Ablation Study of WC and PCD Composites Using 10 Picosecond and 1 Nanosecond Pulse Durations at Green and Infrared Wavelengths

An ablation study is carried out to compare 10 picosecond and 1 nanosecond pulse durations as well as 532 nanometre and 1064 nanometre wavelengths at each corresponding pulse duration. All laser parameters are kept constant in order to understand the influence of pulse duration and wavelength independently. The materials processed according to the electronic band structure are a metal and an insulator/metal composite, i.e. tungsten carbide and polycrystalline diamond composite respectively. After laser processing said materials, the ablation rate and surface roughness are determined. Analysis into the ablation behaviour between the various laser parameters and the materials processed is given, with a particular emphasis on the graphitisation of diamond.