Structural changes in femtosecond laser modified regions inside fused silica

Abstract

Structural characterization of photomodified microvolumes formed by tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses inside silica glass was carried out using synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The observed distinct separation between the O-O and Si-Si pair correlation peaks can be interpreted as a phase separation induced by microexplosions at the focal volume. The mechanisms of structural transitions induced by femtosecond laser pulses inside dielectrics are discussed.