This example demonstrates the formation of a regular hole array in polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) using an ArF excimer laser.

The machining sample was a 40 mm × 40 mm PTFE plate with a thickness of 2 mm. Circular holes of uniform diameter were formed in a 10 × 11 grid arrangement with a pitch of 2 mm.

PTFE is a fluoropolymer material primarily composed of carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds, which have a high bond energy of approximately 5.0 eV. In addition, PTFE has a melting point of approximately 327°C, which provides only a limited thermal processing margin. For these reasons, PTFE is generally regarded as a material that is difficult to machine using laser processing.

However, this processing example demonstrates that the use of an ArF excimer laser enables the formation of a grid-pattern hole array in PTFE, with hole diameters of 1.3 mm on the entrance side and 0.9 mm on the exit side, fabricated at a pitch of 2 mm.