Enhanced chemical etch rate of borosilicate glass via spatially resolved laser-generated color centers

Serkov, A. A.; Snelling, H. V.

Abstract

© 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. In this work, it is shown that controllable increases in chemical reactivity of borosilicate glass can be induced through spatially resolved femtosecond laser irradiation at fluence values significantly lower than the damage threshold. The hydrofluoric acid etch rate has been found to be closely correlated to the reduction in optical transmission of the glass at 488 nm, which is, in turn, governed by the production of boron-oxygen hole centers. The combination of laser irradiation below the ablation threshold followed by chemical etching is shown to yield surfaces that have a roughness lower than those achieved by either laser or chemical etching alone. Application of this effect to the manufacture of freeform Laplacian optics is demonstrated.

Citation

Serkov, A. A., & Snelling, H. V. (2020). Enhanced chemical etch rate of borosilicate glass via spatially resolved laser-generated color centers. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 53(13), Article 135306. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ab6515

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 23, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Dec 23, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 22, 2020
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 24, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
• Print ISSN: 0022-3727
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 13
• Article Number: 135306
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ab6515
• Keywords: Acoustics and Ultrasonics; Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials; Surfaces, Coatings and Films; Condensed Matter Physics
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3334639