Character and mechanism of surface micromachining for C/SiC composites by ultrashort plus laser

A new surface micromachining way of ultrashort plus laser for C/SiC composites with high quality and efficiency was demonstrated, including picosecond and femtosecond laser. Surface morphologies, element content and bonding states of C/SiC composites were analysed in detail after machined by picosecond and femtosecond laser power respectively. For femtosecond laser machining, the amount of nanoparticles increased with increasing laser power. At 20 and 50 mW, Si–C, C–C and Si–O bonds existed in nanoparticles, while Si–C bonds disappeared at 70 mW. For picosecond laser machining, cauliflower-like particles and periodic ripple with certain depth were formed distinctly. Furthermore, thermal ablation phenomenon occurred, and only Si–O bonds existed in particles due to the oxidation of the carbon fibres and SiC matrix. The results showed that femtosecond laser with low power was more suitable to the surface machining due to better machining quality and less machining damage compared with high power picosecond laser.