CN116867748A - Substrate cutting and separating system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of forming a plurality of defects in a substrate having a laser beam focal line using a laser beam, each defect of the plurality of defects being a damage track having a diameter of about 10 microns or less in the substrate, the plurality of defects forming a contour line on the substrate. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The method further comprises the steps of: (i) Applying a first force on the first surface of the substrate at a location adjacent to the contour line, and (ii) applying a second force on the second surface of the substrate at a location of the contour line. Further, the method includes breaking the substrate along the contour line into a first substrate portion and a second substrate portion.

Description

Substrate cutting and separating system and method

Technical Field

The priority of U.S. provisional application No. 63/128,279, filed on even date 21 in 12, 2020, and U.S. provisional application No. 63/248,700 filed on even date 27 in 9, 2021, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The present application relates generally to apparatus and methods for cutting and separating substrates, and more particularly, to cutting and separating substrates using a laser beam and a disruptor system.

Background

The field of laser processing of materials encompasses a wide range of applications including cutting, drilling, milling, welding, melting, etc. of different types of materials. Of particular interest in these processes is the cutting or separation of different types of substrates composed of materials such as glass for Thin Film Transistors (TFTs), sapphire, or fused silica, or display materials for electrons. The dicing or separating of the substrate typically requires a laser beam to form a scribe line along the substrate. Next, a mechanical force or another laser is applied to the score line to cut or separate the substrate along the score line.

However, such conventional systems often cause undesirable chipping or cracking in the substrate. In addition, such conventional systems can damage the coating applied to the substrate surface. Therefore, it is necessary to use a laser beam to improve cutting and separation of the substrate.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, there is a need for a system for cutting and separating substrates without causing such chipping and cracking in the substrates. Furthermore, a system is needed that provides good edge quality through such cutting and separating processes. Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system that includes a laser processing system and a substrate breaking system to accurately and precisely cut and separate substrates. More specifically, laser processing systems use a laser beam to precisely form a contour line in a substrate. The substrate breaking system then separates the substrate along the contours without damaging the substrate or the coating applied thereto. This results in an efficient and easy system to accurately cut and separate substrates and provides cut substrates with enhanced edge quality. In addition, the system disclosed herein precisely cuts and separates the substrate while preventing any cracking or chipping of the substrate during the process.

According to a first aspect, a method of forming a plurality of defects in a substrate having a laser beam focal line, each defect of the plurality of defects being a damage track having a diameter of about 10 microns or less in the substrate, the plurality of defects forming a contour line on the substrate is disclosed. The substrate is provided with a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The method further comprises the steps of: (i) Applying a first force on the first surface of the substrate at a location adjacent to the contour line, and (ii) applying a second force on the second surface of the substrate at a location of the contour line. In addition, the method includes breaking the substrate along the contour line into a first substrate portion and a second substrate portion.

According to a second aspect, a system is disclosed that includes a laser processing system including a beam source configured to output a laser beam focused into a laser beam focal line, and a substrate breaking system including a first set of breaker bars and a flexible film. The first set of breaker bars includes a first breaker bar having a first edge, a second breaker bar having a second edge, and a third breaker bar having a third edge. The first breaker bar and the second breaker bar are disposed on a first side of the flexible membrane, and the third breaker bar is disposed on a second side of the flexible membrane.

Additional features and advantages of the processes and systems described herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present various embodiments, and are intended to provide an overview or concept for understanding the nature and character of the claimed invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments described herein and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operation of the claimed invention.

Drawings

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and are not intended to limit the inventive objects defined by the claims. The following detailed description of illustrative embodiments may be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like structure is indicated with like reference numerals, and in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a system for cutting and separating substrates according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2A schematically illustrates a laser processing system of the system of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2B schematically illustrates the positioning of a laser beam focal line of the laser processing system of FIG. 1A according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2C schematically illustrates an optical component of the laser processing system of FIG. 1A according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 3A graphically depicts the relative intensity of laser pulses within an exemplary pulse burst versus time in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 3B graphically depicts the relative intensity of laser pulses within another exemplary pulse burst as a function of time in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 4A-4C schematically illustrate a substrate breaking system according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a breaker bar set of the substrate breaking system of FIGS. 4A-4C in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a substrate breaking system according to one or more embodiments described herein;

7A-7C depict a substrate breaking system having a substrate according to one or more embodiments described herein;

8A-8C depict films of a substrate breaking system according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 9 depicts a fracture process of a substrate fracture system according to one or more embodiments described herein;

FIG. 10 depicts a substrate breaking system positioned on a substrate in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein;

11A-11C schematically illustrate a substrate breaking system according to one or more embodiments described herein; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

Fig. 12 depicts a process for cutting and separating a substrate according to one or more embodiments described herein.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of systems and processes for laser machining transparent workpieces, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

As used herein, "laser processing" includes directing a laser beam onto and/or into a substrate. In some embodiments, laser processing further includes translating the laser beam relative to the substrate, for example, along a contour line, along a modifying line, or along another path. Examples of laser processing include forming a profile including a series of defects extending into a substrate using a laser beam, and forming a modified track in the substrate using the laser beam.

As used herein, "profile" refers to a set of defects in a substrate formed by translating a laser along a line. As used herein, a contour refers to a virtual two-dimensional shape or path in or on a substrate. Thus, while the profile itself is a virtual shape, the profile may be noticeable, for example, as a fracture line or crack.

As used herein, "contour line" refers to a straight, angled, polygonal, or curved line on the substrate surface that defines the path that a laser beam follows as it moves in the plane of the substrate and creates a set of defects. The contours define the surfaces of the substrate that are to be separated. The contour lines may be formed by creating a plurality of defects in the substrate using various techniques, such as by directing a pulsed laser beam at successive points along the contour lines.

As used herein, a "fracture line" refers to a series of closely spaced defect lines extending along and approaching a contour.

As used herein, "defect" refers to a modified material region (e.g., a refractive index modified region relative to a bulk material), void space, crack, scratch, flaw, hole, perforation, or other deformation in a substrate. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, these defects may be referred to as defect lines or damage tracks. For a single laser pulse or multiple pulses at the same location, the laser beam is directly irradiated onto a single location of the substrate, forming a defect line or a damage track. Translating the laser along the substrate results in a plurality of defect lines forming a profile. For a line-focused laser, the defect may have a linear shape.

As used herein, the term "beam cross section" refers to a cross section of a laser beam along a plane perpendicular to a beam propagation direction of the laser beam, for example, along an XY plane when the beam propagation direction is the Z direction.

As used herein, a "beam spot" refers to a cross-section of a laser beam (e.g., beam cross-section) in an impingement surface, i.e., the surface of the substrate closest to the laser optics.

As used herein, "impingement surface" refers to the surface of the substrate closest to the laser optical element.

As used herein, "upstream" and "downstream" refer to two locations or components along the beam path relative to the relative position of the beam source. For example, if the first component is closer to the laser optical element along the path traversed by the laser beam than the second component, the first component is located upstream of the second component.

As used herein, "laser beam focal line" refers to a pattern of interacting (e.g., intersecting) rays of a laser beam that form a linear elongated focal region parallel to the optical axis. The laser beam focal line includes aberration rays that interact (e.g., intersect) with the optical axis of the laser beam at different locations along the optical axis. In addition, the laser beam focal line described herein is formed using a quasi-non-diffracted beam, defined in mathematical detail below.

The term "transparent substrate" as used herein refers to a substrate formed of glass, glass-ceramic, or other transparent material, wherein the term "transparent" as used herein refers to a material having a light absorption of less than 20% per millimeter of material depth, such as less than 10% per millimeter of material depth for a specified pulsed laser wavelength, or such as less than 1% per millimeter of material depth for a specified pulsed laser wavelength. Unless otherwise indicated, the material has a light absorption of less than about 20% per millimeter of material depth. The transparent substrate may include a glass workpiece formed of a glass composition, such as borosilicate glass, soda lime glass, aluminosilicate glass, alkali aluminosilicate, alkaline earth aluminosilicate glass Glass, alkaline earth boroaluminosilicate glass, fused silica, or crystalline materials such as sapphire, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the substrate may be strengthened by thermal tempering before or after laser processing the substrate. In some embodiments, the glass may be ion exchangeable such that the glass composition may be ion exchanged to strengthen the glass before or after laser processing the substrate. For example, the substrate may comprise ion-exchanged and ion-exchanged glass, such as Corning available from Corning Inc. of Mei Shang KangningGlass (e.g., code 2318, code 2319, and code 2320). In addition, the ion exchange glass can have a Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) of about 6 ppm/DEG C to about 10 ppm/DEG C. Other exemplary transparent substrates include EAGLE +.f available from corning corporation of America Shang Kangning>And CORNING loops ^TM . In addition, the substrate may include other components transparent to the laser wavelength, such as crystals of sapphire or zinc selenide, for example.

During ion exchange, ions in the surface layer of the substrate are replaced by larger ions having the same valence or oxidation state, for example, by partially or completely immersing the substrate in an ion exchange bath. Replacing smaller ions with larger ions results in a compressive stress layer extending from one or more surfaces of the substrate to a particular depth within the substrate, referred to as the depth of layer. These compressive stresses are balanced by a layer of tensile stress (referred to as the center tension) such that the net stress in the glass sheet is zero. Compressive stresses formed on the surface of the glass sheet render the glass strong and resistant to mechanical damage, thus alleviating catastrophic damage to the glass sheet, as defects do not extend to this depth of layer. In some embodiments, smaller sodium ions are exchanged with larger potassium ions in the substrate surface layer. In some embodiments, the ions and larger ions in the surface layer are monovalent alkali metal cations, such as li+ (when present in the glass), na+, k+, rb+, and cs+. Alternatively, monovalent cations in the surface layer may be replaced with monovalent cations other than alkali metal cations, such as ag+, tl+, cu+, and the like.

