Self-focusing during femtosecond micromachining of silicate glasses

    Authors

    L. Shah; J. Tawney; M. Richardson;K. Richardson

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    IEEE J. Quantum Electron.

    Keywords

    ablation; glass; laser; micromachining; optical self-focusing; plasma; properties; ultrafast optics; ULTRASHORT LASER-PULSES; FLIGHT MASS-SPECTROSCOPY; IN-SITU OBSERVATION; REFRACTIVE-INDEX; INDUCED DAMAGE; TRANSPARENT MATERIALS; SUBPICOSECOND; PULSES; ABLATION; AIR; BREAKDOWN; Engineering, Electrical & Electronic; Optics; Physics, Applied

    Abstract

    Many recent investigations of micromachining with lasers, in vacuum and in ambient air environments, have demonstrated the improvements possible when using femtosecond-duration laser pulses compared with long laser pulses. There are obvious practical advantages for rapid micromachining in ambient air conditions. However, the maximum laser intensity and repetition rate are then eventually limited by the avalanche breakdown and nonlinear effects in the air through which the focused laser beam must propagate both outside the work piece and within the structure that is being machined. This paper investigates these limits in femtosecond deep hole drilling at high laser intensities in silicate glasses. In particular, it shows how nonlinear optical effects, particularly self-focusing, can dramatically affect hole shape and the rate of penetration during deep hole drilling. The experiments described here demonstrate how nonlinear Kerr focusing of femtosecond laser pulses occurs during propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses through the atmosphere within the machined channel at powers levels significantly below the critical power for self-focusing in ambient air.

    Journal Title

    Ieee Journal of Quantum Electronics

    Volume

    40

    Issue/Number

    1

    Publication Date

    1-1-2004

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    57

    Last Page

    68

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000188261100007

    ISSN

    0018-9197

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