High throughput laser surface micro-structuring of polystyrene by combining direct laser interference patterning with polygon scanner technology

Laser-based processing techniques have proven to be an effective option of modifying polymer surfaces. In this context Direct Laser Interference Patterning in conjunction with the polygon scanner technique is used to fabricate textured polystyrene surfaces through ultra-fast beam deflection. This is achieved by using a high-average power picosecond laser in combination with a polygon mirror-based scanning system. The two-beam DLIP optical configuration leads to the formation of line-like structures with a spatial period of 21.0 µm. The influence of the scanning speed and the repetition rate on the structure formation is investigated, allowing structure heights up to 23 µm. The formation of the micro-structure was found to result from swelling and ablation mechanisms. By applying scanning speeds of 350 m/s, a throughput of 1.1 m²/min is reported for the first time using this method.