Oxygen-assisted laser cutting and drilling of CVD diamond

A Nd:YAG laser was used for cutting and drilling of thick free-standing diamond films produced by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The laser machining rate was evaluated at different irradiation parameters such as laser power, beam scanning velocity and number of repetitive scans. Carbon oxidation in presence of oxygen flow in the cutting/drilling area is shown to result in smooth and clean sidewalls and top surface around grooves and holes. A beneficial effect of O2 stream on cutting and drilling rate was also observed.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.