Laser induced exfoliational splashing in glass materials

The aim of this work was to observe the effects of IR radiation (1.064 μm) on glass materials in the context of exfoliational splashing. The selected samples, borosilicate and soda lime glasses, were irradiated by a Q-switched nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 1.1 MW power with 10 mJ pulse energy. The samples were irradiated for 1, 5 and 400 laser shorts. The exposed samples (soda glass and borosilicate glass) were then studied under transmission digital optical microscope (MOTIC DMB series). The results reveal that for single short exposure, cracking phenomenon is dominant in both samples due to rapid heat transformation by laser radiation or/and high temperature resistance of the samples. The cracking initiates the exfoliational splashing and sputtering for further laser shots regardless of the nature of the glass.