Referring now to fig. 1, a system 10 is schematically depicted as including a laser processing system 100 and a substrate breaker system 200. As described further below, laser processing system 100 is configured to modify substrate 160 by forming defects (e.g., damage tracks) in the substrate. The substrate breaker system 200 may then separate and break the substrate along the lines formed by the defects. In this manner, substrate 160 is separated and broken into at least two portions. Thus, the combination of the laser processing system 100 and the substrate breaker system 200 together can cut and separate the substrate into at least two portions.

Substrate 160 (which may also be referred to as a "workpiece" or "wafer") may be glass, glass-ceramic, or ceramic, exemplary materials of which are disclosed above. Thus, for example, substrate 160 may be a transparent substrate. Alternatively, the substrate 160 is a semiconductor wafer or an amorphous substrate having a plurality of wafers fabricated thereon. In some embodiments, substrate 160 comprises a stack of substrates that may be secured together by, for example, an adhesive or bonding. In some embodiments, the bonding may be by eutectic, anodic, or fusion bonding. The laminate substrate 160 may include one or more intermediate layers therein.

The thickness of substrate 160 may range from about 50 microns to about 10 millimeters, or from about 100 microns to about 5 millimeters, or from about 0.3 millimeters to about 3 millimeters.

In some embodiments, substrate 160 may include a coating disposed thereon. Exemplary coatings include, for example, metallic, conductive (e.g., ITO and organic conductive coatings), and/or polymeric coatings. In other embodiments, substrate 160 may include macro-or nano-surface structures created through, for example, etching and/or bonding processes. Exemplary surface structures include voids, openings, and channels. The coatings and/or surface structures may form an intermediate layer between substrates 160 within a stack of substrates 160, or between them. In some embodiments, substrate 160 includes elements fabricated or disposed on substrate 160. For example, these elements may be semiconductor elements, photonic elements, MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) elements, or lenses. Substrate 160 may be any shape including, for example, rectangular or circular. In some embodiments, substrate 160 is a circular wafer.

Referring now to fig. 2A and 2B, laser processing by the laser processing system 100 of an exemplary substrate 160 according to the methods described herein is schematically depicted. In particular, FIG. 2A schematically illustrates forming a contour 165 including a plurality of defects 172 that may be used to separate transparent workpiece 160. A contour 165 including the plurality of defects 172 may be formed by processing the transparent workpiece 160 with the laser beam 112, and the laser beam 112 may include an ultrashort pulse laser beam moving in the translational direction 101 along the contour 165. The imperfections 172 may, for example, extend through the depth of the transparent workpiece 160 and, in this exemplary embodiment, may be orthogonal to the impact surface of the transparent workpiece 160. In addition, the laser beam 112 initially contacts the substrate 160 at an impact location 115, which is a specific location on the impact surface. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, first surface 162 of substrate 160 includes an impingement surface, however, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments, laser beam 112 may instead first impinge on second surface 164 of substrate 160. In addition, FIG. 2A depicts laser beam 112 forming beam spot 114 that impinges on first surface 162 of substrate 160.

Fig. 2A and 2B depict laser beam 112 traveling along beam path 111 and oriented such that laser beam 112 may be focused into laser beam focal line 113 within substrate 160, for example, using an aspheric optical element 120 (fig. 2C), which may include, for example, a conical mirror and one or more lenses (e.g., first lens 130 and second lens 132, as described below and depicted in fig. 2C). The position of the laser beam focal line 113 may be controlled along and about the Z axis. Further, the length of the laser beam focal line 113 may be in the range from about 0.1mm to about 100mm, or in the range from about 0.1mm to about 10 mm. Different embodiments may be configured with a laser beam focal line 113 of length about 0.1mm, about 0.2mm, about 0.3mm, about 0.4mm, about 0.5mm, about 0.7mm, about 1mm, about 2mm, about 3mm, about 4mm, or about 5mm from about 0.5mm to about 5 mm. Furthermore, the laser beam focal line 113 may be part of a quasi-non-diffracted beam, as defined in more detail below.

In operation, laser beam 112 may be translated (e.g., in translation direction 101) along contour line 165 relative to substrate 160 to form a plurality of defects 172 of contour line 165. Directing or positioning laser beam 112 into substrate 160 creates an induced absorption within substrate 160 and deposits sufficient energy to fracture chemical bonds at spaced apart locations along contour 165 in substrate 160 to form defect 172. According to one or more embodiments, laser beam 112 may translate across substrate 160 through movement of substrate 160 (e.g., movement of translation stage 190 coupled to substrate 160 as shown in fig. 2C), movement of laser beam 112 (e.g., movement of laser beam focal line 113), or movement of both substrate 160 and laser beam focal line 113. The plurality of defects 172 may be formed in the substrate 160 by translating the laser beam focal line 113 relative to the substrate 160.

In some embodiments, the defects 172 may be generally spaced apart from each other along the contour line 165 by a distance of from about 0.1 μm to about 500 μm, for example, from about 1 μm to about 200 μm, from about 2 μm to about 100 μm, from about 5 μm to about 20 μm, etc. For example, suitable spacing between defects 172 may be from about 0.1 μm to about 50 μm, e.g., from about 5 μm to about 15 μm, from about 5 μm to about 12 μm, from about 7 μm to about 15 μm, or from about 7 μm to about 12 μm. In some embodiments, the spacing between adjacent defects 172 may be about 50 μm or less, 45 μm or less, 40 μm or less, 35 μm or less, 30 μm or less, 25 μm or less, 20 μm or less, 15 μm or less, 10 μm or less, etc.

As shown in fig. 1A, the plurality of defects 172 of the contour line 165 extend into the substrate 160 and establish a crack propagation path for separating the substrate 160 into separate portions along the contour line 165. Each defect 172 may extend through the entire thickness of substrate 160 or less than the entire thickness. Due to the small size of the defects 172, the formation of a plurality of defects 172 may be referred to herein as a nano-piercing step. For example, each defect 172 may have a diameter of about 100 microns or less, or about 50 microns or less, or about 10 microns or less, or about 3 microns or less, or about 1 micron or less, or about 900nm or less, or about 800nm or less, or about 700nm or less, or about 600nm or less, or about 500nm or less, or about 400nm or less, or in the range from about 200nm to about 1 micron, or in the range from about 300nm to about 800 nm. As described further below, the location of the plurality of defects 172 determines the location at which the glass substrate 160 will separate during a subsequent breaking step.

Forming the contour line 165 includes translating the laser beam 112 along line 170 relative to the substrate 160 (e.g., in translation direction 101) to form a plurality of defects 172 of the contour line 165. According to one or more embodiments, laser beam 112 may be translated through substrate 160 through movement of substrate 160, movement of laser beam 112 (e.g., movement of laser beam focal line 113), or movement of both substrate 160 and laser beam 112, e.g., using one or more translation stages 190 (fig. 2C). By translating laser beam focal line 113 relative to substrate 160, a plurality of defects 172 may be formed in substrate 160. Further, although the contour 165 shown in fig. 2A is linear, the contour 165 may also be non-linear (i.e., have curvature). For example, the curved profile may be created by translating in two dimensions, rather than one, relative to the other of the substrate 160 or the laser beam focal line 113.

In an embodiment, substrate 160 is further acted upon in a subsequent separation step to cause separation of substrate 160 along contour line 165. As described further below, the subsequent separation step includes using the substrate breaker system 200 to apply a mechanical force to initiate and propagate a crack along the contour line 165.

Referring again to fig. 2A and 2B, the laser beam 112 used to form the defect 172 also has an intensity distribution I (X, Y, Z), where Z is the beam propagation direction of the laser beam 112, and X and Y are orthogonal to the direction of dispersion, as shown. The X-direction and the Y-direction may also be referred to as cross-sectional directions, and the XY-plane may be referred to as cross-section. The intensity distribution of the laser beam 112 across the cross-section may be referred to as a cross-section intensity distribution.

As described in more detail below with respect to the optical assembly 103 depicted in fig. 2C, the laser beam 112 at the beam spot 114 or other cross-section may comprise a quasi-non-diffracted beam, e.g., a beam having a low beam divergence as defined mathematically below, passing the propagating laser beam 112 (e.g., the laser beam 112, such as a gaussian beam, using a beam source 110, such as a pulsed beam source) through the aspheric optical element 120. Beam divergence refers to the magnification of the beam cross-section in the direction of beam propagation (i.e., the Z direction). One example beam cross-section described herein is where beam spot 114 of laser beam 112 impinges on transparent workpiece 160. Exemplary quasi-non-diffracted beams include Gaussian-Bessel (Gauss-Bessel) beams and Bessel (Bessel) beams.

Diffraction is one of the factors that causes the laser beam 112 to diverge. Other factors include focusing or defocusing caused by refraction and scattering at the optical system or interface forming the laser beam 112. The laser beam 112 used to form the defect 172 of the contour 165 may form a laser beam focal line 113 having low divergence and weak diffraction. The divergence of the laser beam 112 is determined by the rayleigh range Z _R Characterized by the intensity distribution of the laser beam 112 and the beam propagation factor M ² Variable sigma of ² Related to the following. For more information on beam divergence, see the article entitled "New Developments in Laser Resonators" in the SPIE seminar series Vol.1224, p.2 (1990), and the articles "M" in the optical flash by R.Borghi and M.Santarsiero Vol.22 (5), 262 (1997) ² The disclosure of the factor of Bessel-Gauss beams "is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other information can also be found in the international standard ISO 11146-1:2005 (E) entitled "Lasers and Lasers-related equipment-Test methods for laser beam widths, divergence angles and beam propagation ratios-Part 1:Stigmatic and simple astigmatic beams", in the ISO 11146-2:2005 (E) entitled "Lasers and Lasers-related equipment-Test methods for laser beam widths, divergence angles and beam propagation ratios-Part 2:General astigmatic beams", and in the ISO 11146-3:2004 (E) entitled "Lasers and Lasers-related equipment-Test methods for laser beam widths, divergence angles and beam propagation ratios-Part 3:Intrinsic and geometrical laser beam classification,propagation and details of test methods", the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The beam cross-section is characterized in terms of shape and size. The size of the beam cross-section is characterized by the spot size of the beam. For Gaussian beams, the spot size is generally defined as the 1/e of the decrease in beam intensity to its maximum ² Is denoted as w _o . The maximum intensity of the gaussian beam occurs at the center of the intensity distribution (x=0 and y=0 (cartesian) or r=0 (cylindrical)), and the radial extent for determining the spot size is measured relative to the center.

