Ultrafast laser parallel microprocessing using high uniformity binary Dammann grating generated beam array

Ultrafast laser parallel processing using diffractive multi-beam patterns generated by a spatial light modulator (SLM) has demonstrated a great increase in processing throughput and efficiency. Applications ranging from surface thin film patterning to internal 3D refractive index modification have been recently reported with the parallel processing technology. Periodic and symmetrical geometry design (e.g. N × M beam array) of the multi-beam pattern must be avoided to guarantee the required high uniformity in these applications, which, however, limited the processing flexibility. In this paper, Dammann gratings are used to create diffractive 1 × 5 and 5 × 5 beam arrays for the parallel processing. The 0-th order, observed slightly stronger than the other higher orders, can be adjusted by superimposing a Fresnel zone lens (FZL) and tuning the degree of defocusing at the processing plane. The uniformity (presented by the variation of the machined hole diameter) is measured to be <4% after the adjustment. Additionally, a parallel surface patterning of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film with periodic array structures was demonstrated using the Dammann grating generated beam array without requiring the complicated geometry separation and the time-consuming positioning.