Ceramic surface modifications induced by pulsed laser treatment

Technical polycrystalline sintered Al2O3 (90%) substrates have been irradia ted, in a vacuum chamber, at grazing incident angles (similar to 30 degrees ), with pulsed ArF (lambda = 193 nm, hv = 6.4 eV) excimer laser, at differe nt fluences and numbers of pulses, to modify the structure and morphology o f the surface. Vacuum, inert gas and oxygen atmospheres, at different subst rate temperatures, similar to 25 degrees C and similar to 700 degrees C, ha ve been used to study surface chemistry and morphology modifications induce d by laser energy. Surface chemistry has been analysed by XPS spectroscopy. Morphological modifications have been studied by SEM/EDS microscopy. Chang es in surface roughness have been quantified by a standard profilometer. (C ) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.