Selective activation of material property changes in photostructurable glass ceramic materials by laser photophysical excitation

Abstract

We propose a novel approach to material processing: one that implements laser photoexcitation in a direct-write scheme to establish initial excitation states in a protean material that enables the regulation of a particular phase transformation pathway. The effect of regulating the phase transformation process is the controlled alteration of a specific material property. As a test of the concept, we have investigated a class of photostructurable glass ceramics (PSGCs) of the lithium aluminosilicate family. By controlling the incident laser irradiance (i.e., the material exposure), we can affect the material solubility, optical transmission, and material hardness following the phase transformation process. To further enhance the fidelity of the laser photo-induced reaction process, we have developed a scheme that permits the controlled delivery of laser photons during complex motion patterning maneuvers.