Glass modification by continuous-wave laser backside irradiation (CW-LBI)

We report on a permanent change in the physical properties inside glass that is rapidly heated and quenched with a continuous-wave (CW) laser beam. The absorption of the glass was enhanced by laser heating, and the heated spot moved by thermal radiation and conduction. To trigger the heating, an absorbent material was placed on the backside of a glass plate and irradiated through the glass. The laser beam can modify borosilicate glass with a high aspect ratio (∼100:1) at a rate of ∼130 mm/s. The modified zone consists of two concentric cylindrical zones and is crack-free.     

Internal modification of glass by ultrashort laser pulse and its application to microwelding

Internal modification process of glass by ultrashort laser pulse (USLP) and its applications to microwelding of glass are presented. A simulation model is developed, which can determine intensity distribution of absorbed laser energy, nonlinear absorptivity and temperature distribution at different pulse repetition rates and pulse energies in internal modification of bulk glass with fs- and ps-laser pulses from experimental modified structure. The formation process of the dual-structured internal modification is clarified, which consists of a teardrop-shaped inner structure and an elliptical outer structure, corresponding to the laser-absorbing region and heat-affected molten region, respectively. Nonlinear absorptivity at high pulse repetition rates increases due to the increase in the thermally excited free electron density for avalanche ionization. USLP enables crack-free welding of glass because the shrinkage stress is suppressed by producing embedded molten pool by nonlinear absorption process, in contrast to conventional continuous wave laser welding where cracks cannot be avoided due to shrinkage stress produced in cooling process. Microwelding techniques of glass by USLP have been developed to join glass/glass and Si/glass using optically contacted sample pairs. The strength of the weld joint as high as that of base material is obtained without pre- and post-heating in glass/glass welding. In Si/glass welding, excellent joint performances competitive with anodic bonding in terms of joint strength and process throughput have been attained.     

Micromachining soda-lime glass by femtosecond laser pulses

The physical process of forming a modified region in soda-lime glass was investigated using 1 kHz intense femtosecond laser pulses from a Ti: sapphire laser at 775 nm. Through the modifications induced by the femtosecond laser radiation using selective chemical etching techniques, we fabricated reproducible and defined microstructures and further studied their morphologies and etching properties. Moreover, a possible physical mechanism for the femtosecond laser modification in soda-lime glass was proposed.     

Local phase-structure modification inside of lithium silicate glass by combined double-wavelength laser action

The process of local structure modification inside of lithium silicate glass under the combined laser action of two different wavelengths is considered. The first step is laser irradiation of ultrashort laser pulses with 532 nm wavelength, which is used to create of nucleation centers inside of the optically transparent glass. The crystallization of the structural modification areas was carried out by a photothermal action of CO₂ laser radiation with a 10.6 μm wavelength. The range of crystallization temperatures was defined and the kinetics of the phase transformations of the modified regions inside of the glass were studied. Duration of crystallization was about 10 min with a slow heating and 25 s at the fast heating to crystallization temperature.     

CO2激光作用下运动石英玻璃的温度分布

 研究了运动石英玻璃板在CO₂激光作用下的热效应，在考虑表面辐射和空气对流的情况下建立了数学模型，采用有限元软件ANSYS进行数值计算，得到了运动情况下石英玻璃的温度分布。比较了激光功率、光斑半径和运动速度对温度分布的影响，得到了温度分布与运动速度和激光参数之间的关系。结果显示石英玻璃板的表面温度随激光功率的增加而增加，随光斑半径、运动速度的增加而减小。     

3D reconstruction of the complex dielectric function of glass during femtosecond laser micro-fabrication

We report on a new technique to reconstruct the 3D dielectric function change in transparent dielectric materials and the application of the technique for on-line monitoring of refractive index modification in BK7 glass during direct femtosecond laser microfabrication. The complex optical field scattered from the modified region is measured using two-beam, single-shot interferogram and the distribution of the modified refractive index is reconstructed by numerically solving the inverse scattering problem in Born approximation. The optical configuration suggested is further development of digital holographic microscopy. It takes advantage of high spatial resolution and almost the same optical paths for both interfering beams, and allows ultrafast time resolution.     

脉冲CO2激光辐照K9玻璃的热力效应分析

利用有限元法对脉冲CO2激光辐照K9玻璃样品中的温度和应力分布进行了数值分析。对半径为20mm、厚为2mm的圆盘样品的计算结果表明，K9玻璃的损伤由环向应力控制，体损伤先于面损伤产生，且光斑半径和脉冲数目对损伤闽值有较大的影响，在激光光斑半径为5mm，脉宽为10肛s的条件下K9玻璃的单脉冲CO2激光的损伤闽值为0．5J，相应的能量密度为0．637 J／cm^2。损伤闽值随光斑半径的增大而增大，随脉冲数目的增加而变小。讨论了样品半径和厚度对损伤结果的影响，结果表明样品半径在10-20mm范围内所产生的拉伸应力较小。     

Fabrication of microchannels in glass using focused femtosecond laser radiation and selective chemical etching

