Micromachining Transparent Materials by Femtosecond Laser

We used 790-nm, 130-fs laser pulses for micromachining transparent materials including acrylic resin, quartz, diamond, and polyvinyl chloride. Using this technique, even 20 mm thick acrylic resin could bedrilled in 15 minutes, while a precise cut 20μm in width was produced in acrylic resin 0.5 mm thick. However, cracks were produced by the technique when used to drill or cut quartz plate. A 1-mm micro-gear was fabricated using acrylic resin.