A beam having an axisymmetric (i.e., rotationally symmetric about the beam propagation Z-axis) cross-section may be characterized by a single size or spot size measured at the beam waist location specified in section 3.12 of ISO 11146-1:2005 (E). For Gaussian beams, the spot size is equal to w _o Which corresponds to 2σ _0x Or 2σ _0y . For axisymmetric beams having an axisymmetric cross-section, e.g. a circular cross-section sigma _0x ＝σ _0y . Thus, for axisymmetric beams, the cross-sectional size can be characterized by a single spot size parameter, where w _o ＝2σ ₀ . For non-axisymmetric beam cross-sections, the spot size can be defined similarly, where σ is the same as the axisymmetric beam _0x ≠σ _0y Different. Thus, when the spot size of the beam is non-axisymmetric, it is necessary to characterize the cross-sectional size of the non-axisymmetric beam with two spot size parameters: w in x-direction and y-direction, respectively _ox And w _oy Wherein

w _ox ＝2σ _0x (1)

w _oy ＝2σ _0y (2)

Furthermore, the lack of axial (i.e. arbitrary rotation angle) symmetry of the non-axisymmetric beam means σ _0x Sum sigma _0y The result of the calculation of the values of (c) will depend on the choice of X-axis and Y-axis directions. ISO 11146-1:2005 (E) refers to these reference axes as the principal axes of the power density (Power Density) distribution (sections 3.3-3.5), and in the following description we will assume that the X and Y axes are aligned with these principal axes. In addition, the X-axis and the Y-axis may be rotated by an angle in the cross section (e.g., reference positions of the X-axis and the Y-axis relative to the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectivelyAngle of (c) that can be used to define the minimum value (w) of the spot size parameter of a non-axisymmetric beam _o,min ) Sum maximum (w) _o,max )：

w _o,min ＝2σ _0,min (3)

w _o,max ＝2σ _0,max (4)

Wherein the method comprises the steps ofAnd is also provided with The magnitude of the axial asymmetry of the beam cross-section, which can be quantified by an aspect ratio, where aspect ratio is defined as w _o,max For w _o,min Is a ratio of (2). The aspect ratio of the axisymmetric beam cross-section is 1.0, while the aspect ratio of the elliptical and other non-axisymmetric beam cross-sections is greater than 1.0, e.g., greater than 1.1, greater than 1.2, greater than 1.3, greater than 1.4, greater than 1.5, greater than 1.6, greater than 1.7, greater than 1.8, greater than 1.9, greater than 2.0, greater than 3.0, greater than 5.0, greater than 10.0, etc.

To promote uniformity of defect 172 in the direction of beam propagation (e.g., the depth dimension of transparent workpiece 160), a laser beam 112 with low divergence may be used. In one or more embodiments, a laser beam 112 having a low divergence may be used to form defect 172.

A beam with a gaussian intensity profile may not be preferred for laser processing to form defects 172 because they have high diffraction and significant divergence over short propagation distances when focused to a sufficiently small spot size (e.g., spot size in the micrometer range, such as about 1-5 μm or about 1-10 μm) in order to enable the available laser pulse energy to modify materials such as glass. To achieve low divergence, the intensity distribution of the pulsed laser beam needs to be controlled or optimized to reduce diffraction. The pulsed laser beam may be non-diffracted or weakly diffracted. The weakly diffracted laser beam includes a quasi-non-diffracted laser beam. Representative weak diffracted laser beams include Bessel (Bessel) beams, gaussian-Bessel (Gauss-Bessel) beams, airy (Airy) beams, weber (Weber) beams, and Mathieu (Mathieu) beams.

For non-axisymmetric beams, rayleigh (Rayleigh) range Z _Rx And Z _Ry Are not equal. Z is Z _Rx And Z _Ry Will vary accordingly, and each will have a minimum and a maximum corresponding to the principal axis, where Z _Rx The minimum value of (2) is denoted as Z _Rx,min And Z is _Ry The minimum value of (2) is denoted as Z _Ry,min For arbitrary beam profile Z _Rxmin And Z _Rymin Can be represented by

And

since the divergence of the laser beam occurs over a short distance in the direction having the smallest rayleigh range, the intensity distribution of the laser beam 112 used to form defect 172 can be controlled such that Z _Rx And Z _Ry (or Z for axisymmetric beams) _R The value of (c) is as large as possible. Due to Z for non-axisymmetric beams _Rx Is the minimum value Z of (2) _Rx,min And Z _Ry Is the minimum value Z of (2) _Ry,min Differently, the laser beam 112 may use an intensity profile such that a smaller Z is used in forming the lesion field _Rx,min And Z _Ry,min As large as possible.

In some embodiments, the smaller Z _Rx,min And Z _Ry,min (or for axisymmetric beams, Z _R The value of (2) is greater than or equal to 50 μm, greater than or equal to 100 μm, greater than or equal to 200 μm, greater than or equal to 300 μm, greater than or equal to 500 μm, greater than or equal to 1mm, greater than or equal to 2mm, greater than or equal to 3mm, greater than or equal to 5mm, in the range from 50 μm to 10mm, in the range from 100 μm to 5mm, in the range from 200 μm to 4 mm)In the range from 300 μm to 2mm, etc.

By adjusting the spot size parameter w defined in equation (3) _o,mi For different wavelengths transparent to the workpiece, a specific smaller Z in this case can be achieved _Rx,min And Z _Ry,min The value and range of (or for axisymmetric beams, Z _R Is a value of (2). In some embodiments, the spot size parameter w _o,mi Greater than or equal to 0.25 μm, greater than or equal to 0.50 μm, greater than or equal to 0.75 μm, greater than or equal to 1.0 μm, greater than or equal to 2.0 μm, greater than or equal to 3.0 μm, greater than or equal to 5.0 μm, in the range from 0.25 μm to 10 μm, in the range from 0.25 μm to 5.0 μm, in the range from 0.25 μm to 2.5 μm, in the range from 0.50 μm to 10 μm, in the range from 0.50 μm to 5.0 μm, in the range from 0.50 μm to 2.5 μm, in the range from 0.75 μm to 10 μm, in the range from 0.75 μm to 5.0 μm, in the range from 0.75 μm to 2.5 μm, and so forth.

Non-diffracted or quasi-non-diffracted beams typically have complex intensity profiles, such as those intensity distributions that are non-monotonically decreasing with respect to radius. The effective spot size w of the non-axisymmetric beam can be determined by simulating Gaussian beam _o,eff Defined as the shortest radial distance in any direction from the radial position of maximum intensity (r=0) where the intensity drops to 1/e of maximum intensity ² . Furthermore, for axisymmetric beams, w _o,eff Is the radial distance from the radial position of maximum intensity (r=0) where the intensity decreases to 1/e of maximum intensity ² . Effective spot size w based on non-axisymmetric beam _o,eff Or spot size w of axisymmetric beam _o Can be designated as non-diffracted or quasi-non-diffracted beams for forming the lesion area, using equation (7) for non-axisymmetric beams or equation (8) for axisymmetric beams:

smaller value of

Wherein F is _D Is a dimensionless divergence factor having a value of at least 10, at least 50, at least 100, at least 250, at least 500, at least 1000, in the range of 10 to 2000, in the range of 50 to 1500, in the range of 100 to 1000. For non-diffracted or quasi-non-diffracted beams, the smaller value of Z in equation (7) doubles the effective beam size _Rx,min ,Z _Ry,min In the case of using a typical Gaussian beam profile, F _D Multiplied by the expected distance. Dimensionless divergence factor F _D A criterion is provided for determining whether the laser beam is quasi-non-diffracted. As described in this document, if the characteristic of the laser beam satisfies a value of F _D Equation (7) or equation (8) of ≡10), then the laser beam 112 is considered quasi-non-diffractive. With F _D Is an increase in the value of (1), the laser beam 112 approaches a more nearly perfect non-diffracted state. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that equation (8) is merely a simplification of equation (7), and therefore, equation (7) mathematically describes the dimensionless divergence factor F of the axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric pulsed laser beams 112 _D 。

Referring now to fig. 2C, an optical assembly 103 for generating a quasi-non-diffracted laser beam 112 and forming a laser beam focal line 113 at a substrate 160 using an aspheric optical element 120 (e.g., conical mirror 122) is schematically depicted. The optical assembly 103 includes a beam source 110 that outputs a laser beam 112, a first lens 130, and a second lens 132. The beam source 110 may include any known or future developed beam source 110 configured to output a laser beam 112, such as a pulsed laser beam or a continuous wave laser beam. In some embodiments, the beam source 110 may output the laser beam 112 including wavelengths of, for example, 1064nm, 1030nm, 532nm, 530nm, 355nm, 343nm, or 266nm, or 215 nm. Furthermore, the laser beam 112 used to form the defect 172 in the substrate 160 may be well suited for materials that are transparent to the selected pulsed laser wavelength.

Further, the substrate 160 may be positioned such that the laser beam 112 output by the beam source 110 irradiates the substrate 160, for example, after passing through the aspherical optical element 120, and then passes through both the first lens 130 and the second lens 132. The optical axis 102 extends between the beam source 110 and the substrate 160 (along the Z-axis in the embodiment shown in fig. 2C) such that when the beam source 110 outputs the laser beam 112, a beam path 111 of the laser beam 112 extends along the optical axis 102.

