Rapid prototyping of silica glass microstructures by the LIBWE method: Fabrication of deep microtrenches

We have constructed a system for surface-microstructuring transparent materials, such as silica glass, using laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE), which includes an excimer laser and a mask projection system. In this report, we describe the advantages of the LIBWE method and present various results showing deep microtrenches fabricated using this method. We examine the applicability of this method to rapid prototyping, and propose a mechanism for the formation of deep microtrenches.