Ultrafast Bessel beams: advanced tools for laser materials processing
Résumé
Ultrafast Bessel beams demonstrate a significant
capacity of structuring transparent materials with a
high degree of accuracy and exceptional aspect ratio. The
ability to localize energy on the nanometer scale (bypassing
the 100-nm milestone) makes them ideal tools for
advanced laser nanoscale processing on surfaces and in
the bulk. This allows to generate and combine micron
and nano-sized features into hybrid structures that show
novel functionalities. Their high aspect ratio and the
accurate location can equally drive an efficient material
modification and processing strategy on large dimensions.
We review, here, the main concepts of generating
and using Bessel non-diffractive beams and their remarkable
features, discuss general characteristics of their
interaction with matter in ablation and material modification
regimes, and advocate their use for obtaining hybrid
micro and nanoscale structures in two and three dimensions
(2D and 3D) performing complex functions. Highthroughput
applications are indicated. The example list
ranges from surface nanostructuring and laser cutting to
ultrafast laser welding and the fabrication of 3D photonic
systems embedded in the volume.