CO₂ lasers are uniquely suited for processing glass and optical materials due to their strong absorption in the infrared range. This enables highly localized heating and controlled energy deposition, allowing precise shaping, modification, and joining of glass components without introducing mechanical stress or contamination.
Compared to conventional methods, laser-based processing offers superior control, repeatability, and flexibility, in particularly for complex geometries, non-spherical surfaces, and sensitive optical applications.
Optical Component Shaping
Precision shaping of glass components such as freeform lens surfaces, diffractive optical elements, beam shapers, fiber tapers, and integrated optical assemblies.
Localized CO₂ laser heating enables controlled material removal and reflow with nanometer-scale precision. The non-contact nature of the process eliminates tool wear and avoids subsurface damage, resulting in smooth geometries and high optical quality.
- Stable output for repeatable surface interaction
- Fast modulation for controlled energy deposition
- Well suited for high-precision glass shaping
Surface Polishing
Selective laser polishing reduces surface roughness through controlled reflow of the material.
This process improves optical quality, minimizes scattering losses, and can increase damage thresholds compared to conventional mechanical polishing. It is particularly advantageous for non-spherical or freeform surfaces where traditional polishing methods become complex, time-consuming, or inconsistent.
- Stable output for repeatable surface interaction
- Fast modulation for controlled energy deposition
- Well suited for high-precision glass shaping
Glass Welding
Non-contact joining of glass components enables hermetic sealing and the fabrication of microfluidic and optical assemblies without adhesives.
CO₂ laser welding relies on localized heating at the interface, creating a controlled melt zone that solidifies into a strong, transparent bond. The process minimizes thermal stress and avoids contamination, making it well suited for precision applications such as lab-on-chip devices, optical packaging, and sealed sensor systems.
- Stable output for repeatable surface interaction
- Fast modulation for controlled energy deposition
- Well suited for high-precision glass shaping
Microstructuring
Creation of fine features such as channels, vias, holes, and surface patterns in glass substrates.
CO₂ laser-based microstructuring enables rapid and flexible fabrication of functional features for optics, sensing, and microfluidics. By controlling energy deposition and scanning strategies, feature size, depth, and geometry can be precisely tuned, enabling both prototyping and scalable production of structured glass components.
- Stable output for repeatable surface interaction
- Fast modulation for controlled energy deposition
- Well suited for high-precision glass shaping
Why Access Laser
All of these processes share a common requirement: the achievable result scales non-linearly with the stability and quality of the input laser beam.
Access Laser CO₂ systems are specifically engineered to deliver exceptional power stability, wavelength control, and beam quality. This enables highly consistent thermal interaction, precise energy delivery, and reduced process noise, all critical for repeatable, high-precision glass processing. Stable output power and single-wavelength operation ensure predictable material interaction, while excellent pointing stability and fast modulation capability enable dynamic control of the process.
- Stable output power for repeatable thermal processing
- High beam quality for precise energy delivery
- Wavelength selection optimized for glass interaction
- Fast modulation capability for dynamic process control