We use the combination of femtosecond laser dielectric modification and selective chemical etching to fabricate high-quality microchannels in glass. The photoinduced modification morphology has been studied in fused silica and in borosilicate glass BK7, using ultra-high spatial resolution techniques of selective chemical etching followed by atomic force or scanning electron microscopy. The analysis shows that the high differential etch rate inside the modified regions, is determined by the presence of polarization-dependent self-ordered periodic nanocracks or nanoporous structures. We also investigate the optimum irradiation conditions needed to produce high-aspect ratio microchannels with small symmetric cross-sections and smooth walls. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.65.Re; 81.05.Kf; 87.80.Mj     

Crystalline patterning in Sm-doped sodium borate glass by CW Nd:YAG laser irradiation

Laser irradiation of glass materials has drawn much attention because this technique can offer a new processing method for spatially selected structural modification and/or crystallization in glass. Crystallized line and dot patterns at the micrometer scale were fabricated on the surface of Sm-doped sodium borate (Na₂O-B₂O₃) glass by irradiation of a continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser at λ = 1064 nm. The pattern sizes could be controlled by adjusting such parameters as scan rate, exposure time, and laser power. Analyses by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed that the crystalline phase is Na₃Sm₂(BO₃)₃.     

Fabrication of 3D microoptical lenses in photosensitive glass using femtosecond laser micromachining

We describe the fabrication of microoptical cylindrical and hemispherical lenses vertically embedded in a photosensitive Foturan glass by femtosecond (fs) laser three-dimensional (3D) micromachining. The process is mainly composed of four steps: (1) fs laser scanning in the photosensitive glass to form curved surfaces (spherical and/or cylindrical); (2) postannealing of the sample for modification of the exposed areas; (3) chemical etching of the sample for selective removal of the modified areas; and (4) a second postannealing for smoothening the surfaces of the tiny lenses. We examine the focusing ability of the microoptical lenses using a He-Ne laser beam, showing the great potential of using these microoptical lenses in lab-on-a-chip applications. PACS 42.62.-b; 81.05.Kf; 82.50.Pt     

Space-selective modification of the magnetic properties of transparent Fe3+-doped glass by femtosecond-laser irradiation

We have demonstrated spatially selective modification of the magnetic properties of transparent iron-oxide-doped glass by femtosecond- (fs-) laser irradiation and subsequent annealing. A near-infrared fs-laser beam with a wavelength of 775 nm was focused 1 mm below the surfaces of glass samples. This produces absorption peaks due to the formation of hole-trap centers in the irradiated region. Transparency was recovered after annealing at 450°C. A ferrimagnetic component was observed in the M–H curve even at room temperature, whereas the diamagnetic component dominated in the M–H curve of the as-prepared glass sample. This indicates that fs-laser irradiation enhanced the magnetization in the irradiated area. The irradiated and annealed glass sample also exhibited superparamagnetic blocking in the temperature dependence of the magnetization with a blocking temperature higher than room temperature. This change in magnetism is presumably due to local crystallization of ferrimagnetic nanoparticles, such as magnetite, induced by fs-laser irradiation and annealing. The magnetic and optical properties of glass that had been annealed but not irradiated by a fs-laser beam remained unchanged.     

Optical properties of structurally modified glasses doped with gold ions

We report on the optical properties of a structurally modified silicate glass doped with Au ions. The area in the vicinity of the focal point of an 800-nm femtosecond laser in a glass sample became gray as a result of the formation of color centers after laser irradiation and turned red because of precipitation of Au nanoparticles after further annealing at 550 degrees C for 30 min. When the glass was excited by UV light at 365 nm, yellowish-white and orange-yellow emissions were observed in the laser-irradiated and the Au-nanoparticle-precipitated area, respectively. An optical Kerr shutter experiment showed that the Au nanoparticle-precipitated glass had an ultrafast nonlinear optical response, and the third-order nonlinear susceptibility was estimated to be approximately 10(-11) esu.     

准分子激光辐照K9玻璃的热力效应分析

基于传热学理论, 利用有限元法对KrF准分子激光辐照K9玻璃样品中的热力效应进行了数值分析, 并比较了脉冲数目和重频对损伤效果的影响。研究表明, 较低的准分子激光能量就能够使K9玻璃在表面和体内产生热应力损伤, 热应力损伤在光斑区域内主要由压缩热应力控制, 在光斑边缘和材料内部则主要由拉伸热应力控制。在激光脉冲结束时刻, 产生的温度和热应力最大, 且热应力以热冲击波的形式在材料内传播, 随时间变化而来回振荡, 逐渐减弱。这种热应力的反复冲击会对材料产生持续的损伤增长效应, 增加了材料的损伤时间, 并使材料更容易断裂。脉冲数目和重复频率对损伤效果有着较大影响, 在高重复频率下, 损伤累积效应明显。     

Comparison of Cut Path Deviation Between CO2 and Diode Lasers in Float-Glass Cutting

Laser cutting of glass using the controlled fracture technique leads to cut path deviation at the leading and trailing edges of the float glass sheet. In this technique, thermal stresses are used to induce the crack, and the material is separated along the cutting path by extending the crack. We show that the cut path deviation is partly due to high magnitudes of thermal stresses generated near the sheet edges. The absorption of intense radiation from the CO₂ and diode laser beams in the glass causes local temperature increases and consequently generates different thermal fields and stress distributions due to surface and volumetric heat absorption. In this paper, we report the effect of the CO₂ and diode laser wavelength interaction with the float glass and its effect on the magnitudes of thermal stresses generated near the edges of the glass sheet. We simulate the distribution of the thermal stress and temperature using finite-element analysis software Abaqus and validate it against the experimental data. We show that the CO₂ laser produces a lower surface quality and a larger cut path deviation at the leading and trailing edges of the glass sheet as compared to the diode laser.     

