Molecular dynamics study on femtosecond laser aided machining of monocrystalline silicon carbide

To solve SiC machining processes problems such as low processing efficiency, surface/subsurface damage, and machining tool wear, a femtosecond-laser-aided machining process was studied. In this paper, the diamond-machinability and removal mechanism of SiC-modified layer during femtosecond-laser-aided machining process are evaluated at the nanoscale using molecular dynamics. The results show that micro/nano structures in the modified layer significantly influence the material removal process, and SiC surface structures effectively improve the removal efficiency and reduce subsurface damage depth. The surface micro/nano structures introduced by femtosecond laser scanning improve the diamond-machinability of mono-crystalline SiC.