Laser Processing of Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil

Introduction

AT1500-25 Thermal Foil is part of a product line of flexible graphene thermal management materials produced by Angstron Materials. AT1500-25 Thermal Foil consists of a 25μm thick silver graphene sheet. AT1500-25 Thermal Foil offers excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, making it ideal for thermal management applications in electronics and other devices. A diagram depicting Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil is shown in Figure 1.
Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil Layers

Figure 1. Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil (25μm thick).

Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil is utilized in a wide array of industries for heat dissipation and EMI shielding. The non-contact nature of laser processing allows applications to be processed with small features and fine geometry, which might be difficult to achieve with traditional mechanical methods. AT1500-25 is suitable for laser cutting. Processes other than laser cutting are not indicated as they are not conducive to the intended use of the material. Universal Laser Systems (ULS) makes it possible to consistently and repeatedly process this material to a high degree of dimensional accuracy, with virtually no material deformation during processing.

Laser Processing Notes

Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil was tested to assess laser processing compatibility and determine the best configuration of laser peak power and wavelength. Through testing, it was determined that AT1500-25 absorbs the 1.06μm fiber laser energy more efficiently than other wavelengths. A microscopy image taken at 300x magnification of the edge of AT1500-25 Thermal Foil after laser cutting with a 50 watt 1.06μm fiber laser source is shown in Figure 2.
Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil Figure 2

Figure 2. Microscopy image (300x) of the edge of Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil after laser cutting. The heat-affected zone measures 15µm.

Processing Example

Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil applications requiring fine geometry and intricate detail with no degradation of the material’s physical properties can be achieved with ULS technology. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting AT1500-25 Thermal Foil using the recommended system configuration is shown in Figure 3.
Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil Figure 3

Figure 3. Example of the geometry possible when laser cutting Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil.

Conclusion
Angstron Materials AT1500-25 Thermal Foil is suitable for laser processing and was extensively tested to determine the optimal processing configuration. Through testing it was determined that laser cutting is a viable process with this material and a 50 watt 1.06µm fiber laser source is the recommended system configuration.