Generation of Vector Bessel Beams and their Application for Laser Microprocessing of Transparent Materials

Abstract

Bessel beams are perfect candidates for laser microprocessing of transparent materials due to generation of high aspect ratio micro voids [1], and ability to control micro crack formation enables to efficiently cut them [2, 3]. The crack propagation direction is controlled by inducing asymmetry to beam profile [3], and allows ultra-fast glass cutting over non-straight lines. The laser-matter interaction of various nondiffracting beams is heavily investigated and their utilisation for laser microprocessing is soon to be expected. Vector beams that are more exotic than scalar counterparts and can have additional beneficial properties for micro-manufacturing of materials. For instance, vector Bessel beam has a doughnut shaped intensity profile with complex spatial distribution of polarisation and can be de-composed to two transverse polarisation intensity components [4].