Please explain to me on the basis of transparent glass like sapphire, fused silica etc.
I am not sure if I understand exactly what you are asking for. Nonetheless, I understand cleavage as disruption of crystalline material in direction of some crystallographic planes. This term is especially important for monocrystal handling when well defined surface can be obtained. I have never heard this term in connection with glasses.
And etching is chemical process when surface of material is removed via chemical reaction. It can be wet (solution based) or dry (plasma based), isotropic or anisotropic, …
Also be careful, sapphire is not glass as you wrote in question, it is crystalline form of Al2O3. Amorphous Al2O3 is called alumina.
Furthermore...In general, these two techniques of material "cutting" have a direct impact on the surface of this "cut" area. The cleavage will provide smoother surfaces than chemical etching (wet or plasma). If the aim is to perform afterward a surface analysis (in the "cut" area), the cleavage can be more interesting in term of roughness and contamination ... so all depends on the purpose.
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