Microbump formation during CO$_2$ laser texturing of glass substrates is examined in this paper. Experimental results show that different bump shapes (dome-shaped, with a central dimple, and with a peripheral rim) are generated depending on the laser fluence. A theoretical model for the process is suggested based on thermoelastic behavior but limited only to the dome-shaped bump. The dimensions (maximum height and base area) of the bump shows a logarithmic dependence on laser fluence as expected from the theory. Numerical computation reveals that the effect of thermal diffusion is not negligible for relatively long laser pulses.