Abnormal ripple patterns with enhanced regularity and continuity in a bulk metallic glass induced by femtosecond laser irradiation

Two types of abnormal ripple patterns: classical ripples (C-ripples) with continuous ridges and unclassical ripples (U-ripples) with regular micropores were investigated in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass (Zr-BMG) after femtosecond laser beam irradiation. U-ripples with a period of ∼ 1,600 nm and the orientation nearly parallel to the polarization of laser beam were observed to form gradually on the top of C-ripples with the effective pulse number. Micropores created by the superposition of C-ripples and U-ripples had an average diameter of ∼ 750 nm nearly equal to the period of C-ripples (∼ 720 nm) and ran along parallel lines in the grooves of U-ripples. Both U-ripples and C-ripples in Zr-BMG showed significant microstructural differences comparing with those in a conventional Zr-based alloy with the same composition and processing conditions, including much more regular and continuous ridges. The results indicate that the amorphous structure in Zr-BMG plays a key role in the uniform morphology of laser-induced structures.