SELECTIVE LASER ETCHING
Selective laser etching is a two-step process. First, the volume of glass or sapphire is modified by ultra-short radiation, then the material is chemically etched away. In this way mechanically stable and durable structures can be created.
Examples
3D nozzle
For high pressured gases with variable diameter in micro scale (narrowest channel – up to a few micrometers)
Array of blind micro holes in fused silica
The surrounded material in not thermally affected resulting in clear and vertical edges with no mechanical defects, the holes are without a taper. Doi.org/10.1117/12.2286906
Array of hexagon shaped holes
Micro-holes in 500 µm thickness fused silica. Overall size of such array can be up to 16 cm x 16 cm.
Free movable ball chain
3D structure of fused silica – movable joint-like connections
Geneva mechanism
Movable 3D structure of fused silica.
Micro-mechanical parts
Mechanically rigid and transparent in the spectrum range from UV to IR