On the abnormal temperature dependent elastic properties of fused silica irradiated by ultrafast lasers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that femtosecond laser irradiation can significantly reduce the temperature coefficient of elasticity in fused silica, enhancing its stability for precision device applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel laser-induced modification technique that locally decreases the TCE of fused silica by over 50%, revealing a new method to improve material stability.

Findings

Laser irradiation reduces TCE in fused silica by over 50%.

Densified zones within the laser-modified area cause the TCE decrease.

Self-organized laser modifications enable thermal-invariant elastic properties.

Abstract

Materials with thermal-invariant elastic properties of materials are of interest for resonant device frequency and dimensional stability of precision devices. Here, we demonstrate that the temperature coefficient of elasticity (TCE) of amorphous silica can be locally reduced using femtosecond laser irradiation. Notably, a self-organized laser-induced modification shows a decrease of the TCE beyond 50%. The origin of this dramatic decrease is attributed to the presence of sub-micron permanent densified zones within the fine multi-layers structure of the laser-modified zone.