
Proceedings Paper
Characterization of fused silica specimens exposed to low-energy femtosecond laser pulses using a sub-micron resolution, thermal techniqueFormat | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
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Paper Abstract
Low-energy femtosecond laser pulses (typically in the tenth of nJ per pulse regimes at 250kHz) focused into fused silica
substrates induce various modifications in the material properties of the base material, including a localized increase of
the refractive index. Related sub-microns periodic structures found in the laser-exposed regions have also been recently
described by several authors. The characterization of the laser-affected zones is particularly challenging due to their
small sizes - typically micron or sub-micron. Experimental methods previously reported have either limited spatial
resolution or require additional material processing to reveal the zone of interest, leaving open questions related to the
influence of the processing itself. Using an Atomic Force Microscope equipped with a thermal probe, we recently
published that low-energy femtosecond laser pulses leave thermal conductivity change footprints. The thermal footprints
match very well the zone where a higher refractive index is observed. This novel analytical method does not require any
processing of the surface prior to the observation and yields high-quality, sub-micron resolution, maps of the laser
affected zones. Furthermore, it also opens new interesting and fundamental questions on the effect of femtosecond laser
irradiation on fused silica. In this paper, we report on systematic observations made on fused silica specimens exposed to
various pulse energies under different polarization conditions. We analyze and discuss the effect of the laser exposure on
the thermal properties of the fused silica substrate.
Paper Details
Date Published: 20 February 2008
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 6881, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII, 68810Y (20 February 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.768769
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6881:
Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII
Joseph Neev; Stefan Nolte; Alexander Heisterkamp; Christopher B. Schaffer, Editor(s)
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 6881, Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII, 68810Y (20 February 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.768769
Show Author Affiliations
Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6881:
Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII
Joseph Neev; Stefan Nolte; Alexander Heisterkamp; Christopher B. Schaffer, Editor(s)
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