Advanced technical ceramics such as silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) are widely employed across aerospace, electronics, and semiconductor manufacturing due to their exceptional thermomechanical stability, chemical inertness, and high strength‑to‑weight ratio. In probe card manufacturing, Si₃N₄ has become a material of choice for guide plate substrates, where the precise formation of micro‑ and macro‑scale holes is critical for maintaining probe pin alignment, positional accuracy, and mechanical stability during assembly and operation. However, the material’s inherent brittleness and low fracture toughness present significant challenges for conventional drilling techniques, often resulting in cracking and compromised feature quality.

These limitations have driven growing interest in non‑contact ultrashort‑pulsed laser drilling as an alternative approach. Recent developments in high‑average‑power laser systems (>50 W), characterised by increased repetition frequencies, reduced pulse energies, and the introduction of burst‑mode operation, offer new opportunities for controlling energy deposition and enhancing throughput. However, careful optimisation of processing parameters remains essential to limiting thermal accumulation, minimising cracking, and ensuring consistently high drilling quality.

This work presents a systematic investigation of high‑power ultrashort‑pulsed laser drilling of 200 µm‑thick Si₃N₄. The influence of key process parameters, including fluence, pulse number, and burst mode, is evaluated with respect to drilling depth, drilling rate, and hole quality. The study identifies an optimal processing window that achieves high throughput while maintaining excellent feature integrity. The results demonstrate the capability of next‑generation ultrashort‑pulsed laser technology to perform precision macroscale drilling in Si₃N₄ and highlight its potential for advanced ceramic micromanufacturing applications.