  Ultra-fast femtosecond (fs) lasers provide a unique technological opportunity
to precisely and efficiently micromachine materials with minimal thermal damage
owing to the reduced heat transfer into the bulk of the work material offered
by short pulse duration, high laser intensity and focused optical energy
delivered on a timescale shorter than the rate of thermal diffusion into the
surrounding area of a beam foci. There is an increasing demand to further
develop the fs machining technology to improve the machining quality, minimize
the total machining time and increase the flexibility of machining complex
patterns on diamond. This article offers an overview of recent research
findings on the application of fs laser technology to micromachine diamond. The
laser technology to precisely micromachine diamond is discussed and detailed,
with a focus on the use of fs laser irradiation systems and their
characteristics, laser interaction with various types of diamonds, processing
and the subsequent post-processing of the irradiated samples and, appropriate
sample characterisation methods. Finally, the current and emerging application
areas are discussed, and the challenges and the future research prospects in
the fs laser micromachining field are also identified.
