Smooth polishing of femtosecond laser induced craters on cemented carbide by ultrasonic vibration method

Rough surface features induced by laser irradiation have been a challenging for the fabrication of micro/nano scale features. In this work, w e propose hybrid ultrasonic vibration polishing method to improve surface quality o f microcraters produced by femtosecond laser irradiation on cemented carbide. The laser caused rough surfaces are significantly smoothened after ultrasonic vibration polishing due to the strong collision effect o f diamond particles on the surfaces. 3D morphology, SEM and AFM analysis has been conducted to characterize surface morphology and topography. Results indicate that the minimal surface roughness o f Ra 7.60 nm has been achieved on the polished surfaces. The fabrication of microcraters with smooth surfaces is applicable to molding process for mass production o f micro-optical components. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.