Abstract

Femtosecond laser pulses represent an exceptionally versatile tool for micromachining dielectric materials, with applications ranging from ablation, drilling or dicing, to more peculiar capabilites such as optical waveguide writing or the FLICE technology (Femtosecond Laser Irradiation followed By Chemical Etching) [1]. According to the latter method, tracks with arbitrary 3D paths are laser-inscribed in the substrate subsequently exposed to a proper chemical agent (typically hydrofluoric acid or potassium hydroxide). Such tracks yield a higher etching rate with respect to the raw substrate, thus enabling buried microchannels or other hollow structures to be excavated in the substrate with high precision.

© 2019 IEEE