Laser processing of thin glass has proven problematic due to the inefficient coupling of optical energy into glass and the difficulty achieving an economical processing speed while maintaining cut quality. Laser glass processing is pertinent to touch screen display, microfluidic, microoptic and photovoltaic applications. The results of the laser scribing of 110 μm thick alkali free glass with various laser sources are presented. The laser sources include a CO_₂ laser, nanosecond UV laser and femtosecond IR laser. The contrasting absorption mechanisms are discussed. Cut quality and processing speed are characterised using SEM and optical microscopy techniques. Alternative laser techniques for thin glass processing are also considered.

Date Published: 12 March 2015
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 9351, Laser-based Micro- and Nanoprocessing IX, 93511K (12 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2077217

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9351:
Laser-based Micro- and Nanoprocessing IX
Udo Klotzbach; Kunihiko Washio; Craig B. Arnold, Editor(s)