Demands for producing micro-crack free, high quality & high-aspect ratio microholes & microfeatures in glass substrates have been increasing for a number of applications. In this study, short pulse solid-state lasers with pulse duration in the ns to fs range were used to process different types of glass materials. The effect of the pulse duration & other process parameters on the machined features was analysed to reveal the underlying thermal effects & nonlinear processes. Edge quality, circularity, aspect ratio, formation of the redeposit material & machining rate were also studied with respect to the process variables such as focusing optics, laser power, wavelength & repetition rate. Arrays of drilled micro-hole patterns & fabricated microfeatures are demonstrated with discussions on their potential applications.