A suitable laser wavelength for forming defect 172 is a wavelength that is sufficiently low for the combined loss of linear absorption and scattering by substrate 160. In an embodiment, the combined loss due to linear absorption and scattering of substrate 160 at that wavelength is less than 20%/mm, or less than 15%/mm, or less than 10%/mm, or less than 5%/mm, or less than 1%/mm, where dimension "/mm" refers to a distance per millimeter within substrate 160 in the direction of beam propagation (e.g., the Z direction) of laser beam 112. Representative wavelengths of many glass substrates include Nd ³⁺ Wavelength of fundamental wave and harmonic wave of (e.g. Nd ³⁺ YAG or Nd ³⁺ :YVO ₄ Fundamental wavelengths are near 1064nm, and higher harmonic wavelengths are near 532nm, 355nm, and 266 nm). Other wavelengths of the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared portions of the spectrum required to meet the combined linear absorption and scattering losses of a given substrate material may also be used.

In operation, laser beam 112 output by beam source 110 may produce multiphoton absorption (MPA) in substrate 160. MPA is the simultaneous absorption of two or more photons of the same or different frequencies, exciting a molecule from one state (usually the ground state) to a higher energy electronic state (i.e. ionization). The energy difference between the lower and higher states involved in a molecule is equal to the sum of the energies of the photons involved. MPA, also known as induced absorption, may be a second or third order procedure (or higher), e.g., several orders of magnitude weaker than linear absorption. It differs from linear absorption in that, for example, the intensity of the second order induced absorption may be proportional to the square of the light intensity, and thus it is a nonlinear optical procedure.

The step of creating the profile 165 (fig. 2A and 2B) may utilize a beam source 110 (e.g., a pulsed beam source such as an ultra-short pulsed laser) in combination with the aspheric optical element 120, the first lens 130, and the second lens 132 to illuminate the substrate 160 and create the laser beam focal line 113. The laser beam focal line 113 comprises a quasi-non-diffracted beam, such as a gaussian bessel beam or a bessel beam as defined above, and may fully or partially penetrate the substrate 160 to form a defect 172 in the substrate 160, which may form a contour line 165. However, it is also contemplated that the laser beam focal line 113 is formed using a curved effect or filamentation. In embodiments where the laser beam 112 comprises a pulsed laser beam, the pulse duration of each pulse is in the range of about 1 femtosecond to about 200 picoseconds, such as about 1 picosecond to about 100 picoseconds, 5 picoseconds to about 20 picoseconds, etc., and the repetition rate of the individual pulses may be in the range of from about 1kHz to 4MHz, such as in the range of from about 10kHz to about 3MHz, or from about 10kHz to about 650kHz.

Referring also to fig. 3A and 3B, in addition to single pulse operation at the single pulse repetition rate described above, in embodiments including pulsed laser beams, pulses may be generated in pulse bursts 201 of two or more sub-pulses 201A (e.g., as 3 sub-pulses, 4 sub-pulses, 5 sub-pulses, 10 sub-pulses, 15 sub-pulses, 20 sub-pulses, or more per pulse burst, e.g., 1 to 30 sub-pulses per pulse burst 201, or 5 to 20 sub-pulses per pulse burst 201). While not intending to be limited by theory, pulse bursts are short and fast sub-pulse packets that interact with the material (i.e., MPA in the material of substrate 160) to produce optical energy on a time scale that is not readily available using single pulse operation. While not intending to be limited by theory, the energy within a burst of pulses (i.e., a group of pulses) is conserved. As an illustrative example, for a pulse burst having an energy of 100 μj/burst and 2 sub-pulses, the energy of the 100 μj/burst is divided into sub-pulses with an average energy of 50 μj/sub-pulses between 2 pulses, and for a pulse burst having an energy of 100 μj/burst and 10 sub-pulses, the 100 μj/burst is divided into 10 sub-pulses with an average energy of 10 μj per sub-pulse. Furthermore, the energy distribution between the sub-pulses of a burst of pulses need not be uniform. In fact, in some cases, the energy distribution between the sub-pulses of a burst is in the form of an exponential decay, where the first sub-pulse of the burst contains the most energy, the second sub-pulse of the burst contains slightly less energy, the third sub-pulse of the burst contains less energy, and so on. However, other energy distributions within a single burst are possible, wherein the exact energy of each sub-pulse may be tailored to modify the transparent workpiece 160 by different amounts.

While not intending to be limited by theory, when the defect 172 of one or more of the contours 170 is formed by a pulse burst having at least two sub-pulses, the force required to separate the substrate 160 along the contour 165 (i.e., the maximum fracture resistance) is reduced compared to the maximum fracture resistance of the contour 165 for the same interval between adjacent defects 172 in the same substrate 160 formed using a single pulse laser. For example, the maximum fracture resistance of the profile 165 formed using a single pulse is at least twice the maximum fracture resistance of the profile 165 formed using a burst of pulses having 2 or more sub-pulses. In addition, the difference in maximum fracture resistance between the profile 165 formed using a single pulse and the profile 165 formed using a burst of pulses having 2 sub-pulses is greater than the difference in maximum fracture resistance between the profile 165 formed using a burst of pulses having 2 sub-pulses and a burst of pulses having 3 sub-pulses. Thus, pulse bursts may be used to form the contours 165 that are easier to separate than contours 165 formed using a single pulse laser.

Still referring to fig. 3A and 3B, the sub-pulses 201A within the pulse burst 201 may be separated by a duration in the range from about 1 nanosecond to about 50 nanoseconds, such as from about 10 nanoseconds to about 30 nanoseconds, such as about 20 nanoseconds. In other embodiments, the sub-pulses 201A within a burst 201 may be separated by a duration of up to 100psec (e.g., 0.1psec, 5psec, 10psec, 15psec, 18psec, 20psec, 22psec, 25psec, 30psec, 50psec, 75psec, or any range therebetween). For known lasers, the time interval T between adjacent sub-pulses 201A within a burst 201 _p (fig. 3B) may be relatively uniform (e.g., within about 10% of each other). For example, in some embodiments, each sub-pulse 201A within a burst 201 is separated in time from subsequent sub-pulsesAbout 20 nanoseconds (50 MHz). Further, the time between each burst 201 may be from about 0.25 microseconds to about 1000 microseconds, such as from about 1 microsecond to about 10 microseconds, or from about 3 microseconds to about 8 microseconds.

In some exemplary embodiments of the beam source 110 described herein, the time interval T for the beam source 110 to output the laser beam 112 including a pulse repetition rate of about 200kHz _b (fig. 3B) is about 5 microseconds. Laser pulse repetition rate and time T between a first pulse in a pulse burst and a first pulse in a subsequent pulse burst _b Correlation (laser pulse burst repetition rate=1/T) _b ). In some embodiments, the laser pulse repetition rate may be in the range from about 1kHz to about 4 MHz. In an embodiment, the laser pulse repetition rate may be, for example, in the range from about 10kHz to 650 kHz. The time T between the first pulse in each burst and the first pulse in the subsequent burst _b May range from about 0.25 microseconds (4 MHz pulse repetition rate) to about 1000 microseconds (1 kHz pulse repetition rate), such as from about 0.5 microseconds (2 MHz burst repetition rate) to about 40 microseconds (25 kHz burst repetition rate), or from about 2 microseconds (500 kHz burst repetition rate) to about 20 microseconds (50 kHz burst repetition rate). The exact timing, pulse duration, and burst repetition rate may vary depending on the design of the laser, but high intensity bursts (T _d <20psec, and in some embodiments T _d 15 psec) has proved to have particularly good action.

The burst repetition rate may be in the range from about 1kHz to about 2MHz, for example from about 1kHz to about 200kHz. Burst or generation of pulse burst 201 is a laser operation in which the emission of sub-pulses 201A is not a uniform and stable stream, but rather a tight cluster of pulse bursts 201. The pulsed burst laser beam may have a wavelength selected in accordance with the material of the substrate 160 being operated on such that the material of the substrate 160 is substantially transparent at that wavelength. The average laser power per pulse measured on the material may be at least about 40 muj per millimeter of material thickness. For example, in an embodiment, the average laser power per burst may be from about 40 μj/mm to about 2500 μj/mm, or from about 500 μj/mm to about 2250 μj/mm. In a particular example, for 0.5Corning EAGLE with thickness of mm to 0.7mmThe substrate, a burst of pulses of about 300 μJ to about 600 μJ may cut and/or separate the substrate, which corresponds to an exemplary range of about 428 μJ/mm to about 1200 μJ/mm (i.e., 0.7mm EAGLE->The glass was 300. Mu.J/0.7 mm,0.5mm EAGLE +.>The glass was 600. Mu.J/0.5 mm).

The energy required to modify substrate 160 is pulse energy, which may be described in terms of pulse burst energy (i.e., the energy contained within pulse bursts 201, where each pulse burst 201 contains a series of sub-pulses 201A), or in terms of the energy contained in a single laser pulse (many of which may include one pulse). The pulse energy (e.g., pulse burst energy) may be from about 25 μj to about 750 μj, such as from about 50 μj to about 500 μj, or from about 50 μj to about 250 μj. For some glass compositions, the pulse energy (e.g., pulse burst energy) may be about 100 μj to about 250 μj. However, for display or TFT glass compositions, the pulse energy (e.g., pulse burst energy) may be higher (e.g., from about 300 μj to about 500 μj, or from about 400 μj to about 600 μj, depending on the particular glass composition of substrate 160).

While not wanting to be limited by theory, it is advantageous to cut and separate materials such as glass materials to use a laser beam 112 that includes a pulsed laser beam capable of generating a pulse burst. The use of a pulse sequence that distributes pulse energy over a rapid pulse sequence within the pulse allows for a larger time scale of interaction with the material to be taken compared to the interaction of a single pulse laser than using a single pulse that is temporally spaced apart by the repetition rate of the single pulse laser. The use of pulse bursts (as opposed to a single pulse operation) increases the size (e.g., cross-sectional dimension) of defect 172, which facilitates connection of adjacent defects 172 when substrate 160 is separated along one or more contours 165, thereby greatly reducing the formation of undesirable cracks. Furthermore, the use of pulse bursts to form defects 172 increases the randomness of crack orientations in the bulk material extending outward from each defect 172 to substrate 160 such that individual cracks extending outward from defects 172 do not affect or otherwise deflect contour 165 such that separation of defects 172 follows contour 165, reducing the formation of unintended cracks.