The formation of micro/nanoparticles in laser-enhanced electroplating with continuous-wave and pulsed Nd-YAG laser interactions

The copper particles generated by the laser-enhanced electroplating method have been investigated in this study, and the results have been examined at various process conditions. The electrolyte jet of copper sulfate was impinged on a stainless steel electrode and irradiated with a Nd-YAG laser at continuous-wave (CW) and Q-switched output modes, respectively, to generate the particle size distribution from micro- to nano-scale.According to the electrochemical dynamics theory, the mechanism of the proposed technique for the particles formation is mainly due to the thermal effects from the laser interaction in electroplating. In the experiments, the laser energy absorbed by the electrolyte jet and the temperature rise of the electrode during the laser radiation has been measured. In the numerical simulation, the temperature fields of the impinging jet of the laser nozzle were calculated. It shows that the growth of the particle is significantly corresponding to the laser power and pulse mode of the laser interaction.     

激光照射有限尺寸高反射光学元件的温度*场

采用格林函数法,考虑径向边界条件和对流热损失,理论上求解了有限尺寸高反射光学元件在激光作用下的热传导方程,获得了样品内的温度场分布。为验证所求解,模拟计算了不同光斑形状和光斑尺寸激光束照射下样品的温升曲线,并与有限元数值计算结果进行了比较,获得了较好的一致性,讨论了此精确物理模型中不同热交换系数对激光束照射下光学薄膜样品温升的影响。结果表明:热交换系数越大,样品内的温度分布越趋于平衡。     

Propagating characters of Gaussian laser beam in plasmas with non-homogeneous radial temperature distribution

We investigate the propagation regimes of laser beam in plasmas with radial distribution of electron temperature, characterized by ratio parameter of radial Gaussian distribution. By following the WKB method and paraxial approximation, the propagation equations of laser beam are derived and discussed for two nonlinearity mechanisms respectively. Both the critical curves for different ratio parameters are plotted, and it is proved that the self-focusing or self-trapping mode could be realized only when the ratio parameter excesses 1. The variations of laser beam-width are calculated, which indicates the feasibly effective modification of propagation characters by radial distribution of electron temperature.     

Three‐dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining of photosensitive glass for biomicrochips

Internal modification of transparent materials such as glass can be carried out using multiphoton absorption induced by a femtosecond (fs) laser. The fs‐laser modification followed by thermal treatment and successive chemical wet etching in a hydrofluoric (HF) acid solution forms three‐dimensional (3D) hollow microstructures embedded in photosensitive glass. This technique is a powerful method for directly fabricating 3D microfluidic structures inside a photosensitive glass microchip. We used fabricated microchips, referred to as a nanoaquarium, for dynamic observations of living microorganisms. In addition, the present technique can also be used to form microoptical components such as micromirrors and microlenses inside the photosensitive glass, since the fabricated structures have optically flat surfaces. The integration of microfluidics and microoptical components in a single glass chip yields biophotonic microchips, in other words, optofluidics, which provide high sensitivity in absorption and fluorescence measurements of small volumes of liquid samples.     

Laser-induced modification of bulk fused silica by femtosecond pulses

The features of the local nondestructive modifications of the bulk fused silica are experimentally studied. A method for the measurement of the refractive index in a transparent sample irradiated with femtosecond laser pulses is developed. The accuracy of the refractive-index measurements achieves about 10^?5, and a spatial resolution is several microns. The quantitative data on the dynamics of the permanent modification of glass as a function of the radiation energy are obtained for the first time. The spatial localization of the modified area that is predominantly determined by the laser-beam divergence is analyzed. The femtosecond interferometry is used to investigate the laser-pulse propagation in amorphous silica.     

Optical levitation and manipulation of stuck particles with pulsed optical tweezers

We report on optical levitation and manipulation of microscopic particles that are stuck on a glass surface with pulsed optical tweezers. An infrared pulse laser at 1.06 microm was used to generate a large gradient force (up to 10(-9) N) within a short duration (approximately 45 micros) that overcomes the adhesive interaction between the particles and the glass surface. Then a low-power continuous-wave diode laser at 785 nm was used to capture and manipulate the levitated particle. We have demonstrated that both stuck dielectric and biological micrometer-sized particles, including polystyrene beads, yeast cells, and Bacillus cereus bacteria, can be levitated and manipulated with this technique. We measured the single-pulse levitation efficiency for 2.0 microm polystyrene beads as a function of the pulse energy and of the axial displacement from the stuck particle to the pulsed laser focus, which was as high as 88%.