TY - JOUR A1 - Frechilla, A. A1 - Martínez, E. A1 - del Moral, J. A1 - López-Santos, C. A1 - Frechilla, J. A1 - Nuñez-Gálvez, F. A1 - López-Flores, V. A1 - de la Fuente, G.F. A1 - Hülagü, Deniz A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - González-Elipe, A.R. A1 - Borrás, A. A1 - Angurel, L.A. T1 - Influence of near-edge Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) on the electrical properties of fs-laser-machined ITO microcircuits N2 - Scalable, cost-effective methods for processing transparent electrodes at the microscale are pivotal to advancing in electrochemistry, optoelectronics, microfluidics, and energy harvesting. In these fields, the precise fabrication of micrometric circuits and patterns plays a critical role in determining device performance, material compatibility, and integration with added-value substrates. In this context, Laser Subtractive Manufacturing stands out as a suitable microfabrication technique for its adaptability to diverse materials and complex configurations, as well as its straightforward scalability, affordability, and eco-friendly nature. However, a challenge in micromachining metals and metal oxides is the inherent formation of Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS), which can significantly impair electrical conductivity, particularly when circuit dimensions fall within the micrometer range. Herein, we investigate the micromachining of electrical microcircuits using ultrashort pulse laser systems applied to transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. We analyze the formation of LIPSS at the edges of the micromachined regions associated with the Gaussian distribution of the energy within the laser spot, and the impact of these structures on the electrical properties of the circuits. Thus, we systematically evaluate the influence of LIPSS orientation and periodicity by fabricating various circuit patterns using femtosecond lasers at green (515 nm) and ultraviolet (UV) (343 nm) wavelengths. A correlation between electrical resistivity measurements and microstructure analysis, as determined by field emission scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, reveals distinct effects of the formed nanostructures depending on the laser source and its polarization. For the green wavelength, the edge side regions where LIPSS are oriented perpendicular to the ITO track exhibit a resistance higher by a factor just above two compared to those where LIPSS are parallel. Additionally, UV laser processing results in a pronounced reduction of ITO thickness at the boundary between the LIPSS region and the substrate. The mechanisms for the formation of LIPSS with both wavelengths are also discussed. Furthermore, we have determined that in narrow conductive tracks with a width ranging from 6 to 8 µm, the impact of LIPSS is particularly significant because the LIPSS structured region occupies a dominant fraction of the total width. KW - ITO KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Laser subtractive manufacturing KW - fs-laser processing KW - Electrical properties PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-655921 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.166415 SN - 0169-4332 VL - 731 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65592 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Bacterial adhesion on ultrashort pulse laser processed surfaces ― more than size matters! N2 - Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of bacterial cells, often attached to a surface and enclosed by a self-produced extracellular matrix which confers increased stress tolerance and resistance to cleaning. Biofilm formation leads to biofouling which gives rise to high costs in numerous technical settings due to biocorrosion and biodegradation. However, biofilms can also be attractive for industrial settings such as wastewater treatment systems or for soil bioremediation processes. Hence, the control of bacterial adhesion to a surface is of major concern. Surface topography strongly influences bacterial adhesion. Therefore, one promising way to achieve bacteria-guiding surfaces lies in the contactless and aseptic large-area laser processing of technical surfaces. We used short and ultrashort pulsed laser systems to generate different surface textures, mainly high-spatial-frequency and low-spatial-frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures, LIPSS (HFSL and LFSL), on Ti, Ti-alloy, steel, and polymers (PET and PE). Pristine (polished) and laser processed samples were subjected to bacterial adhesion experiments with two different Escherichia coli strains and Staphylococcus aureus as test organisms. The bacterial strains differed in their cell wall structure (grampositive vs. gramnegative strains), in size, shape, the occurrence of cell appendages, and in their biofilm forming capabilities. Adhesion patterns were analyzed microscopically and compared regarding the respective test strain and surface topography. Our results revealed that adhesion behavior strongly depends not only on the material’s topography and chemistry, but also on the specific bacterial strain, the presence of