Laser-induced front side etching of fused silica with short and ultra-short laser pulses

P. Lorenz; M. Ehrhardt; K. Zimmer

doi:10.1117/12.907929

15 February 2012 Laser-induced front side etching of fused silica with short and ultra-short laser pulses

P. Lorenz, M. Ehrhardt, K. Zimmer

Proceedings Volume 8243, Laser Applications in Microelectronic and Optoelectronic Manufacturing (LAMOM) XVII; 82430Y (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.907929
Event: SPIE LASE, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

The patterning or figuring of fused silica, e.g. for optical components, requires sophisticated methods. The usage of laser radiation enables a fast as well as high-quality machining of transparent materials. In particular, the laser-induced front side etching (LIFE) method has an excellent potential for nm-precision structuring of dielectrics with a high surface quality. At the LIFE process the laser beam interacts with an absorber layer on top of the front side of the dielectric surface to be machined. Here, the LIFE of fused silica is studied by using laser radiation with a wavelength from ultraviolet to infrared with pulse durations from nanosecond to femtosecond. With all investigated laser sources a well-defined, nm-precise etching of fused silica by the LIFE process is possible. A linear dependence of the etching depth on the laser fluence can be found whereas etching depths up to 300 nm can be achieved. The optimal laser fluence ranges as well as the achievable etching depths are dependent on the laser radiation used for the LIFE process.

Citation Download Citation

P. Lorenz, M. Ehrhardt, and K. Zimmer "Laser-induced front side etching of fused silica with short and ultra-short laser pulses", Proc. SPIE 8243, Laser Applications in Microelectronic and Optoelectronic Manufacturing (LAMOM) XVII, 82430Y (15 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.907929

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