Abstract

High quality sheet muscovite mica is a natural mineral with numerous applications in electronics and science. Flexible electronics and energy storage are significant research topics involving it at this time. Its many uses rely on its physical characteristics: being transparent (fig. 1(a)), electrically insulating, chemically inert, flexible, elastic, infusible, birefringent, having a high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, low thermal conductivity, and a perfect cleavage plane within its crystal structure. The latter leads to its ubiquitous use as an atomically flat, clean substrate. Muscovite’s potential as a 2D material is also starting to gain attention (eg. [1]). High quality sheet muscovite is assumed to be a staple commodity. Most research publications using it as a substrate omit its source and report no characterization of the muscovite. An assumption is made by researchers that the muscovite is equivalent to that used by all others. Our studies, of a single fs laser pulse interacting with high quality sheet muscovite, conclude this is not always appropriate. Our studies have been conducted with two different laser systems.

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