Fabrication of microstructures in photoetchable glass ceramics using excimer and femtosecond lasers

We discuss laser fabrication of microstructures in photoetchable glass ceramics called Foturan (Schott Company, Elmsford, NY). A KrF excimer laser (= 248 nm, = 25 ns) is used for surface micromachining, and a femtosecond laser (= 800 nm, = 80 fs) is used for fabricating 3-D structures. Important aspects of the machining, such as depth of machining resulting from different laser processing parameters and threshold laser fluences, are presented. A detailed analysis of the absorption process of both lasers in photoetchable glass ceramics is provided.