Abstract
When microfabricating thin metal foils using lasers, the short Rayleigh length of the focusing lens means
that defocus caused by the deflection of the metal foil due to the thermal deformation can easily lead to
reduced processing quality and cutting ability. In addition, when using pulsed lasers, it is necessary to
remove the molten metal from the kerf and prevent debris from reattaching by blowing assist gas during
cutting. However, it is impractical to blow high-pressure assist gas because of the risk of deformation
and damage to the metal foil. In this study, we devised a novel method for reducing the thermal deformation
of the metal foil that occurs during laser processing. Furthermore, when this method was applied
to the cutting process, we found that the molten metal was removed from the kerf and the cutting performance
was improved, even though no assist gas was used.