cell appendages, and ambient growth conditions. T2 - 13th International Conference on Photoexcited Processes and Applications, ICPEPA-13 CY - Lecce, Italy DA - 14.09.2025 KW - Biofilm KW - Bacterial adhesion KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Ultrashort laser pulses PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64166 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Ultrafast optical probing of laser-induced formation of periodic surface nanostructures N2 - Laser-induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS, ripples) are a universal phenomenon and can be generated in a contactless, single-step process on almost any type of solid upon irradiation with intense laser pulses. They represent a (quasi-)periodic modulation of the surface topography in the form of a linear grating and are typically formed in a “self-ordered” way in the focus of a coherent laser beam. Thus, they are often accompanying laser material processing applications. The structural sizes of LIPSS typically range from several micrometers down to less than 100 nanometers – far beyond the optical diffraction limit – while their orientations exhibit a clear correlation with the local polarization direction of the laser radiation. From a theoretical point of view, a controversial debate has emerged during the last decades, whether LIPSS originate from electromagnetic effects (seeded already during the laser irradiation) – or whether they emerge from matter-reorganization processes (distinctly after the laser irradiation). From a practical point of view, however, LIPSS represent a simple and robust way for the nanostructuring of solids that allows creating a wide range of different surface functionalities featuring applications in optics, tribology, medicine, energy technologies, etc. The presentation provides an overview of current theories on LIPSS and the quest to achieve ever smaller surface nanostructures. The historical development of the fundamental ideas behind LIPSS is presented, together with experimental approaches that make it possible to distinguish between the various LIPSS formation scenarios. Time-resolved experimental methods are required to investigate the dynamics of their formation. The presentation focuses on ultrafast time-resolved optical (pump-probe) techniques that can be used for localized point measurements or microscopic imaging, utilizing the reflection, diffraction, or coherent scattering of the probe radiation at the emerging LIPSS, while simultaneously capturing information about rapid melting, ablation, and solidification phenomena. However, given the sub-micrometric spatial periods of LIPSS, their analysis using optical radiation employed in far-field techniques remained a challenge. Therefore, short wavelengths of the probe beam in the UV range or even below are required to overcome the diffraction limit imposed in the optical spectral range. Fourth-generation light sources, namely short-wavelength (XUV or X-ray) short-pulse free-electron lasers (FELs), offer new and fascinating possibilities for resolving laser-induced structure formation on surfaces in the sub-micrometer to nanometer range and in time domains from picoseconds to several nanoseconds with a resolution in the sub-picosecond regime. On laser-irradiated semiconductor surfaces, this unique spatio-temporal resolution enables the detection of early signs of coherent/plasmonic electromagnetic scattering effects, followed by the excitation of hydrodynamic capillary waves – providing new insights into the above-mentioned debate. Recent experiments at the European XFEL used fs-time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (fs-SAXS) and even fs-time-resolved grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (fs-GISAXS), combined with grazing-incidence diffraction (fs-GID), to reveal the dynamics of the formation of nanometric LIPSS on metals. T2 - CINSaT Herbstkolloquium 2025 CY - Kassel, Germany DA - 05.11.2025 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Ultrashort laser pulses KW - Pump-probe measurements KW - Free-electron laser KW - Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64633 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Bacterial adhesion on ultrashort pulse laser processed surfaces ― more than size matters! N2 - Bacterial biofilms are aggregates of bacterial cells, often attached to a surface, and enclosed by a self-produced extracellular matrix which confers increased stress tolerance and resistance to cleaning. Biofilm formation leads to biofouling which gives rise to high costs in numerous technical settings due to biocorrosion and biodegradation. However, biofilms can also be attractive for industrial settings such as wastewater treatment systems or for soil bioremediation processes. Hence, the control of bacterial adhesion to a surface is of major concern. Surface topography strongly influences bacterial adhesion. Therefore, one promising way to achieve bacteria-guiding surfaces lies in the contactless and aseptic large-area laser processing of technical surfaces. We used short and ultrashort pulsed laser systems to generate different surface textures, mainly