3D target shape retention within selective laser-induced etching (SLE) via simulation of chemical etching

This study introduces an adapted method to optimize the macroscopic shape of 3D glass components with microscopic features fabricated using Selective Laser-induced Etching (SLE). The challenge with fabricating large glass components is that longer etching times lead to deviations from the target shape due to the etching of pristine material. To address this challenge, the chemical etching step is simulated using a reaction-diffusion cellular automata system modeling the etching of fused silica by KOH. The simulation is calibrated and validated with measured etching rates, considering changes in local KOH concentration. This method has the potential to enable precise geometrical optimization for large-scale glass components in SLE processes with micrometer precision features.