PhD thesis supervisor: dr. Mindaugas Gedvilas (apply for recommendation)
Efficient laser micro-processing of silicon carbide using femtosecond bursts
Relevance. Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the most promising wide-bandgap semiconductor materials for power electronics, high-temperature sensing, automotive, aerospace, and emerging quantum technology applications. Compared to traditional silicon, SiC exhibits greater thermal conductivity, a wide bandgap, and maintains functionality at elevated temperatures, enabling more efficient, compact, and robust power electronic systems. While SiC is rapidly gaining ground in semiconductor markets, its machining and surface preparation remain technically challenging and costly due to its high hardness, brittleness, and thermal stability.
Scientific novelty. Femtosecond laser burst processing in MHz and GHz regimes opens new possibilities for laser material modification, as it enables control over energy absorption and material removal dynamics across different temporal scales, resulting in higher throughput, reduced thermal damage, and improved surface quality with achievable roughness below <0.1 μm. However, the femtosecond burst processing of SiC remains uninvestigated in the scientific literature.
Prospects. MHz and GHz burst processing fundamentally expand the capabilities of laser material processing, offering substantial improvements in throughput, surface smoothness, and structural integrity in a single integrated step, without extensive intermediate finishing. For SiC, such processing strategies are highly attractive for industrial implementation where high surface quality, limited thermal damage, and high productivity are required — especially for processing 150–200 mm SiC wafers. These advantages suggest strong potential for integration into SiC device manufacturing with applications for power electronics, quantum detectors, sensor technologies, and electric propulsion systems.