Referring again to fig. 2C, aspheric optical element 120 is positioned in beam path 111 between beam source 110 and substrate 160. In operation, the laser beam 112 (e.g., an incident gaussian beam) is propagated through the aspheric optical element 120, and the laser beam 112 may be altered such that the portion of the laser beam 112 that propagates beyond the aspheric optical element 120 is quasi-non-diffractive as described above. The aspheric optical element 120 may include any optical element having an aspheric shape. In some implementations, the aspheric optical element 120 can include a tapered wavefront generating optical element, such as a tapered lens, e.g., a negative refractive tapered lens, a positive refractive tapered lens, a reflective tapered lens, a diffractive tapered lens, a programmable spatial light modulator tapered lens (e.g., a phase tapered mirror), and so forth.

In some embodiments, the aspheric optical element 120 includes at least one aspheric surface shaped mathematically as: z' = (cr ² /1)+(1-(1+k)(c ² r ² )) ^1/2 +(a ₁ r+a ₂ r ² +a ₃ r ³ +a ₄ r ⁴ +a ₅ r ⁵ +a ₆ r ⁶ +a ₇ r ⁷ +a ₈ r ⁸ +a ₉ r ⁹ +a ₁₀ r ¹⁰ +a ₁₁ r ¹¹ +a ₁₂ r ¹² Where z' is the surface sag of the aspheric surface, r is the distance between the aspheric surface and the optical axis 102 in the radial direction (e.g., in the X-direction or the Y-direction), c is the surface curvature of the aspheric surface (i.e., c _i ＝1/R _i Where R is the surface radius of the aspheric surface), k is the conic constant, and coefficient a _i Is the first pass description notTwelve-order aspheric coefficients of the ball surface or higher (polynomial aspheric) coefficients. In one example embodiment, at least one aspheric surface of the aspheric optical element 120 includes the following coefficients a, respectively ₁ -a ₇ : -0.085274788;0.065748845;0.077574995; -0.054148636;0.022077021; -0.0054987472;0.0006682955; and the aspheric coefficient a ₈ -a ₁₂ Is 0. In this embodiment, at least one aspheric surface has a conic constant k=0. However, because a ₁ The coefficient has a non-zero value, so this is equivalent to a conical constant k having a non-zero value. Thus, the non-zero coefficient a can be obtained by specifying the non-zero conic constant k ₁ Or non-zero k and non-zero coefficient a ₁ To describe an equivalent surface. Furthermore, in some embodiments, at least one aspheric surface is formed of at least one higher order aspheric coefficient a having a non-zero value ₂ -a ₁₂ Description or definition (i.e. a ₂ ，a ₃ ， _… ，a ₁₂ At least one of +.0). In one example embodiment, the aspheric optical element 120 comprises a third order aspheric optical element, such as a cube-shaped optical element, comprising a non-zero coefficient a ₃ 。

In some embodiments, when the aspheric optical element 120 includes a conical mirror 122 (as shown in fig. 2C), the conical mirror 122 can have a laser output surface 126 (e.g., conical surface) with an angle of about 1.2 °, such as from about 0.5 ° to about 5 °, or about 1 ° to about 1.5 °, or even about 0.5 ° to about 20 °, measured relative to a laser input surface 124 (e.g., a planar surface), upon which the laser beam 112 enters the conical mirror 122. In addition, the laser output surface 126 terminates in a tapered tip. In addition, the aspheric optical element 120 includes a central axis 125 extending from the laser input surface 124 to the laser output surface 126 and terminating at the tapered tip. In other embodiments, the aspheric optical element 120 may include a conical mirror, a spatial phase modulator (e.g., a spatial light modulator), or a diffraction grating. In operation, the aspheric optical element 120 shapes an incident laser beam 112 (e.g., an incident gaussian beam) into a quasi-non-diffracted beam that is in turn directed through the first lens 130 and the second lens 132.

Still referring to fig. 2C, the first lens 130 is located upstream of the second lens 132, and may collimate the laser beam 112 within a collimation space 134 between the first lens 130 and the second lens 132. Further, the second lens 132 may focus the laser beam 112 into the substrate 160, and the substrate 160 may be positioned at the imaging plane 104. In some embodiments, the first lens 130 and the second lens 132 each comprise a plano-convex lens. When the first lens 130 and the second lens 132 each comprise a plano-convex lens, the curvatures of the first lens 130 and the second lens 132 may each be oriented toward the collimation space 134. In other embodiments, the first lens 130 may include other collimating lenses, while the second lens 132 may include a meniscus lens, an aspherical mirror, or other higher order corrective focusing lenses.

Referring now to fig. 4A, an exemplary substrate breaker system 200 applies a mechanical force to substrate 160 to separate substrate 160 along contour 165. Thus, substrate breaker system 200 divides substrate 160 into at least two portions along contour 165.

As shown in fig. 4A, substrate disruptor system 200 includes a plurality of disruptor bars 220, each disruptor bar 220 configured to apply a mechanical force to substrate 160. As described further below, one or more of the breaker bars 220 may include a different length than one or more other breaker bars 220. In some embodiments, the disruptor bars 220 are configured in groups of disruptor bars (e.g., wherein each group includes three individual disruptor bars of the plurality of disruptor bars 220). For example, fig. 4A shows a first set of disruptor bars 251 including a first disruptor bar 222, a second disruptor bar 224, and a third disruptor bar 226. It should be noted that the plurality of breaker bars 220 includes at least first, second, and third breaker bars 222, 224, 226. In the embodiment of fig. 4A, the first set of disrupter bars 251 comprises three disrupter bars. First and second breaker bars 222, 224 are located on a first side (e.g., first surface 162, as shown in fig. 2A) of substrate 160, and third breaker bar 226 is located on a second side (e.g., second surface 164, as shown in fig. 2A) of substrate 160. However, it is also contemplated that the first and second breaker bars 222, 224 may be positioned on the second surface 164 of the base plate 160 and the third breaker bar 226 may be positioned on the first surface 162 of the base plate 160.

The first and second breaker bars 222, 224 can be moved laterally so that the breaker bars can be moved toward and away from each other. In addition, the third disrupter bar 226 may also be movable laterally relative to the first and second disrupter bars 222, 224. Thus, the third disrupter bar 226 may be located midway between the first and second disrupter bars 222, 224. This also allows the breaker bars to each be placed in a precise position relative to the contour 165, as described further below.

The plurality of breaker bars 220 each include an edge 225, the edge 225 having a tip, sharp line, rounded edge, or tapered edge for pressing against the substrate 160 to separate the substrate along the contour 165. Thus, edge 225 contacts substrate 160 during the separation process. As shown in fig. 4A, in some embodiments, the edge 225 of the third breaker bar 226 is disposed on the contour 165 and along the contour 165, and the edges 225 of the first and second breaker bars 222, 224 are disposed near the contour 165 but outside the contour 165. Thus, during the separation step, the edges 225 of the first and second breaker bars 222, 224 may be spaced a distance from the contour 165. The distance between the edge 225 of the first breaker bar 222 and the contour 165 may be the same as or different from the distance between the edge 225 of the second breaker bar 224 and the contour 165. In addition, first and second breaker bars 222, 224 exert a downward pressure on substrate 160 (according to fig. 4A), and third breaker bar 226 exerts an upward pressure on substrate 160 (according to fig. 4A) to separate substrate 160 along contour 165. It should be noted, however, that the terms "downward" and "upward" are used herein merely to describe the relative differences in pressure application and may vary depending on the orientation of the system 200.

The edges 225 of the first, second, and third breaker bars 222, 224, 226 may be formed of the same or different materials, may include the same or different edge angles (e.g., corners of the tip or taper at the edges 225), and have the same or different lengths and widths. Edge 225 provides minimal surface contact with substrate 160 and provides maximum force to surfaces of substrate 160 (e.g., surface 162 and/or surface 164). In some embodiments, edge 225 may be a knife, blade, or sharp point. In other embodiments, the edge 225 may have a tapered rounded edge.

The plurality of breaker bars 220 (including the edge 225 of each) may be formed of one or more hard materials for ease of processing, such as metal, particularly stainless steel, or one or more softer materials for better flatness and conformality, such as hard plastic. In an embodiment, the length of breaker bar 220 is equal to or greater than the length of contour 165 in substrate 160. In some embodiments, the length of the breaker bar exceeds the length of the contour line 165 by about 10% or more, or by about 20% or more, or by about 30% or more, or by about 40% or more. Thus, if the length of the contour 165 is 400mm, the length of the breaker bar is approximately 440mm.

During the breaking process disclosed herein, only the edge 225 of each breaker bar 220 contacts the substrate 160, thereby reducing any damage to the substrate 160. In embodiments where substrate 160 includes a coating (on one or both of first surface 162 and second surface 164), only the directly facing edge 225 of each breaker bar 220 will contact the coating, thereby reducing any damage to the coating. The edges 225 may each have a very narrow tip with a diameter ranging from about 100 microns to about 300 microns, or about 150 microns to about 25 microns.

As also shown in fig. 4A, the substrate 160 is disposed on a support 260. As described further below, the support 260 secures and holds the substrate 160 during the separation and dicing process using the substrate breaker system 200. In addition, support 260 may also secure and hold substrate 160 during a laser modification step using laser machining system 100. In embodiments including support 260, edge 225 of third disruptor bar 226 may contact support 260 (instead of substrate 160) during the separating step, and first disruptor bar 222 and second disruptor bar 224 may directly contact substrate 160. In other embodiments including support 260, first and second disruptor bars 222, 224 may contact support 260 (instead of substrate 160), and third disruptor bar 226 may directly contact substrate 160.

The plurality of breaker bars 220 are each secured to the system 200 using, for example, one or more base elements 230. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4A, the first disrupter bar 222 is fixed to the first base member 232, the second disrupter bar 224 is fixed to the second base member 234, and the third disrupter bar 226 is fixed to the third base member 236. Further, each breaker bar 220 may include one or more holes 240 for attachment to the base element 230.

Fig. 4B shows an enlarged view of the breaker bar 220 of fig. 4A. Further, fig. 4C shows an enlarged view of the breaker bar 220 of fig. 4A secured to the base element 230.

