LASER SURFACE TREATMENT

摘要

A method of modifying the reflectivity and emissivity of a surface of a material comprises the steps of irradiating the surface with a beam of coherent pulsed radiation at a power sufficient to generate a surface plasma and scanning said beam across said surface. Successive pulses of radiation are caused to overlap and chemical change at the surface is promoted by provision of a localized atmosphere. The surface produced has features on a scale of less than 50 microns and is restricted to a depth of less than 10<-3> cm. The body of the material is not affected.