Laser micromachining of transparent fused silica with 1-ps pulses and pulse trains

Peter R. Herman; Anton Oettl; Kevin P. Chen; Robin S. Marjoribanks

doi:10.1117/12.351828

4 June 1999 Laser micromachining of transparent fused silica with 1-ps pulses and pulse trains

Peter R. Herman, Anton Oettl, Kevin P. Chen, Robin S. Marjoribanks

Proceedings Volume 3616, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351828
Event: Optoelectronics '99 - Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Ablation rates and etched-surface morphology of fused silica has been studied with 1-ps Nd:glass laser pulses in a regime of near-diffraction-limited spot size. Shallow holes of 1.7- micrometers diameter were too small for the formation of laser- induced periodic-surface structures. Atomic-force and scanning-electron microscopy showed that reproducible etch depth and moderately smooth surfaces are attainable for low fluences of 5.5 - 45 J/cm²--the `gentle' ablation regime. Etch depth progressed linearly with the number of laser pulses until the onset of surface swelling and shock- induced microcracks after a critical number N_c of laser pulses, scaling as N_c equals 1.7 + 80/F (fluence F in J/cm²). Below this limit--for accumulated etch depths less than approximately 2 micrometers --3D surface structuring with sub-micron precision is possible with picosecond-laser pulses. In the strong ablation regime (F > 45 J/cm²), surface morphology was poor and microcracking developed within 2 - 4 pulses. These shock-induced microcracking effects were eliminated when a mode-locked train of approximately 400 identical 1-ps pulses, each separated by 7.5 ns, was applied. Very smooth and deep (approximately 30- micrometers ) holes of 7 - 10-micrometers diameter were excised at a total fluence of approximately 100 kJ/cm², establishing a new means for rapid and precise micromachining of fused silica and other brittle materials.

Citation Download Citation

Peter R. Herman, Anton Oettl, Kevin P. Chen, and Robin S. Marjoribanks "Laser micromachining of transparent fused silica with 1-ps pulses and pulse trains", Proc. SPIE 3616, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers, (4 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.351828

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