Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Information Science and Technology Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

Fund Project: Project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (62275191, 61605142)

More Information

^*Corresponding author: xie_chen@tju.edu.cn

Received Date 17 April 2024

Revised Date 02 August 2024

Accepted Date 02 August 2024

Published Date 25 August 2024

Abstract

Abstract

In the past two decades, numerous significant advances have been achieved in the realm of the vector beams. Considering numerous published reviews already covering diverse topics in terms of generating and/or manipulating unprecedented vector beams, we summarize the typical applications of vector vortex beams in the topics of laser micro-nano processing for material modification, subtractive and additive manufactures. This paper reviews part of the critical advances in fabricating micro-nano structures on the surface and inside the materials, optical information storage and rapid fabrication of microstructures with the stereolithography based-on vector vortex beams. Particular cares are focused on the principles and technologies in applications of patterned laser-induced periodic surface structures and rapid two-photon polymerization of three-dimensional microstructures based on customized vector vortex beams. Finally, we summarize the advantages and challenges of vector vortex beams in laser micro-nano processing, and we also anticipate that more vector light fields will enable more complex applications in the future.
- vector beams /
- vortex beams /
- laser micro/nano-machining /
- laser applications

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References

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Overview

Overview

The optical vortex beams are specially-structured light fields with helical wavefronts expressed as exp (imϕ), where m represents the topological charge with ϕ defined as the azimuthal angle. Further, the concepts of vector vortex beams are naturally developed with their polarization states varying across the fields. Simultaneously, richer application scenarios are expected from vortex beams due to their phase singularities and additional degrees of freedom in the angular momentum and/or polarization states. This article reviews the major advances in laser material processing with vector vortex beams since the beginning of this century. Typical fabricating schemes for additive, subtractive manufactures and material modifications are summarized. In section 2, the advances in the subtractive and material modifications are categorized into three sub-sections as: microstructure imprinted on the surface, microstructures inscribed inside the material and the applications in the optical storage. As numerous techniques to generate these novel beams were available in 2000s, vector vortex beams were soon applied to imprint laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) patterns due to the well-known relations of LIPSS with local polarization states of laser beams. In subsection 2.1, we survey the works on LIPSS induced by vector vortex beams on the surfaces of glass, silicon and metals, i.e. three common materials of dielectric, semiconductor and conductor. Commercially available ultrafast Ti:Sapphire lasers delivering femtosecond pulses are mostly employed in these activities due to the possibility to induce multiscale micro/nanostructures. Besides, several works to induce vortex-related microstructures are also included. In subsection 2.2, advances in hole drilling with either expected or unexpected concomitant results by Bessel beams are reviewed. Since applying the novel vector vortex beams in the optical storage is a related cutting-edge topic but still in development, simulations and conception advances in this topic are surveyed in subsection 2.3. Section 3 is devoted to the related works on additive fabrications. The concept and recent advances in optical caustics of vortex beams are briefly introduced in subsection 3.1. Compared with the 3D point-by-point scanning scheme, further applications based on flexibly shaped vortex beams reviewed in subsection 3.2 are presented to significantly accelerate the fabricating speed by more than two orders of magnitudes. Miscellaneous works with other vector beams are introduced in section 4. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the current advances and we envision that the applications of vector vortex beams will be further developed through richer collaborations of professionals in various fields.