High Precision Microscale Bending by Pulsed and CW Lasers

Abstract

This paper discusses high precision microscale laser bending and the thermomechanical phenomena involved. The use of a pulsed and a CW laser for microscale bending of ceramics, silicon, and stainless steel is demonstrated. For each laser, experiments are conducted to find out the relation between bending angles and laser operation parameters. Changes of the ceramics surface composition after laser irradiation are analyzed using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). Results obtained by the pulsed and the CW laser are compared, and it is found that the CW laser produces more bending than the pulsed laser does. However, the pulsed laser causes much less surface composition change and thermomechanical damage to the targets. Numerical calculations based on the thermo-elasto-plastic theory are carried out and the results are used to explain the phenomena observed experimentally.