Fabrication of glass microstructure using laser-induced backside wet etching

The good light permeability and hardness of glass allow it to be used in various fields. Non-conventional machining methods have been used for glass machining because of its brittle properties. As one non-contact machining method, a laser has advantages that include a high machining speed and the fact that no tool making is required. However, glass has light permeability. Thus, the use of a laser to machine glass has limitations. A nanosecond pulse laser can be used at low power for laser-induced backside wet etching, which is an indirect method. In previous studies, a short-wave laser that had good light absorption but a high price was used. In this study, a near-infrared laser was used to test the possibility of glass micro-machining. In particular, when deeper machining was conducted on a glass structure, more problems could result. To solve these problems, microstructure manufacturing was conducted using ultrasonic vibration.