high-spatial-frequency and low-spatial-frequency laser-induced periodic surface structures, LIPSS (HFSL and LFSL), on Ti, Ti-alloy, steel, and polymers (PET and PE). Pristine (polished) and laser processed samples were subjected to bacterial adhesion experiments with two different Escherichia coli strains and Staphylococcus aureus as test organisms. The bacterial strains differed in their cell wall structure (grampositive vs. gramnegative strains), in size, shape, the occurrence of cell appendages, and in their biofilm forming capabilities. Adhesion patterns were analyzed microscopically and compared regarding the respective test strain and surface topography. Our results revealed that adhesion behavior strongly depends not only on the material’s topography and chemistry, but also on the specific bacterial strain, the presence of cell appendages, and ambient growth conditions. T2 - 13th International LIPSS Workshop CY - Enschede, Netherlands DA - 29.10.2025 KW - Bacterial adhesion KW - Biofilm KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Ultrashort laser pulses PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64632 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Advances in ultrafast laser manufacturing: nanostructures, thin films, and scaling perspectives N2 - Advanced ultrafast laser technology is a rapidly growing field that currently enables many new industrial and scientific applications. During the last decades, this has been significantly driven by the availability of high-repetition-rate laser sources and novel beam delivery concepts. At the laser side, Moore’s law equally manifests for ultrafast laser technologies, since the average output power of such lasers doubles approximately every two years. This development is mainly driven by the increase of the pulse repetition rates of energetic laser pulses, currently enforcing the development of smart beam control and novel scanning strategies for preventing heat-accumulation and plasma-shielding effects during laser-based materials processing. This keynote presentation addresses the advantages, recent developments, and perspectives of laser processing with ultrashort laser pulses. A special focus is laid on the tailored structuring of thin films as well as the manufacturing and probing of sub-diffraction surface nanostructures – an ongoing race to extreme scales. Current limitations are identified and an outlook to future scaling perspectives will be provided. T2 - SPIE Photonics Europe 2024 Conference, Symposium "Lasers and Photonics for Advanced Manufacturing" CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 07.04.2024 KW - Ultrafast laser processing KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Surface functionalization KW - Laser technology KW - Time-resolved analysis PY - 2024 UR - https://spie.org/photonics-europe/presentation/Advances-in-ultrafast-laser-manufacturing--nanostructures-thin-films-and/13005-36#_=_ AN - OPUS4-59852 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Chemical and topographical analyses of ps-laser generated HSFL on titanium alloy N2 - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) enable a large variety of different surface functionalizations for applications in the fields of optics, fluidics, tribology, or medicine. Moreover, high spatial frequency LIPSS (HSFL) provide an appealing and straightforward way for the generation of surface nanostructures featuring spatial periods even below 100 nm – far beyond the optical diffraction limit. However, the imposed surface functionalities are usually caused by both, topographic and chemical surface alterations. For exploring these effects in detail, multi-method characterization was performed here for HSFL processed on Ti-6Al-4V alloy upon irradiation with near-infrared ps-laser pulses (1030 nm wavelength, ~1 ps pulse duration, 1 – 400 kHz pulse repetition rate) under different scan processing conditions. The subsequent sample characterization involved morphological and topographical investigations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), stylus profilometry (SP), as well as near-surface chemical analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and depth-profiling time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The results allow to qualify the laser ablation depth, the geometrical HSFL characteristics and provide detailed insights into the depth extent and the nature of the ps-laser-induced near-surface oxidation arising from the laser-processing in ambient air and into the relevance of heat-accumulation effects at high pulse repetition rates. Moreover, the direct comparison of the HAXPES and XPS data reveals the role of surface-covering organic contaminants adsorbed from the ambient atmosphere without ion-sputter depth profiling. Furthermore, reduction of the oxides by sputtering can be avoided. T2 - SPIE Photonics Europe 2024 Conference, Symposium "Lasers and Photonics for Advanced Manufacturing" CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 07.04.2024 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Ultrafast laser processing KW - Nanostructures KW - Chemical analyses PY - 