Irregular LIPSS produced on metals by single linearly polarized femtosecond laser

Currently, supra-wavelength periodic surface structures (SWPSS) are only achievable on silica dielectrics and silicon by femtosecond (fs) laser ablation, while triangular and rhombic laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) are achievable by circularly polarized or linear cross-polarized femtosecond laser. This is the first work to demonstrate the possibility of generating SWPSS on Sn and triangular and rhombic LIPSS on W, Mo, Ta, and Nb using a single linearly polarized femtosecond laser. We discovered, for the first time, SWPSS patches with each possessing its own orientation, which are completely independent of the light polarization direction, thus, breaking the traditional rules. Increasing the laser power enlarges SWPSS periods from 4–6 μm to 15–25 μm. We report a maximal period of 25 μm, which is the largest period ever reported for SWPSS, ~10 and ~4 times the maximal periods (2.4 μm/6.5 μm) of SWPSS ever achieved by fs and ns laser ablation, respectively. The formation of triangular and rhombic LIPSS does not depend on the laser (power) or processing (scan interval and scan methodology) parameters but strongly depends on the material composition and is unachievable on other metals, such as Sn, Al, Ti, Zn, and Zr. This paper proposes and discusses possible mechanisms for molten droplet generation/spread/solidification, Marangoni convection flow for SWPSS formation, and linear-to-circular polarization transition for triangular and rhombic LIPSS formation. Reflectance and iridescence of as-prepared SWPSS and LIPSS are characterized. It was found that besides insufficient ablation on W, the iridescence density of Ta-, Mo-, Nb-LIPSS follows the sequence of melting temperatures: Ta > Mo > Nb, which indicates that the melting temperature of metals may affect the regularity of LIPSS. This work may inspire significant interest in further enriching the diversity of LIPSS and SWPSS.