High-throughput microchannel fabrication in fused silica by temporally shaped femtosecond laser Bessel-beam-assisted chemical etching

We proposed combining temporally shaped (double-pulse train) laser pulses with spatially shaped (Bessel beam) laser pulses. By using a temporally shaped femtosecond laser Bessel-beam-assisted chemical etching method, the energy deposition efficiency was improved by adjusting the pulse delay to yield a stronger material modification and, thus, a higher etching depth. The etching depth was enhanced by a factor of 13 using the temporally shaped Bessel beam. The mechanism of etching depth enhancement was elucidated by localized transient-free electrons dynamics-induced structural and morphological changes. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was conducted to verify the structural changes inside the material. This method enables high-throughput, high-aspect-ratio microchannel fabrication in fused silica for potential applications in microfluidics. (c) 2017 Optical Society of America