Improved laser glass cutting by spatio-temporal control of energy deposition using bursts of femtosecond pulses

K. Mishchik (1) , R. Beuton (2) , O. Dematteo Caulier (2) , Stefan Skupin (3) , B. Chimier (2) , G. Duchateau (2) , B. Chassagne (4) , R. Kling (5) , C. Honninger (1) , E. Mottay (1) , And J Lopez (2)

1 Amplitude Systèmes
2 CELIA - Centre d'Etudes Lasers Intenses et Applications
3 ILM - Institut Lumière Matière [Villeurbanne]
4 ALPhANOV
5 alphanov

We demonstrate the advantage of combining non-diffractive beam shapes and femtosecond bursts for volume laser processing of transparent materials. By redistribution of the single laser pulse energy into several sub-pulses with 25 ns time delay, the energy deposition in the material can be enhanced significantly. Our combined experimental and theoretical analysis shows that in burst-mode detrimental defocusing by the laser generated plasma is reduced, and the non-diffractive beam shape prevails. At the same time, heat accumulation during the interaction with the burst leads to temperatures high enough to induce material melting and even in-volume cracks. In an exemplary case study, we demonstrate that the formation of these cracks can be controlled to allow high-speed and high-quality glass cutting.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]; Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]; Physique des plasmas [physics.plasm-ph]

K. Mishchik, R. Beuton, O. Dematteo Caulier, Stefan Skupin, B. Chimier, et al.. Improved laser glass cutting by spatio-temporal control of energy deposition using bursts of femtosecond pulses. Optics Express, 2017, 25 (26), ⟨10.1364/OE.25.033271⟩. ⟨hal-01671239⟩