X-ray emission during ultrashort pulse laser processing

The industrial use of ultrashort laser pulses has made considerable progress in recent years. The reasons for this lie in the availability of high average powers at pulse repetition rates in the several 100 kHz range. The advantages of using ultrashort laser pulses in terms of processing precision can thus be fully exploited. However, high laser intensities on the workpiece can also lead to the generation of unwanted X-rays. Even if the emitted X-ray dose per pulse is low, the accumulated X-ray dose can become significant for high-repetition-rate laser systems so that X-ray exposure safety limits must be considered. The X-ray emission during ultrashort pulse laser processing was investigated for a pulse duration of 925 fs at 1030 nm wavelength and 400 kHz repetition rate. Industrially relevant materials such as steel, aluminum and glass were treated. Tungsten served as reference. X-ray spectra were recorded, and X-ray dose measurements were performed for laser treatment in air. For laser intensities > 2 × 10¹³ W/cm² , X-ray doses exceeding the regulatory exposure limits for members of the public were found. Suitable X-ray protection strategies are proposed.