2024 UR - https://spie.org/photonics-europe/presentation/Chemical-and-topographical-analyses-of-ps-laser-generated-high-spatial/13005-69#_=_ AN - OPUS4-59853 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kaczmarek, D. A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Capabilities and limitations of Sipe’s first principles LIPSS theory: current aspects and directions N2 - This presentation elucidates the fundamentals and capabilities of John E. Sipe’s first principles theory (1983) of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS), representing an analytical mathematical approach (Green’s formalism) to calculate the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at a microscopically rough surface via the so-called efficacy factor. It includes a discussion of assumptions made in the theory and resulting limitations, such as the restriction to a near-surface layer (the so-called “selvedge”), the lack of any material response, or missing inter-pulse feedback phenomena being relevant in typical multi-pulse irradiation conditions. The influence of the angle of incidence, the polarization direction (s-pol. or p-pol.), the optical properties (dielectric permittivity) of the irradiated materials, as well as its surface roughness and its specific encoding in the theory via a shape factor (s) and a filling factor (f) are addressed. A simplifying mathematical reformulation (without changing the validity range) of Sipe’s theory in the form of 14 complex-valued equations published in 2005 is motivated, as well as the necessity of some minor adjustments for non-normal incident radiation - revealed in a very recent Erratum. Starting with 2009, extensions of the original theory were developed, e.g., the analytical Sipe-Drude model in order to include intra-pulse transient changes of the optical properties of the material. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulations successfully confirmed in 2012 the validity of the Sipe-Drude approach. Moreover, the FDTD formalism can be extended to sub-surface regions and can be combined with a material response (topography) modelling for iteratively considering inter-pulse feedback phenomena. Finally, we will provide characteristic examples of Sipe’s efficacy factor for typical material classes (metals, semiconductors, dielectrics), we will explain how the results can be interpreted, and line out how the Sipe theory may be extended further. T2 - 12th International LIPSS Workshop CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 11.09.2024 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Theory KW - Green's formalism KW - Scattering waves KW - Finite-difference time-domain calculations PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61098 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Laser-induced periodic surface structures: mechanisms, applications, and unsolved problems N2 - Laser-induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS, ripples) are a universal phenomenon and can be generated in a contactless, single-step process on almost any type of solid upon irradiation with intense laser pulses. They represent a (quasi-)periodic modulation of the surface topography in the form of a linear grating and are typically formed in a “self-ordered” way in the focus of a laser beam. Thus, they are often accompanying laser material processing applications. The structural sizes of LIPSS typically range from several micrometers down to less than 100 nanometers – far beyond the optical diffraction limit – while their orientations exhibit a clear correlation with the local polarization direction of the laser radiation. From a theoretical point of view, a controversial debate has emerged during the last decades, whether LIPSS originate from electromagnetic effects (seeded already during the laser irradiation) – or whether they emerge from matter-reorganization processes (distinctly after the laser irradiation). From a practical point of view, however, LIPSS represent a simple and robust way for the nanostructuring of solids that allows creating a wide range of different surface functionalities featuring applications in optics, tribology, medicine, energy technologies, etc. This presentation reviews the currently existent theories of LIPSS. A focus is laid on the historic development of the fundamental ideas behind the LIPSS, their corresponding mathematical descriptions and numerical implementations, along with a comparison and critical assessment of the different approaches. Fourth generation light sources, namely short wavelength, short pulse free electron lasers (FELs) are offering new and fascinating possibilities to resolve laser-induced structure formation at surfaces on the sub-micrometer to nanometer length scale and in temporal regimes ranging from picoseconds to several nanoseconds with sub-picosecond resolution. This unique spatio-temporal resolution allows to reveal early signatures of coherent/plasmonic electromagnetic scattering effects followed by the excitation of hydrodynamic capillary waves – providing new insights to the above-mentioned debate. Finally, some unsolved scientific problems related to LIPSS