Micro-channels over the glass surface made by interaction of Ar+ laser beam and Ag+/Na+ ion-exchanged glasses

Micro-channels are made over the Ag+/Na+ ion-exchanged soda-lime glass surface by interaction of an intense Ar+ laser beam and the silver ions inside the glass matrix. The Ar+ laser beam reduces the Ag+ ions inside the matrix. The Ag+ atoms aggregate into silver nano-clusters around the interaction area, inside the glass matrix. Aggregation of the silver atoms and the thermal effects of the interaction, changes the geometrical profile of the glass surface. This phenomenon has been used to produce micro-sized channels over the glass surface. During the interaction the glass has moved under the focused laser beam in two dimensions by resolution of 300 nm via a computer controlled xyz sub-micro-positioner to produce the channel walls. Using this technique, micro-channels of 0.3 μm deep and arbitrary width have been made. The height of the produced wall has been determined by interferometry techniques.