It is a big challenge to weld two materials with large differences in coefficients of thermal expansion and melting points. Here we report that the welding between fused silica (softening point, 1720 degrees C) and SiC wafer (melting point, 3100 degrees C) is achieved with a near infrared femtosecond laser at 800 nm. Elements are observed to have a spatial distribution gradient within the cross section of welding line, revealing that mixing and inter-diffusion of substances have occurred during laser irradiation. This is attributed to the femtosecond laser induced local phase transition and volume expansion. Through optimizing the welding parameters, pulse energy and interval of the welding lines, a shear joining strength as high as 15.1 MPa is achieved. In addition, the influence mechanism of the laser ablation on welding quality of the sample without pre-optical contact is carefully studied by measuring the laser induced interface modification. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America