# US 2014/0154526 A1 · Femtosecond laser pulse surface structuring methods and materials resulting therefrom

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- Number: US 2014/0154526 A1
- Document ID: US20140154526A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/176,707
- Filed: 2014-02-10
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2006-09-29
- Assignees: University of Rochester
- Applicants: University Of Rochester
- Inventors: Chunlei Guo; Anatoliy Y. Vorobyev
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154526A1

## CPC

- B23K 26/355: {Texturing}
- B23K 26/0006: {taking account of the properties of the material involved (B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence)}
- B23K 26/0624: {using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1 ns or less}
- B23K 26/352: for surface treatment
- B23K 26/361: for deburring or mechanical trimming (B23K26/351 takes precedence)
- B23K 26/362: Laser etching
- B44C 1/228: {by laser radiation}
- B82Y 30/00: Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- C21D 8/0294: involving a localised treatment
- C22F 3/00: Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by special physical methods, e.g. treatment with neutrons
- B23K 2103/05: {Stainless steel}
- B23K 2103/08: Non-ferrous metals or alloys
- B23K 2103/10: Aluminium or alloys thereof
- B23K 2103/12: Copper or alloys thereof
- B23K 2103/14: Titanium or alloys thereof
- B23K 2103/16: Composite materials
- B23K 2103/42: {Plastics other than composite materials}
- B23K 2103/50: {Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials}
- B23K 2103/52: {Ceramics}
- B23K 2103/54: {Glass}
- B23K 2103/56: {being semiconducting}
- C21D 1/09: by direct application of electrical or wave energy; by particle radiation
- Y10T 428/12201: Width or thickness variation or marginal cuts repeating longitudinally
- Y10T 428/12993: Surface feature [e.g., rough, mirror]
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B44C: PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS (processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general B05D; shaping of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29C; printing processes to produce transfer pictures B41M3/12; thermographic duplication or marking methods B41M5/00); MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK (imitation of mosaic or tarsia work patterns B44F11/04); PAPERHANGING {(labels G09F; multi-step processes for making paper labels or tags B31D1/02)}
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- C21D: MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass C23F17/00; unidirectional solidification of eutectic materials or unidirectional demixing of eutectoid materials C30B)
- C22F: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to materials processing methods using femtosecond duration laser pulses, and to the altered materials obtained by such methods. The resulting nanostructured (with or without macro- and micro-structuring) materials have a variety of applications, including, for example, aesthetic applications for jewelry or ornamentation; biomedical applications related to biocompatibility; catalysis applications; and modification of, for example, the optical and hydrophilic properties of materials including selective coloring.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-20. (canceled)

### Claim 21

An object comprising:
a metal or metal alloy having a surface with a femtosecond laser treated region;
the surface having a pre-laser treatment profile defining an inward orientation facing into the object and an outward orientation facing away from the object;
the metal or metal alloy having a first light absorption when profiled per the pre-laser treatment profile;
the femtosecond laser treated region of the surface comprising a plurality of nanoscale structure shapes formed by the metal or metal alloy, the nanoscale structure shapes including:
a plurality of nanoscale cavities extending inwardly into the pre-laser treatment profile; and
a plurality of nanoscale protrusions extending outwardly away from the pre-laser treatment profile;
the nanoscale structure shapes increasing absorption of at least some light wavelengths of the metal or metal alloy within the femtosecond laser treated region so that the metal or metal alloy within the femtosecond laser treated region has a second light absorption greater than the first light absorption.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein at least some of the nanoscale protrusions are each adjacent one of the nanoscale cavities.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The object of claim 22, further comprising a plurality of nanoscale rims, wherein at least some of the nanoscale rims are each around one of the nanoscale cavities.

### Claim 24 (depends on 22)

The object of claim 22, wherein at least some of the nanoscale protrusions include nanoscale spherical structures.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein at least some of the nanoscale cavities are nanoscale pores having a diameter in the range of 40-100 nm.

### Claim 26 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein at least some of the nanoscale protrusions have a diameter in the range of 20-70 nm and a length of 20-80 nm.

### Claim 27 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein the nanoscale structure shapes are configured to increase the metal or metal alloy's absorption of substantially all visible light wavelengths to give the metal or metal alloy a black or grey appearance.

### Claim 28 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein the nanoscale structure shapes are configured to increase the metal or metal alloy's absorption of some visible light wavelengths to give the metal or metal alloy a colored appearance.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The object of claim 28, wherein the colored appearance is the same at different viewing angles.

### Claim 30 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein the nanoscale structure shapes are configured to increase the metal or metal alloy's absorption of some infrared electromagnetic wavelengths.

### Claim 31 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein the nanoscale structure shapes are configured to increase the metal or metal alloy's absorption of some ultraviolet electromagnetic wavelengths.

### Claim 32 (depends on 21)

The object of claim 21, wherein the nanoscale structure shapes are randomly distributed relative to the treated region.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The object of claim 32, wherein the treated region further comprises microscale structure shapes.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The object of claim 33, wherein the microscale structure shapes comprise a plurality of at least one of micropores, microgrooves, and microchannels.

### Claim 35

An object comprising:
a metal or metal alloy having a surface with a femtosecond laser treated region;
the surface having a pre-laser treatment profile;
the metal or metal alloy having a first light absorption when profiled per the pre-laser treatment profile;
the femtosecond laser treated region of the surface comprising a periodic structure including a plurality of grooves and a plurality of ridges, the treated region further comprising a plurality of nanoscale structure shapes associated with the plurality of grooves and ridges;
the grooves, ridges and structure shapes increasing absorption of at least some light wavelengths of the metal or metal alloy within the femtosecond laser treated region so that the metal or metal alloy within the femtosecond laser treated region has a second light absorption greater than the first light absorption.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The object of claim 35, wherein at least some of the nanoscale structure shapes comprise nanoscale protrusions extending outwardly from the grooves and ridges.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The object of claim 36, wherein the nanoscale protrusions cover the grooves and ridges.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The object of claim 36, wherein at least some of the nanoscale protrusions comprise nanoscale branches supporting nanoscale spherical structures.

### Claim 39 (depends on 35)

The object of claim 35, wherein the grooves, ridges and structure shapes are configured to increase the metal or metal alloy's absorption of some visible light wavelengths to give the metal or metal alloy a colored appearance.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The object of claim 39, wherein the colored appearance is different at different viewing angles.

### Claim 41

A metal or metal alloy object, comprising: a base metal or metal alloy having at least one femtosecond laser treated surface portion, the treated surface portion comprising a plurality of nanoscale structures including nanoscale cavities extending into the surface portion and nanoscale protrusions extending out of the surface portion, wherein the nanoscale structures are configured to decrease the metal or metal alloy's absorption of at least some light wavelengths, the decrease being relative to the same metal or metal alloy without the nanoscale structures.

### Claim 42

A metal or metal alloy object, comprising: a base metal or metal alloy having at least one femtosecond laser treated surface portion, the treated surface portion comprising a plurality of nanoscale structures including nanoscale cavities extending into the surface portion and nanoscale rims extending out of the surface portion and around at least some of the nanoscale cavities, wherein the nanoscale structures are configured to decrease the metal or metal alloy's absorption of at least some light wavelengths, the decrease being relative to the same metal or metal alloy without the nanoscale structures.