Laser-induced micro-dome formation on glass

The micro-dome formation process uses a commercial continuous wave CO2 laser that operates near the peak wavelength of the Si-O absorption in glass. An acousto-optic modulator is used to generate train pulses that are subsequently focused onto a translating alumino-silicate glass surface. Depending on the pulse energy and pulse duration, a single micro-dome of variable height and width is formed for each pulse interaction with the surface. Plots of micro-dome height versus incident laser pulse energy display a sharp thresholding effect. As the pulse duration is increased, both the threshold energy and the dome height asymptote increase.