Laser-assisted chemical etching of ceramic materials has been attracting co
ntinuous attention as a laser microfabrication technique with relatively lo
w power levels. In this study, in order to improve the accuracy of etching
depth and diameter, the application of a quartz beam-guide to the pulsed Nd
:YAG laser-assisted etching process is proposed. By using this technique, p
ossibilities of high-precision hole drilling with high aspect ratio and uni
form surface etching in the radial direction of the beam using a beam-homog
enizing effect of the beam-guide have been investigated for Al2O3 ceramics
immersed in H3PO4 solution at room temperature. The results revealed that:
(1) the distance between the beam-guide surface and the workpiece surface d
ominates the surface etching rate; (2) by using the beam-guide, the beam-ho
mogenizing effect in the radial direction of the beam at the surface is con
firmed; and (3) possibilities of uniform surface etching and high-precision
hole drilling are demonstrated by applying the beam-homogenizing effects o
f the beam-guide. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.