9608results about "Glass production" patented technology

Methods are provided for forming optical devices, such as waveguides, with minimal defect formation. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for forming a waveguide structure on a substrate surface including forming a cladding layer on the substrate surface, forming a core layer on the cladding layer, depositing an amorphous carbon hardmask on the core layer, forming a patterned photoresist layer on the amorphous carbon hardmask, etching the amorphous carbon hardmask, and etching the core material.

A chip having a desired shape is formed from a platelike workpiece. The chip manufacturing method includes a shield tunnel forming step of applying a pulsed laser beam to the workpiece from a focusing unit included in a pulsed laser beam applying unit along the contour of the chip to be formed, with the focal point of the pulsed laser beam set at a predetermined depth from the upper surface of the workpiece, thereby forming a plurality of shield tunnels inside the workpiece along the contour of the chip to be formed. Each shield tunnel has a fine hole and an amorphous region formed around the fine hole for shielding the fine hole. In a chip forming step, ultrasonic vibration is applied to the workpiece to break the contour of the chip where the shield tunnels have been formed, thereby forming the chip from the workpiece.

The disclosure describes methods for producing bulk, particulate material that includes solid, generally ellipsoidal particles. Irregularly shaped feed particles with average particle sizes of up to 25 microns on a volume basis are dispersed in at least a portion of a combustible gas mixture by application of force and/or fluidizing agents. The combustible mixture with particles in suspension is then delivered, while controlling agglomeration or re-agglomeration of the particles, to at least one flame front. There, the mixture and suspended particles are uniformly distributed across the surface(s) of and passed through the flame front(s) with a high concentration of particles in the mixture. This flame front and the resultant flame(s) with suspended particles are located in at least one "wall free" zone. In such zone(s) the flame(s) may expand while the particles are maintained in dispersion and heated, with controlled and highly efficient application of heating energy. At least partial fusion occurs within at least the surfaces of the particles at high thermal efficiencies, while agglomeration of particles during fusion is inhibited.

A laser beam machining method and a laser beam machining device capable of cutting a work without producing a fusing and a cracking out of a predetermined cutting line on the surface of the work, wherein a pulse laser beam is radiated on the predetermined cut line on the surface of the work under the conditions causing a multiple photon absorption and with a condensed point aligned to the inside of the work, and a modified area is formed inside the work along the predetermined determined cut line by moving the condensed point along the predetermined cut line, whereby the work can be cut with a rather small force by cracking the work along the predetermined cut line starting from the modified area and, because the pulse laser beam radiated is not almost absorbed onto the surface of the work, the surface is not fused even if the modified area is formed.

A method for forming an optical fiber includes drawing the optical fiber from a glass supply and treating the fiber by maintaining the optical fiber within a treatment temperature range for a treatment time. Preferably also, the fiber is cooled at a specified cooling rate. The optical fiber treatment reduces the tendency of the optical fiber to increase in attenuation due to Rayleigh scattering, and/or over time following formation of the optical fiber due to heat aging. Apparatus are also provided.

The present invention disclose a laser cutter for cutting an object being cut such as a two glasses-attached panel for LCD using a laser beam. The laser cutter includes a laser unit for irradiating a laser beam with a specific wavelength along a marked cutting line of the object, a pre-scriber for forming a pre-cut groove at starting edge of the marked cutting line, and a cooling unit for cooling the cutting line which said laser beam has been irradiated.

Methods of forming a glass article are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of forming a glass article includes translating a pulsed laser beam on a glass substrate sheet to form a laser damage region between a first surface and a second surface of the glass substrate sheet. The method further includes applying an etchant solution to the glass substrate sheet to remove a portion of the glass substrate sheet about the laser damage region. The method may further include strengthening the glass substrate sheet by an ion-exchange strengthening process, and coating the glass substrate sheet with an acid-resistant coating. Also disclosed are methods where the laser damage region has an initial geometry that changes to a desired geometry following the reforming of the glass substrate sheet such that the initial geometry of the laser damage region compensates for the bending of the glass substrate sheet.