As described above, fig. 4A-4C illustrate a first set of disruptor bars 251 comprising three disruptor bars (222, 224, 226). It is also contemplated that system 200 includes more than one set of breaker bars. It is also contemplated that each set of breaker bars may include more or less than three breaker bars. Fig. 5A and 5B illustrate an embodiment in which system 200 includes more than one set of breaker bars for separating circular substrate 160. For example, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the system 200 may include multiple sets of breaker bars (e.g., sets 251, 252, 253, 354, 255, 256). Each set includes three breaker bars, such as first, second, and third breaker bars 222, 224, 226 as described above.

In some embodiments, the disruptor bars of different sets of disruptor bars may comprise different lengths. For example, as shown in fig. 5B, the disruptor bars of the first set 251 may include the longest length and may be disposed at or near a midline of the base plate 160. If the base plate 160 is formed in a shape other than the circular shape depicted in fig. 5B, the longest breaker bar set will be disposed at the contour 165 having the longest extension. The breaker bars of the third group 253 of breaker bars, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, may be shorter in length than the breaker bars of the first group 251 of breaker bars. In addition, a third set of breaker bars 253 may be positioned in a middle region of substrate 160, such as between a midline and an edge of substrate 160. The length of the disrupter bars of the sixth set of disrupter bars 256 may be shorter than the lengths of the disrupter bars of the first set 251 and the third set 253 of disrupter bars. In addition, a sixth set of breaker bars 256 may be positioned at (or near) an edge portion of the substrate 160. In some embodiments, the disruptor bars of the sixth set of disruptor bars 256 may comprise the shortest length disruptor bar of all disruptor bars.

The plurality of breaker bars 220 may have different lengths depending on the size of the substrate 160. For example, the breaker bars 220 may each have a length of about 420mm or less, or about 400mm or less, or about 330mm or less, or about 310mm or less, or about 300mm or less. Additionally or alternatively, the length of each breaker bar 220 may be about 300mm or more, or about 310mm or more, or about 330mm or more, or about 400mm or more, or about 420mm or more. In some embodiments, the length is in the range from about 300mm to about 420 mm. Further, one or more breaker bars 220 may differ from the length of one or more other breaker bars 220 by about 50mm to about 80mm, or about 55mm to about 75mm, or about 60m to about 70mm.

Fig. 6 illustrates a configuration of a system 200 according to some embodiments. As shown in fig. 6, the system includes multiple sets of breaker bars, as described above, having breaker bars of various lengths. In addition, the plurality of breaker bars 220 are disposed on the first rotary element 270 and the second rotary element 275. More specifically, a top breaker bar (e.g., 222, 224) is disposed on the first rotational element 270 and a bottom breaker bar (e.g., 266) is disposed on the second rotational element 275. Each rotating element 270, 275 rotates to position a different set of breaker bars in place to separate and cut the substrate. For example, the first and second rotating elements 270, 275 may first be rotated to position the first set of breaker bars 251 in position to separate and cut the substrate along the first contour 165. Thus, the first and second sets of breaker bars 22, 224 are located on top of the base plate 160 adjacent to the first contour 165, and the third breaker bar 226 of the first set is located at the bottom of the base plate 165 such that the edge 225 of the third breaker bar 226 is located on the first contour 165 and along the first contour 165 (as described above). The first set of breaker bars 251 can then apply pressure to the substrate 160 to separate the substrate along the first contour 165.

Next, both the first and second rotating elements 270, 275 may be rotated to position, for example, the third set of breaker bars 253 to a position separating the substrates along the second contour 165. For example, the length of the second contour may be shorter than the length of the first contour, and a third set of breaker bars having a relatively shorter length may be required. In another embodiment, the disruptor bars of the third group 253 may have different edges 225 (e.g., different taper angles at the edges) than the disruptor bars of the first group 251. Thus, the first and second rotating elements 270, 275 may be rotated to position the third set of first and second disruptor bars 222, 224 adjacent the second contour 165 and the third disruptor bar 226 of the third set is located at the bottom of the base plate 165 such that the edge 225 of the third disruptor bar 226 is located on the second contour 165 and along the second contour 165 (as described above). The third set of breaker bars 253 can then apply pressure to the substrate 160 to separate the substrate along the second contour 165.

The first rotating member 270 may rotate in a first rotational direction 271 and the second rotating member 275 may rotate in a second rotational direction 276. The first and second rotational directions 271, 276 may be the same or different directions. Further, the first rotary member 270 may be rotated simultaneously with the second rotary member 275 so that they rotate together under the same control. It is also contemplated that the first rotational element 270 may rotate independently and be separate from the second rotational element 275.

In the embodiment of fig. 6, the first and second rotary elements 270, 275 each form a pentagonal cross-section such that five sets of breaker bars (251-255) are positioned on the rotary elements. More specifically, each set of breaker bars is positioned on a face (side) of the pentagon. However, it is also contemplated that first and second rotational elements 270, 275 may include other shapes and configurations. For example, the first and second rotary elements 270, 275 may each form a square cross-section such that four sets of breaker bars are positioned on the rotary elements. In other embodiments, the first and second rotary elements 270, 275 each form a triangular cross-section such that three sets of breaker bars are positioned on the rotary elements. It should also be noted that other shapes and configurations known in the art may be used.

As shown in fig. 6, the system 200 may further include a positioning assembly 300, the positioning assembly 300 configured to position the substrate 160 and/or the plurality of breaker bars 220. Although the positioning assembly 300 is shown in the embodiment of fig. 6, it should be noted that the positioning assembly 300 may be used with other embodiments disclosed herein and is not limited to this embodiment. The positioning assembly 300 includes a base 310 configured to support the assembly. In addition, the positioning assembly 300 includes a linear positioning stage 320 and a rotating stage 330 for moving and positioning the substrate 160 and the support 260. More specifically, the linear positioning stage 320 is configured to move the substrate 160 and support 260 in a lateral X, Y, Z direction (e.g., up, down, into and out of the page). The rotation stage 330 is configured to rotate the substrate 160 and the support 260 about any one of an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. For example, the rotation stage 330 may rotate the substrate 160 such that the left end of the substrate 160 is higher than the right end of the substrate 160.

The positioning assembly 300 may also include a frame 340 for securing the support 260 to the system 200. The frame 340 may secure the support 260 using, for example, magnetic elements, vacuum rings, or any other known attachment mechanism.

The positioning assembly 300 may be part of the translation stage 190 or may comprise the translation stage 190, as described above with reference to the laser machining system 100.

The linear positioning stage 320 and the rotary stage 330 move the substrate 160 and the support 260 relative to the first and second rotating members 270 and 275. Additionally or alternatively, the positioning system 300 may also include an assembly for positioning and moving the first rotational element 270 and/or the second rotational element 275 relative to the substrate 160 and the support 260. Further, as also described above, the breaker bars 220 in a particular set may be moved toward and away from each other to be precisely positioned relative to the contour 165. For example, as shown in fig. 6, the first and second breaker bars 222, 224 may be moved closer to each other and further away from each other in the lateral X-axis direction.

The positioning assembly disclosed herein may be a precision mechanism that provides precisely controlled movement, such as by a motor. The assembly may also include a camera to facilitate alignment and positioning of the substrate 160 relative to the first and second rotational elements 270, 275. The camera may also facilitate alignment and positioning of the breaker bar 220 relative to the contour 165. For example, the camera may precisely align the edge 225 of the breaker bar 220 with respect to the contour 165 on the substrate.

The system may include a controller that automatically performs the fracturing operation. The controller includes a processor and a memory in communication with the processor. The memory may be configured to store information regarding at least a portion of the relative positioning of the components. In some embodiments of the invention, the controller may be an integral part of the system. The controller may also be an additional component of the system.

In some embodiments, substrate 160 includes a plurality of wafers (dies) fabricated thereon. For example, the substrate 160 may be a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, or an amorphous substrate having the plurality of wafers (dies) fabricated thereon. To prevent damage to the fabricated components, the plurality of breaker bars 220 contact the surface of the substrate 160 only in the "non-sensitive areas" between the wafers. For example, as shown in fig. 7A-7C, substrate 160 includes a semiconductor 400 having a plurality of dies 410 fabricated therein 400. A network of channels 420 is formed between the dies 410 and "non-sensitive areas" are formed between the dies 410. The system 200 is arranged such that the edges 225 of the plurality of breaker bars 220 contact only the channels 420 and not the wafer 410. Thus, in these embodiments, the laser processing system 100 only creates the contour 165 along the channel 420 and in the channel 420, and not within the wafer 410. Thus, the plurality of breaker bars 220 do not damage sensitive materials within the die 410 when separating and dicing semiconductors.

Fig. 7C (which is a cross-section along line B-B of fig. 7B) shows an example in which the first set of breaker bars 251 are positioned relative to the contour 165. In this embodiment, the contour 165 is located along the first channel 420' separating the two dies 410. The first and second breaker bars 222, 224 are positioned adjacent to two separate dies 410 on the channel 420 "such that the first and second breaker bars 222, 224 are separated from the outline 165 by the two separate dies 410. The third breaker bar 226 is located on the contour 165 of the bottom surface of the semiconductor 400 and is positioned along the contour 165.

It should also be noted that adjacent channels 420 "may also include a contour 165 formed therein. For example, as shown in fig. 7C, one of the adjacent channels 420 "has a second contour 165' disposed therein. In such an embodiment, the second breaker bar 222 should not contact the second contour 165' when positioned in an adjacent channel 420 "to separate the substrate along the contour 165. After the system 200 separates the substrates along the contour lines 165, at least one of the system 200 or the substrates may be moved to position the components to separate the substrates along the second contour lines 165'.

Fig. 8A-8C illustrate a configuration of a support 260 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8A, the support 260 may include a frame 510 connected to a flexible membrane 520. The flexible membrane 520 may be a film, tape, sheet, or tape. In some embodiments, flexible membrane 520 stretches over frame 510. The frame 510 may be the frame 340 described above with reference to fig. 6, or a portion of the frame 340. As shown in fig. 8B, the substrate 160 may be disposed on a top surface of the flexible film 520. In addition, as discussed further below, the contour lines 165 may be formed on the substrate 160 before or after loading the substrate 160 on the support 260.

