Product Code: ICA13_M601

Structuring and joining transparent materials with ultra short pulse lasers
Authors:
Sinisa Vukelic, -; -
Panjawat Kongsuwan, -; -
Y. Lawrence Yao, -; -
Presented at ICALEO 2013

Nonlinear absorption of femtosecond-laser pulses enables the induction of structural changes in the interior of bulk transparent materials without affecting their surface. Features are generated by focusing the femtosecond laser pulses in the interior of a single glass piece to investigate change in morphology, mechanical properties, and ring structures of the modified region. Detailed characterization of the effect of laser irradiation is accomplished using differential interference contrast optical microscopy, spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy, and spatially resolved nanoindentation. A numerical model is also developed to predict an absorption volume inside transparent dielectric materials. After the better understanding of effects of optical and laser processing parameters on the resultant features is developed, the femtosecond laser pulses are finally focused on the interface of two glass specimens to implement transmission welding. The weld formation and geometry are discussed and indentation fracture analysis is used to investigate the strength of the weld seams.