Abstract: Femtosecond laser was used for the ablation and patterning of PZT thick films. The pulse width of the laser was 130 fs, and the repetition rate was 1 kHz. First, based on the relationship between the diameter of the ablated crater and the applied peak fluence, the ablation threshold fluence 100 J/cm2 for PZT was estimated by determining the magnitude of the peek fluence for zero ablated spot diameter (no damage); then, 50 to 300 mW femtosecond laser was used to pattern the PZT thick film actuator accurately and efficiently, the process of which had no heat affected zones and did not need a mask. Under the feed rate of 5 mm/s, the PZT thick film actuator was patterned. The driving ability of the actuator is enhanced by 30% after patterning.

Key words: femtosecond laser, PZT, pattern, actuator