The flexible membrane 520 may comprise a polymeric material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyolefin. In some embodiments, the material of the flexible membrane 520 includes silicon. In other embodiments, the material of the flexible membrane 520 is free of silicon, which may advantageously reduce any contamination of the flexible membrane 520. In addition, the material of the flexible film 250 may resist the laser beam 112 so that it is not damaged by the laser beam. In further embodiments, the material of the flexible film 520 may be UV insensitive.

The flexible film 520 may have sufficient flexibility to bend and stretch during the separation and/or dicing steps of the substrate 160. For example, when the first, second, and third disrupter bars 222, 224, 226 exert pressure on the substrate 160 to disrupt the substrate 160 along the contour 165, the flexible membrane 520 may be configured to flex and stretch upward and/or downward (in the embodiment of fig. 4A). In some embodiments, the flexible film 520 has an elasticity of about 150% or more in the horizontal and/or vertical direction of the film, or about 160% or more in the horizontal and/or vertical direction, or about 200% or more in the horizontal and/or vertical direction. In some embodiments, the elasticity in the horizontal direction may be different from the elasticity in the vertical direction. In some embodiments, the elasticity is about 150% in the horizontal direction, 170% in the vertical direction, or about 160% in the horizontal direction, and about 200% in the vertical direction. Further, the elasticity may include a tensile strength of about 2kg/25mm or more, or about 3kg/25mm or more. In some embodiments, the tensile strength in the horizontal direction may be different from the tensile strength in the vertical direction. For example, the tensile strength in the horizontal direction may be about 3kg/25mm, and the tensile strength in the vertical direction may be about 3km/25mm.

The total thickness T of the flexible film 520 may be about 50 microns or more, or about 60 microns or more, or about 70 microns or more, or about 80 microns or more, or about 90 microns or more, or about 100 microns or more, or about 110 microns or more, or about 120 microns or more, or about 140 microns or more, or about 160 microns or more, or about 180 microns or more, or about 200 microns or more, or about 220 microns or more, or about 240 microns or more, or about 260 microns or more. Additionally or alternatively, the thickness T of the flexible film 520 may be about 280 microns or less, or about 260 microns or less, or about 240 microns or less, or about 220 microns or less, or about 200 microns or less, or about 180 microns or less, or about 160 microns or less, or about 140 microns or less, or about 120 microns or less, or about 110 microns or less, or about 100 microns or less, or about 90 microns or less, or about 80 microns or less, or about 70 microns or less. In some embodiments, the thickness T of the flexible film 520 is in the range of about 50 microns to about 300 microns, or about 80 microns to about 270 microns, or about 90 microns to about 180 microns. For example, the thickness T may be about 80 microns, or about 95 microns, or about 98 microns, or about 130 microns, or about 168 microns, or about 268 microns.

As shown in fig. 8C, in some embodiments, the flexible film 520 may include a base layer 522 and an adhesive layer 524. The substrate 160 may be secured to an adhesive layer 524 of the flexible film 520. The base layer 522 may comprise a polymeric material as disclosed above. The adhesive layer 524 may include, for example, rubber and/or acrylic. In one embodiment, the adhesion of the adhesive layer 524 is about 34g/25mm.

The base layer 522 may have a thickness in the range of from about 70 microns to about 200 microns, or about 80 microns to about 180 microns, or about 100 microns to about 160 microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the base layer 522 is about 70 microns, or about 80 microns, or about 115 microns, or about 125 microns.

The adhesive layer 524 may have a thickness ranging from about 5 microns to about 100 microns, or about 10 microns to about 90 microns, or about 15 microns to about 80 microns. In some embodiments, the thickness of the adhesive layer 524 is about 10 microns, or about 14, or about 15 microns. The thickness of the adhesive layer 524 may be less than the thickness of the base layer 522.

The flexible film 520 may include a backing film (not shown) formed of, for example, PET. In some embodiments, the backing film forms an antistatic layer. The backing film may have a thickness of about 10 microns or more, or about 20 microns or more, or about 25 microns or more. The backing film may be applied to the base layer 522, the adhesive layer 524, or both. In addition, the backing film may reduce adhesion after UV curing to release the separated substrate pieces.

The base layer 522 and the adhesive layer 524 may each be composed of a single layer or multiple independent layers. For example, layers 522 and/or 524 may each be formed from a laminate structure formed from multiple sublayers. The sublayers of each of layers 522 and/or 524 may be formed of the same or different materials.

When system 200 breaks substrate 160 along contour 165, substrate 160 may break into a first portion and a second portion. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the breaker bars 222, 224, 226 of the system 200 break the substrate 160 into a first portion 161 and a second portion 163. More specifically, first disruptor bars 222 and second disruptor bars 224 exert a downward force on base plate 160 and support 260. In addition, third disruptor bar 226 exerts an upward force on base plate 160 and support 260. Such force of the breaker bars 222, 224, 226 causes the substrate 160 to break along the contour 165 and separate into a first portion 161 and a second portion 163. During this break, substrate 160 remains attached to support 260. Thus, as shown in fig. 9, for example, the flexible film 520 of the support 260 is bent upward as the first and second portions 161, 163 of the substrate 160 are moved. As described above, the flexible membrane 520 has sufficient elasticity to bend and flex with the movement of the first and second portions 161, 163. This allows substrate 160 to remain attached and secured to flexible membrane 520 during the breaking process. This prevents the first and second portions 161, 163 from chipping or cracking during the breaking process. For example, by remaining secured to the flexible membrane 520, the first and second portions 161, 163 do not strike each other during or after the breaking process, which may result in the portions breaking or cracking. Further, by remaining secured to the flexible membrane 520, the first and second portions 161, 163 are prevented from inadvertently falling downward, such as to the ground.

In some embodiments, first breaker bar 222 applies a first force F on base plate 160 at a location X adjacent to contour 165. Third breaker bar 226 applies a second force F on substrate 160 at location Y on contour 165 or along contour 165. In addition, second disruptor 224 applies a third force F on substrate 160 at a location Z adjacent to contour 165. Locations X and Z may be spaced from the contour 165 a distance sufficient to bend and fracture the substrate 160 but close enough not to overlap the contour 165. In some embodiments, locations X and Z are spaced from the contour line 165 by a distance of about 25 microns or more, or about 30 microns or more, or about 35 microns or more. It should also be noted that the distance of location X from contour 165 may be different from location Z. The first, second, and third forces F are sufficient to exceed the fracture resistance of the substrate 160 at the contour line 165, and thus the substrate may fracture along the contour line 165. In some embodiments, the first force F is equal to the third force F. More note that in embodiments that include a flexible membrane 520, the first, second, and third forces F are also applied to the flexible membrane 520.

The substrate 160 may be secured to the flexible film 520 either before or after a laser processing step using the laser processing system 100. Thus, in some embodiments, substrate 160 is secured to flexible film 520 prior to the laser processing step. The laser beam 112 then passes along the beam path 111 to form the plurality of defects 172, which form the contours 165, while the substrate 160 is secured to the flexible film 520. Thus, the laser beam 112 also passes through the flexible film 520 when forming the plurality of defects 172. In these embodiments, the flexible membrane 520 is formed of a material that is not damaged by the laser beam 112. In other embodiments, the laser processing system 100 first forms the plurality of defects 172 of the contour lines 165 and then attaches the substrate 160 to the flexible film 520 after the contour lines 165 are formed.

In some embodiments, the plurality of defects 172 may be enlarged prior to the fracturing step using the fracturing system 200. For example, defect 172 may be exposed to an etching solution, such as HF or KOH, or an ion exchange process.

Fig. 10 shows an exemplary configuration of five sets of breaker bars 251, 252, 253, 254, 255 of the breaking system 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, substrate 160 is positioned on flexible membrane 520 of support 260. As mentioned above, the breaker bars of the different groups (251, 252, 253, 254, 255) have different lengths. Thus, for example, the breaker bars of the fifth group 255 are the shortest, while the breaker bars of the first group 251 are the longest. The breaker bars of different lengths may be adapted to break substrate 160 along different portions of substrate 160 corresponding to different lengths (e.g., diameters) of substrate 160. For example, the first set of disruptor bars 251 disrupt the substrate 160 along a contour 165 within the first region a, wherein the substrate 160 has a maximum diameter (and thus a maximum contour 165). Fifth set of breaker bars 255 break substrate 160 along contour 165 in fifth region E, wherein substrate 160 has a minimum diameter. Further, the second set of disruptor bars 252 disrupt the substrate along the outline 165 in the second region B, the third set of disruptor bars 253 disrupt the substrate along the outline 165 in the third region C, and the fourth set of disruptor bars 254 disrupt the substrate along the outline 165 in the fourth region D. It is noted that the diameter of the fifth region E is smaller than the diameter of the fourth region D, which is smaller than the diameter of the third region C, which is smaller than the diameter of the second region B, which is smaller than the diameter of the first region a.

Fig. 11A shows another embodiment of a breaker system 200 wherein a first breaker bar 222 is located on a first rotary element 272, a second breaker bar 224 is located on a second rotary element 274, and a third breaker bar 226 is located on a third rotary element 276. As described above, the rotating elements 272, 274, 276 may be rotated, for example, to move the first set of breaker bars into position to break the substrate 160 along the first contour 165. The rotating elements 272, 274, 276 may be further rotated to, for example, move the second set of disruptor bars into position to disrupt the substrate along the second contour 165.

As further shown in fig. 11A and 11B, the first and second rotating elements 272, 274 may move relative to each other (and relative to the third rotating element 276) in a transverse X-axis direction. This movement of the first and second rotating elements 271, 272 provides for accurate positioning of the breaker bars relative to the contour 165. The second rotary element 274 may include a cavity 273 between each breaker bar disposed on the second rotary element 274. The cavity 273 provides clearance and space for the first and second rotating elements 272, 274 to move in close proximity without contacting each other.

