| Abstract [eng] |
Selective laser etching (SLE) is a universal manufacturing technology that allows the formation of complex microchannels, cuts in transparent materials, and various 3D components from glass or sapphire. Sharply focused femtosecond laser irradiation induces localized changes in the physical and chemical properties of transparent materials. Depending on the processing conditions, the etching rate of laser-modified glass areas become significantly higher than that of unmodified glass. However, one of the main challenges of this process is the strong dependence of the etching rate on the polarization orientation. A potential solution to this problem is to use radially or azimuthally polarized laser beams, whose polarization fields would help form symmetric channel structures inside the glass, effectively eliminating the need to control the polarization and at the same time speeding up the laser machining process, as the speed is no longer limited by mechanical components. |
