Surface Morphology and Ablation Efficiency in DUV Ultrafast Laser Micromachining of Fused Silica

Fused silica is a key material for high-precision applications such as micro-optics and microfluidics. One route to improving direct laser writing (DLW) of fused silica is the use of shorter laser wavelengths, which enable tighter focusing and enhanced absorption. In this study, the influence of process parameters on surface quality and material removal during DLW using a deep ultraviolet (DUV) ultrafast laser (257 nm, 1 ps) was investigated. A full-factorial design of the experiment was used to identify conditions that optimise both surface quality and ablation efficiency. Surface roughness as low as Sa ≈ 200 nm and material removal rates up to 0.048 mm³∙min-1 were achieved. Conditions that led to surface degradation were also identified. Finally, the optimised parameters were applied to fabricate a microfluidic demonstrator. These results confirm that DUV ultrafast DLW is a powerful technique for fabricating high-fidelity features in fused silica with exceptional precision and quality that can be used for micro-optics or microfluidics devices.