Backside etching of fused silica with ultra-short laser pulses at the interface to absorbing liquid

Abstract

The etching of fused silica substrates by employing the process of laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) using the laser radiation of a 248nm, 500fs excimer laser and a 775nm, 130fs Ti:sapphire is presented here for the first time. Etched volume results are presented in combination with topological investigations of the etched areas performed by SEM scans, revealing new aspects of the nature and products of the process. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.