The liquid-assisted micromachining methods include methods of processing a substrate made of a transparent dielectric material. A working surface of the substrate is placed in contact with a liquid-assist medium that comprises fluorine. A focused pulsed laser beam is directed through a first substrate surface and through the opposite working surface to form a focus spot in the liquid-assist medium. The focus spot is then moved over a motion path from its initial position in the liquid-assist medium through the substrate body in the general direction from the working surface to the first surface to create a modification of the transparent dielectric material that defines in the body a core portion. The core portion is removed to form the substrate feature, which can be a through or closed fiber hole that supports one or more optical fibers. Optical components formed using the processed substrate are also disclosed.

A method for forming features in transparent dielectric materials is described. The method includes laser micromachining of a transparent dielectric material. The transparent dielectric material is in contact with a liquid containing a fluorinated compound. Features formed by the method have low surface roughness and highly uniform linear dimensions.

A processing device and a processing method for a solid structure are used to perform a processing procedure on the solid structure. The processing device for the solid structure of the invention provides energy to the solid structure by various electromagnetic radiation sources to cause the solid structure to generate qualitative changes or defects, that is, to form a modified layer. Stress and/or hardness of the modified layer are/is different from that of other non-processed areas.

A liquid supply mechanism disposed over a holding unit of laser processing apparatus includes a liquid chamber having a circular-disc-shaped transparent plate positioned to form a gap between the circular-disc-shaped transparent plate and an upper surface of the workpiece held by the holding table, a liquid supply nozzle that supplies a liquid from one side of the liquid chamber to the gap, a liquid discharge nozzle that discharges the liquid from the other side of the liquid chamber, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the circular-disc-shaped transparent plate and generates a flow velocity in the liquid supplied to the gap. The laser beam irradiation unit includes a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam and a condenser that condenses the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and irradiates the workpiece with the laser beam transmitted through the transparent plate and the liquid supplied to the gap.

A liquid supply mechanism disposed at an upper portion of a holding unit includes a liquid chamber having a transparent plate positioned to form a gap between itself and an upper surface of a workpiece held on a holding table, a roller formed of a transparent member that is disposed in a non-contact state at a position proximate to an upper surface of the workpiece held on the holding table inside the liquid chamber and that produces a flow of a liquid on the workpiece; a motor rotating the roller, a liquid supply nozzle supplying the liquid into the gap from one side of the liquid chamber, and a liquid discharge nozzle discharging the liquid from the other side of the liquid chamber. A laser beam is applied to the workpiece through the transparent plate, the roller, and the liquid supplied into the gap.

A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator, a condenser adapted to focus the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and apply the laser beam to a workpiece, and a liquid jetting apparatus disposed at a lower end portion of the condenser and adapted to jet a liquid to an upper surface of the workpiece. The liquid jetting apparatus includes: a transparent plate disposed at the lower end portion of the condenser and permitting transmission therethrough of the laser beam; a casing provided with a space defined by a ceiling wall composed of the transparent plate, side walls, and a bottom wall; an opening formed in the bottom plate, extending in a processing feeding direction, and permitting passage therethrough of the laser beam focused by the condenser; and a liquid supply section adapted to supply the liquid to the casing.

A laser processing apparatus includes a liquid supply mechanism at an upper portion of a holding unit. The liquid supply mechanism includes: a liquid chamber provided with a transparent plate located with a gap formed between the transparent plate and an upper surface of a workpiece held by the holding table; a liquid supply nozzle adapted to supply a liquid to the gap from one side of the liquid chamber; and a liquid discharge nozzle adapted to recover the liquid from the other side of the liquid chamber, to produce a flow of the liquid. A laser beam applying unit includes a condenser adapted to focus a laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator, to apply the laser beam to the workpiece held by the holding table through the transparent plate and the liquid supplied to the gap.

A method for laser processing of workpieces in liquid, the method including the following steps: providing a workpiece in a process chamber filled with a liquid; focusing pulsed laser radiation on a surface of the workpiece using a focusing unit; producing a relative movement between the focused laser radiation and the workpiece surface using a positioning unit; detecting a gas bubble in a predefined detection region using a detection unit; and conducting a first action to avoid or reduce interaction effects between the laser radiation and the detected gas bubble.

A method for laser processing of workpieces in liquid, the method including the following steps: providing a workpiece in a process chamber filled with a liquid; focusing pulsed laser radiation on a surface of the workpiece using a focusing unit; producing a relative movement between the focused laser radiation and the workpiece surface using a positioning unit; detecting a gas bubble in a predefined detection region using a detection unit; and conducting a first action to avoid or reduce interaction effects between the laser radiation and the detected gas bubble.

A laser machining device uses laser light to machine a workpiece disposed in a light-blocking liquid having light-blocking properties. A nozzle unit for the laser machining device includes an inner nozzle through which the laser light passes, a gas outlet port that blows a gas toward the workpiece in order to remove the light-blocking liquid from between the inner nozzle and the workpiece, and a swirler that causes the gas to swirl.