Fig. 11C shows a perspective view of a portion of a disruptor system 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 11C shows a second breaker bar 224 located on a second rotary element 274. As described above, these second breaker bars 224 are each part of a different set of breaker bars having different lengths. Thus, for example, the second breaker bar 224' may be part of the first set and may have the longest length of all the second breaker bars. The second breaker bar 224 "may be part of the second group and may have the shortest length of all the second breaker bars. Further, the second disrupter bar 224 '"may have a longer length than the second disrupter bar 224", but shorter than the second disrupter bar 224'. The second disrupter bar 224"" may have a longer length than the second disrupter bars 224 "and 224 '" but shorter than the second disrupter bar 224'.

In addition, fig. 11C shows a lever 280, with a second rotary element 274 mounted on the lever 280. The first and third rotating elements 272, 276 may also be mounted on similar rods for rotation. Although the embodiment of fig. 11C includes breaker bars having different lengths, this feature is not limited to the embodiment of fig. 11C. Rather, as noted above, breaker bars of different sizes may be used with any of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates a process 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 410, process 400 includes forming one or more defects 172 in substrate 160. As described above, defects 172 may be formed using laser beam 112, and defects 172 may together form contour 165. During formation of defect 172, substrate 160 may or may not be disposed on flexible film 520 of support 260. In step 420, a set of breaker bars is positioned on substrate 160 relative to contour 165. More specifically, in some embodiments, two top breaker bars (of the first set) are positioned on the top surface of base plate 160 and adjacent to the contour line, and a bottom breaker bar (of the first set) is positioned on the bottom surface of base plate 160 and on contour line 165. In step 430, the breaker bars apply pressure (force) to substrate 160 to separate substrate 160 along contour lines 165. Thus, the substrate 160 is divided into two separate portions (step 440). During these separation steps, substrate 160 may be positioned and secured on flexible membrane 520 such that the separated portions of substrate 160 do not chip or crack.

It should be noted that during formation of defect 172 in substrate 160 (step 410 of process 400), substrate 160 remains intact and is not divided into two parts. Thus, no material is removed or mechanical forces are present in this step. Instead, substrate 160 is separated (by the mechanical force of breaker bar 220) only during steps 430 and 440 of process 400. Thus, embodiments of the present invention include forming a plurality of defects 172 within substrate 160 to form contour lines 165 when substrate 160 is attached to flexible film 520 and before substrate 165 is separated into different portions.

As disclosed above, the laser processing system 100 provides a highly controlled system that produces the profile 165 with a high degree of control and specificity. In addition, the breaking system 200 is able to precisely control the position of the breaker bars 220 to separate the substrate 160 along only the contour lines 165. Accordingly, cutting and separating of the substrate 160 may be controlled to achieve very precise and accurate cutting lines. In addition, by first forming the contour lines 165 and then separating the substrate along the contour lines 165, the breaking force required to separate the substrate 160 is much lower than in conventional systems, thereby improving edge quality. In particular, any chipping at the cut edge of substrate 160 may be about 80 microns or less, or about 50 microns or less, or about 20 microns or less.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also allow for positioning of breaker bars 220 at locations that do not interfere with any sensitive materials on substrate 160. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system that can cut and separate substrates (e.g., very thin and wide substrates) having very low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) values and/or very small aspect ratios. In some embodiments, glass substrate 160 is formed from HPFS glass having a CTE value of about 0.4 ppm/DEG C or less. In other embodiments, glass substrate 160 is Eagle XG glass having a CTE of about 3.5 ppm/DEG C or less. Thus, the system 10 may be used with a wider variety of substrates than conventional systems.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure cut and fracture the substrate without damaging any coating applied to the substrate. Embodiments of the present disclosure are also capable of cutting and separating substrates having very large thicknesses.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, they are presented by way of example and not limitation. Obviously, modifications and variations are within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the disclosed embodiments based on the teachings and guidance presented herein. It will thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made to the embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the elements of the embodiments presented herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but may be interchanged to meet various circumstances.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail herein with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like or functionally similar elements. References to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "some embodiments," "in some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, these terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

The examples are illustrative, but not limiting. Other suitable modifications and adaptations of the various conditions and parameters normally encountered in the art and obvious to those skilled in the art are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "or" is inclusive; more specifically, the term "a or B" refers to "A, B, or a and B". For example, an exclusive "or" is specified in this document in terms such as "a or B" and "one of a or B".

The indefinite articles "a" and "an" describe an element or component mean having one or at least one of the element or component. Although the articles are generally used to refer to modified nouns as singular nouns, the articles "a" and "an" also include plural referents unless otherwise specified in the context of describing a particular situation. Similarly, the definite article "the" as used herein also means that the modified noun may be singular or plural unless otherwise specified in the context.

As used in the claims, the term "comprising" is an open-ended transition term. The transitional phrase includes or includes a non-exclusive list of elements that follows, such that elements other than those specifically recited in the list may also be present. As used in the claims, "consisting essentially of … …" or "consisting essentially of … …" limit the composition of a material to those materials that are specific to the particular material and do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the material. As used in the claims, "consisting of … …" or "consisting entirely of … …" limits the composition of a material to a specified material and excludes any unspecified material.

The term "wherein" is used as an open-ended transitional phrase to introduce a set of features of a structure.

Unless otherwise indicated in a particular instance, the numerical ranges recited herein include upper and lower values and the recited ranges are intended to include the endpoints of the ranges as well as all integers and fractions within the range. When defining a range, the scope of the claims is not limited to the particular values recited. Furthermore, when an amount, concentration, or other value or parameter is given as either a range, one or more preferred ranges, or an upper preferable value and a lower preferable value of the list, this is to be understood as specifically disclosing all ranges formed from any pair of any upper range limit or preferred value and any lower range limit or preferred value, regardless of whether such pairs are separately disclosed. Finally, when the term "about" is used to describe a range of values or endpoints, it is to be understood that the disclosure includes the specific value or endpoint referred to. Whether or not a range of values or endpoints is to be construed as "about" in this specification, the range of values or endpoints is to include the two embodiments: one modified with "about" and one not modified with "about".

As used herein, the term "about" means that the amounts, dimensions, formulations, parameters, and other amounts and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or above or below, depending on the requirements, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, as well as other factors known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The present embodiment has been described above by means of function building blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof. Boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries may be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.

It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (29)

1. A method, comprising:

forming a plurality of defects in a substrate having a laser beam focal line using a laser beam, each defect of the plurality of defects being a damage track having a diameter of about 10 microns or less in the substrate, the plurality of defects forming a contour line on the substrate,

the substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

(i) Applying a first force on the first surface of the substrate at a location adjacent to the contour line, and (ii) applying a second force on the second surface of the substrate at a location of the contour line; and

Breaking the substrate along the contour line into a first substrate portion and a second substrate portion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: a third force is applied on the first surface of the substrate at a location adjacent to the contour line and at a side of the contour line opposite the first force.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third force is equal to the first force.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: the first force is applied with a first disruptor bar that contacts the substrate only at an edge of the disruptor bar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is disposed on a flexible film, the method further comprising: the second force is applied on the flexible film and on the second surface of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the flexible membrane bends and flexes as a result of at least one of the first force and the second force being applied.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the flexible membrane is not ruptured by application of the at least one of the first force and the second force.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the flexible film is comprised of a polymeric material.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the flexible film has a thickness of about 50 microns to about 300 microns.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the flexible film has an elasticity of about 120% or more in a horizontal direction of the flexible film and an elasticity of about 120% or more in a vertical direction of the flexible film.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the damage track is about 5 microns or less.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the diameter of the damage track is about 3 microns or less.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is comprised of a glass substrate, a glass ceramic substrate, or a semiconductor wafer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the substrate is comprised of a transparent glass substrate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a coating.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a second plurality of defects within the substrate with the laser beam, each defect of the second plurality of defects being a damage track having a diameter of about 10 microns or less within the substrate, the second plurality of defects forming a second contour line on the substrate; and

(i) Applying a fourth force on the first surface of the substrate at a location adjacent to the second contour line, and (ii) applying a fifth force on the second surface of the substrate at a location of the second contour line; and

breaking the substrate along the second contour line into a third substrate portion and a fourth substrate portion.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the laser beam is a quasi-non-diffracted laser beam.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising: the laser beam is translated relative to the substrate.

19. A system, comprising:

a laser processing system comprising a beam source configured to output a laser beam focused into a laser beam focal line; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A substrate breaking system comprising a first set of breaker bars and a flexible membrane,

the first group of breaker bars includes a first breaker bar having a first edge, a second breaker bar having a second edge, and a third breaker bar having a third edge, an

The first disrupter bar and the second disrupter bar are disposed on a first side of the flexible film and the third disrupter bar is disposed on a second side of the flexible film.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a second set of disruptor bars comprising a first disruptor bar, a second disruptor bar, and a third disruptor bar, wherein:

The first disrupter bar of the second set of disrupter bars has a shorter length than the first disrupter bar of the first set of disrupter bars,

the second disruptor bars of the second set of disruptor bars have a shorter length than the second disruptor bars of the first set of disruptor bars,

the third disrupter bar of the second set of disrupter bars has a shorter length than the third disrupter bar of the first set of disrupter bars.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a first rotating element, the first disruptor bar and the second disruptor bar being disposed on the first rotating element.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first disruptor bar and the second disruptor bar are disposed on a single side of the first rotary element.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a second rotating element, the third disruptor bar being disposed on the second rotating element.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the flexible membrane is comprised of a polymeric material.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the flexible film has a thickness of about 50 microns to about 300 microns.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the flexible membrane has an elasticity of about 120% or more in a horizontal direction of the flexible membrane and an elasticity of about 120% or more in a vertical direction of the flexible membrane.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the flexible film comprises a base layer and an adhesive layer.

28. The system of claim 19, further comprising a positioning assembly configured to move the first disrupter bar and the second disrupter bar relative to the flexible film.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the first edge, the second edge, and the third edge each comprise a taper point.