PNNL

Abstract

Femtosecond laser pulses were used to initiate microexplosions in baseline, Al2O3-doped, and La2O3-doped sodium tellurite glasses. Single or multiple-shots were used in the experiments. Writing of simple structures (periodic array of voxels as well as lines) was demonstrated. The regions of microexplosion and writing were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) postmortem. Fingerprints of microexplosions, concentric lines within the region and a concentric ring outside the region due to shock wave generated during the microexplosions were evident. In the case of the baseline glass, no chemistry change was observed within the region of microexplosion. But, Al2O3-doped and La2O3-doped glasses showed depletion of the dopant from the edge to the center of the region of microexplosions, indicating chemistry gradient within the regions. Interrogation of the bulk and laser-treated regions using micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed no structural change due the microexplosions and writing within these glasses. These data were attributed to the localization of the effect to small regions due to tightly focused laser pulses used in the experiments.