Consolidation of flame hydrolysis deposited silica with a 9.3 µm wavelength CO ₂ laser

Abstract

Consolidation of flame hydrolysis deposited silica soot with a 9.3 µm CO2 laser has been demonstrated. A range of laser parameters were investigated and the surface roughness of the resulting silica layers were characterised with a stylus profiler and white light interferometer. The surface roughness parameters were Ra = 68.9 nm, Rq = 83.8 nm perpendicular to the trajectory of the translated laser beam for a speed of 300 mm s-1 and an average laser power of 42.5 W, and Ra = 29.5 nm, Rq = 36.18 nm along the trajectory of the translated laser beam for a speed of 250 mm s-1 and an average laser power of 35.8 W.

Microwave Consolidation of Photosensitive Planar Glass Layers

“…Longer cooling times are also associated with crystal growth, which can contribute to increased propagation loss. Consolidation through other means than furnace consolidation, such as with a CO 2 laser [4], has completely different thermodynamics, which would likely affct internal stresses, photosensitivity and diffusion.. Here we present a technique using a SiC-lined kiln with low thermal mass within a standard kitchen microwave (Sharp R270SLM) to rapidly heat and cool a silica soot layer, achieving consolidation in under 20 minutes.…”