Transversal and axial modulation of axicon-generated Bessel beams using amplitude and phase masks for glass processing applications.

The control of laser-induced microcracks in the volume of transparent materials is essential for scribing processes. In this paper, we investigate the effect of various amplitude and single-level phase masks on both transverse and axial intensity distribution of the conventional axicon-generated Bessel beams. Furthermore, we demonstrate the volumetric crack control induced by an asymmetrical central core with an appropriately selected intensity level to avoid the influence of peripheral intensity maxima. Proper alignment of cracks and intra-distance between the modifications results in the reduced separation stress of the scribed samples. Furthermore, the additional amplitude modulation of the incident Gaussian beam is introduced to flatten the axial intensity distribution of the axicon-generated Bessel beam.

Quality and flexural strength of laser-cut glass: classical top-down ablation versus water-assisted and bottom-up machining.

The growing applicability of glass materials drives the development of novel processing methods, which usually lack comprehensive comparison to conventional or state-of-art ones. That is especially delicate for assessing the flexural strength of glass, which is highly dependent on many factors. This paper compares the traditional top-down laser ablation methods in the air to those assisted with a flowing water film using picosecond pulses. Furthermore, the bottom-up cutting method using picosecond and nanosecond pulses is investigated as well. The cutting quality, sidewall roughness, subsurface damage and the four-point bending strength of 1 mm-thick soda-lime glass are evaluated. The flexural strength of top-down cut samples is highly reduced due to heat accumulation-induced cracks, strictly orientated along the sidewall. The subsurface crack propagation can be reduced using water-assisted processing, leading to the highest flexural strength among investigated techniques. Although bottom-up cut samples have lower flexural strength than water-assisted, bottom-up technology allows us to achieve higher cutting speed, taper-less sidewalls, and better quality on the rear side surface and is preferable for thick glass processing.

In-depth comparison of conventional glass cutting technologies with laser-based methods by volumetric scribing using Bessel beam and rear-side machining.

With the development of industrial lasers and novel glass processing techniques, which offer high speed, quality and precision, this becomes an attractive alternative to conventional methods, such as mechanical scribing and cleaving, diamond saw and waterjet cutting, commonly used in the industry. However, the emerging techniques lack thorough validation with respect to well-established methods. To this end, we present a detailed comparison of different glass cutting methods, taking into account surface quality, side-wall roughness, residual stresses and flexural strength. In addition, samples were examined after fracture, and the flexural strength was estimated according to the quarter elliptical corner flaws, which were the main reason of glass failure. Two laser glass processing techniques were investigated - the rear-side glass processing with tightly focused nanosecond laser pulses and sub-nanosecond laser volumetric scribing with asymmetrical Bessel beam. Results were compared to mechanical scribing and breaking, diamond saw and waterjet cutting.

Laser wakefield accelerated electron beams and betatron radiation from multijet gas targets.

Laser Plasma Wakefield Accelerated (LWFA) electron beams and efficiency of betatron X-ray sources is studied using laser micromachined supersonic gas jet nozzle arrays. Separate sections of the target are used for the injection, acceleration and enhancement of electron oscillation. In this report, we present the results of LWFA and X-ray generation using dynamic gas density grid built by shock-waves of colliding jets. The experiment was done with the 40 TW, 35 fs laser at the Lund Laser Centre. Electron energies of 30-150 MeV and 1.0 × 108-5.5 × 108 photons per shot of betatron radiation have been measured. The implementation of the betatron source with separate regions of LWFA and plasma density grid raised the efficiency of X-ray generation and increased the number of photons per shot by a factor of 2-3 relative to a single-jet gas target source.

Laser-fabricated axicons challenging the conventional optics in glass processing applications.

Laser-based fabrication can be an alternative technology to mechanical grinding and polishing processes. However, the performance of these elements in real applications still needs to be validated. In this paper, we demonstrate that the subtractive fabrication technology is able to produce high-quality axicons from fused silica, which can be efficiently used for glass processing. We comprehensively investigate axicons, fabricated by ultrashort pulsed laser ablation with subsequent CO2 laser polishing, and compare their performance with commercially available axicons. We show that laser-fabricated axicons are comparable in quality with a precision commercial axicon. Furthermore, we demonstrate the intra-volume glass modification and dicing, utilising mJ-level laser pulses. We show that the tilting operation of the laser-fabricated axicons results in the formation of directional transverse cracks, which significantly enhance the 1 mm-thick glass dicing process.

High-density gas capillary nozzles manufactured by hybrid 3D laser machining technique from fused silica.

In this report, an efficient hybrid laser technique, nanosecond laser rear-side processing and femtosecond laser-assisted selective etching (FLSE) for the manufacturing of high-density gas capillary targets, is demonstrated. Cylindrical capillary nozzles for laser betatron X-ray sources were numerically simulated, manufactured from fused silica by 3D laser inscription and characterized using interferometry and gas density reconstruction. The dependence of gas concentration profiles on the wall roughness of cylindrical channels is presented.

Aberration-controlled Bessel beam processing of glass.

It is known that Bessel beam generation with a non-ideal axicon induces beam pattern distortions. In this paper, we introduce a simple method for non-ideal axicon-generated Bessel beam reconstruction by tilting the axicon perpendicular to its optical axis. We found an optimum axicon tilt angle where beam distortions can be compensated by inducing additional astigmatic aberrations. At optimal tilt angle, the central spot symmetry and focal depth was increased. By this method we could control crack formation symmetry in the bulk of glass, which is essential for many transparent material processing applications.

Non-ideal axicon-generated Bessel beam application for intra-volume glass modification.

The extended focal depth of Bessel beams is a very attracting property for glass cutting applications. However, Bessel beam generation with a non-ideal conical lens induces beam pattern distortions. We present our novel results on bulk modifications of soda-lime glass using a non-ideal axicon-generated Bessel beam. Modelling of the Bessel beam pattern and experimental measurements indicated ellipticity of the central core diameter. That resulted in the formation of cracks in a transverse direction inside the bulk of glass. Furthermore, we demonstrate the possibility to control the transverse crack propagation direction, which is crucial in the case of glass cutting applications.