are identified and the pending technological limitations are discussed. While the currently available laser and scanner technology already allows large area surface processing with rates at the m2/min level, industrial applications of LIPSS are sometimes limited by the complex interplay between the nanoscale surface topography and the specific surface chemistry. This typically manifests in difficulties to control the processing of LIPSS and in limitations to ensure the long-term stability of the created surface functions. Strategies for overcoming such limitations are outlined. T2 - Institutskolloquium des Leibniz-Instituts für Oberflächenmodifizierung CY - Leipzig, Germany DA - 02.02.2023 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Surface functionalization KW - Industrial applications KW - Femtosecond laser PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-56949 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures observed with extreme temporal and spatial resolution N2 - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) have gained remarkable attention as they represent a universal phenomenon that is often accompanying laser-processing. Such LIPSS enable a plethora of different surface functionalizations for applications in the fields of optics, fluidics, tribology, or medicine. Due to the inherent multiscale nature of processes involved in LIPSS formation, their in-situ observation requires experimental techniques that combine high temporal resolution with the appropriate spatial resolution. In this respect fourth generation light sources, namely short wavelength, short pulse free electron lasers (FELs) are offering new and fascinating possibilities. This work contribution will discuss the results of scattering experiments carried at the FLASH free electron laser at DESY (Hamburg, Germany), which allowed us to resolve laser-induced structure formation at surfaces on the nm to sub-µm length scale and in temporal regimes ranging from ps to several ns with sub-ps resolution. A ps-optical pump / fs-XUV scattering probe scheme was employed to 100 nm thick laser-excited silicon films, while recording snapshots of the transmitted XUV scattering patterns at various delay times after the laser pulse impact. On timescales ranging from hundred ps until several ns almost quantitative agreement was observed between certain features of the recorded scattering patterns and predictions of the first-principles theory of J.E. Sipe and coworkers. Other scattering features appearing with a delay of ~100 ps and lasting for ~1 ns are attributed to capillary surface waves being excited at the laser-melted film material while ablation proceeds. Our superior spatio-temporal resolution experiments allow to uniquely reveal and distinguish early signatures of coherent/plasmonic electromagnetic scattering effects, separately followed by hydrodynamic matter reorganization. T2 - EMRS Spring Meeting 2023, Symposium L “Making light matter: lasers in material sciences and photonics" CY - Strasbourg, France DA - 29.05.2023 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - XUV scattering KW - Free electron laser KW - Pump-probe KW - Capillary waves PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57601 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bonse, Jörn T1 - Probing laser-driven structure formation at extreme scales in space and time N2 - Irradiation of solid surfaces with intense ultrashort laser pulses represents a unique way of depositing energy into materials. It allows to realize states of extreme electronic excitation and/or very high temperature and pressure and to drive materials close to and beyond fundamental stability limits. As a consequence, structural changes and phase transitions often occur along unusual pathways and under strongly nonequilibrium conditions. Due to the inherent multiscale nature — both temporally and spatially—of these irreversible processes, their direct experimental observation requires techniques that combine high temporal resolution with the appropriate spatial resolution and the capability to obtain good quality data on a single pulse/event basis. In this respect, fourth-generation light sources, namely, short wavelength and short pulse free electron lasers (FELs), are offering new and fascinating possibilities. As an example, this talk will discuss the results of scattering experiments carried out at the FLASH free electron laser at DESY (Hamburg, Germany), which allowed us to resolve laser-induced structure formation at surfaces on the nanometer to submicron length scale and in temporal regimes ranging from picoseconds to several nanoseconds with sub-picosecond resolution. The current status and future perspectives in this field via exploiting the unique possibilities of these 4th-generation light sources will be discussed. T2 - Seminar, Instituto de Óptica, CSIC CY - Madrid, Spain DA - 05.10.2023 KW - Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) KW - Free electron laser (FEL) KW - Time-resolved scattering KW - Capillary waves PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58517 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -