Characteristics of laser absorption and welding in FOTURAN glass by ultrashort laser pulses

The nonlinear absorptivity of FOTURAN glass to ultrashort laser pulses is evaluated by experimental measurement and thermal conduction model at different parameters including energy and repetition rate of the laser pulse, translation speed and thermal properties of the sample. The mechanical strength of an embedded laser-melted sample and an overlapped weld sample is determined by a three-point-bending test and a shear test, respectively. The results are related to the average absorbed laser power W-ab. We found the mechanical strength of an overlapped weld joint to be as high as that of the base material for low W-ab, if the sample pair is pre-bonded to provide optical contact. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America