A method to improve the brazing between YSZ and Ti6Al4V by femtosecond laser surface machining is introduced. The highest strength of ~150 MPa (which is 95.2% higher than that of the flat YSZ/Ti6Al4V joint) is achieved when the processing speed is 200 μm/s. To understand the strengthen mechanism of the surface machining on the joint strength, image based models, based on the observed microstructure, have been used to probe the stress distribution in the joint. It is found that through surface machining on the ceramic, the residual stress distribution in ceramic becomes nonlinear. Upon shear testing, for the joint with a flat interface, the failure happens in the reaction layer and the out of plane stress in this layer is found to be tensile, which acts as the driving force for the crack generation and propagation. But for the joint with a rumpled interface, the compressive out of plane stress at the boundary of the grooves in the reaction layer could inhibit the propagation of the cracks. Finally, by surface machining on the ceramic, the maximum shear stress in the reaction layer is decreased, which could also help to improve the reliability of the joint.