Femtosecond laser writing of glass, including borosilicate, sulfide, and lead glasses
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsBruce G. Aitken, Nicholas F. Borrelli, David L. Morse, Alexander Streltsov
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Abstract
A method of writing a pattern, such as a waveguide, in a bulk glass substrate. The bulk glass substrate can be formed from, for example, borosilicate or sulfide or lead glass. A pulsed laser beam is focused within the substrate while the focus is translated relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path. Substantially no laser induced physical damage of the material is incurred along the scan path. Various optical devices can be made using this method.
Claims19
A method of writing a pattern in a bulk glass substrate having an absorption edge (λg), comprising focusing a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength (λex) such that λg∠λex∠2λg,
- at a focus within said substrate while translating the focus relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path relative to that of the unexposed material while incurring substantially no laser induced breakdown of the material along the scan path,
- wherein the bulk glass substrate comprises a borosilicate glass.
A method of writing a pattern in a bulk glass substrate having an absorption edge (λg), comprising focusing a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength (λex) such that λg∠λex∠2λg,
- at a focus within said substrate while translating the focus relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path relative to that of the unexposed material while incurring substantially no laser induced breakdown of the material along the scan path,
- wherein the bulk glass substrate comprises a sulfide glass.
A method of writing a pattern in a bulk glass substrate having an absorption edge (λg), comprising focusing a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength (λex) such that λg∠λex∠2λg,
- at a focus within said substrate while translating the focus relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path relative to that of the unexposed material while incurring substantially no laser induced breakdown of the material along the scan path,
- wherein the bulk glass substrate comprises a lead glass.
A method of writing a pattern in a bulk glass substrate selected from the group consisting of borosilicate, sulfide, and lead glass comprising focusing a femtosecond pulsed laser beam at a focus within said substrate while translating the focus relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path relative to that of the unexposed material while incurring substantially no laser induced breakdown of the material along the scan path.
A method of writing a pattern in a bulk glass substrate having an absorption edge (λg), comprising focusing a pulsed laser beam having a wavelength (λex) such that λg∠λex∠2λg,
- at a focus within said substrate while translating the focus relative to the substrate along a scan path at a scan speed effective to induce an increase in the refractive index of the material along the scan path relative to that of the unexposed material while incurring substantially no laser induced breakdown of the material along the scan path,
- wherein the pulse energy is within the range from about 0.5 nJ to about 10 nJ.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.