A self-cooled oxidant-fuel burner consisting novel fuel and oxidant nozzles and three compartment refractory burner block design is proposed. The new oxidant-fuel burner can fire in high-temperature (2200 DEG F. to 3000 DEG F.) and high-particulate (or high process volatiles/condensates) furnaces without over-heating or causing chemical corrosion damage to it's metallic burner nozzle and refractory burner block interior. Using various embodiments of nozzle and block shape, the burner can offer a traditional cylindrical flame or flat flame depending on the heating load requirements. The new features of this burner include unique fuel nozzle design for the streamline mixing of fuel and oxidant streams, a controlled swirl input to the oxidant flow for desired flame characteristics, a controlled expansion of flame envelope in the radial and axial dimensions, and efficient sweeping of burner block interior surface using oxidant to provide convective cooling and prevent any build up of process particulates. In addition, a relatively thick wall metallic nozzle construction with heat conduction fins enable efficient heat dissipation from the nozzle tip and providing a maintenance free burner operation.

The present invention provides a control system for the conversion of carbonaceous feedstock into a gas. In particular, the control system is designed to be configurable for use in controlling one or more processes implemented in, and/or by, a gasification system for the conversion of such feedstock into a gas, which may be used for one or more downstream applications. Gasification processes controllable by different embodiments of the disclosed control system may include in various combinations, a converter, a residue conditioner, a recuperator and/or heat exchanger system, one or more gas conditioners, a gas homogenization system and one or more downstream applications. The control system operatively controls various local, regional and/or global processes related to the overall gasification process, and thereby adjusts various control parameters thereof adapted to affect these processes for a selected result. Various sensing elements and response elements are therefore distributed throughout the controlled system and used to acquire various process, reactant and/or product characteristics, compare these characteristics to suitable ranges of such characteristics conducive to achieving the desired result, and respond by implementing changes to in one or more of the ongoing processes via one or more controllable process devices.

The present invention generally relates to a system that can be used to form a photovoltaic device, or solar cell, using processing modules that are adapted to perform one or more steps in the solar cell formation process. The automated solar cell fab is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices. The automated solar fab will thus generally comprise a substrate receiving module that is adapted to receive a substrate, one or more absorbing layer deposition cluster tools having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate, one or more back contact deposition chambers, one or more material removal chambers, a solar cell encapsulation device, an autoclave module, an automated junction box attaching module, and one or more quality assurance modules that are adapted to test and qualify the completely formed solar cell device.

A burner assembly having improved flame length and shape control is presented, which includes in exemplary embodiments at least one fuel fluid inlet and at least one oxidant fluid inlet, means for transporting the fuel fluid from the fuel inlet to a plurality of fuel outlets-, the fuel fluid leaving the fuel outlets in fuel streams that are injected into a combustion chamber, means for transporting the oxidant fluid from the oxidant inlets to at least one oxidant outlet, the oxidant fluid leaving the oxidant outlets in oxidant fluid streams that are injected into the combustion chamber, with the fuel and oxidant outlets being physically separated, and geometrically arranged in order to impart to the fuel fluid streams and the oxidant fluid streams angles and velocities that allow combustion of the fuel fluid with the oxidant in a stable, wide, and luminous flame. Alternatively, injectors may be used alone or with the refractory block to inject oxidant and fuel gases. The burner assembly affords improved control over flame size and shape and may be adjusted for use with a particular furnace as required.

Starting point regions for cutting 8a, 8b extending along lines to cut 5a, 5b are initially formed in an object to be processed 1. The starting point regions for cutting 8b have modified regions 7b formed by irradiating the object 1 with laser light while locating a converging point within the object 1 and are formed in parts extending along the lines to cut 5b excluding portions 34b intersecting the lines to cut 5a. This makes the starting point regions for cutting 8b much less influential when cutting the object 1 from the starting point regions for cutting 8a acting as a start point, whereby bars with precise cleavage surfaces can reliably be obtained. Therefore, it is unnecessary to form a starting point region for cutting along the lines to cut 5b in each of a plurality of bars, whereby the productivity of semiconductor laser elements can be improved.

A melter apparatus includes a floor, a ceiling, and a substantially vertical wall connecting the floor and ceiling at a perimeter of the floor and ceiling, a melting zone being defined by the floor, ceiling and wall, the melting zone having a feed inlet and a molten glass outlet positioned at opposing ends of the melting zone. The melting zone includes an expanding zone beginning at the inlet and extending to an intermediate location relative to the opposing ends, and a narrowing zone extending from the intermediate location to the outlet. One or more burners, at least some of which are positioned to direct combustion products into the melting zone under a level of molten glass in the zone, are also provided.

Disclosed is an amplifying optical fiber having a central core and an optical cladding surrounding the central core. The central core is based on a silica matrix that includes nanoparticles, which are composed of a matrix material that includes doping ions of at least one rare earth element. The amplifying optical fiber can be employed, for example, in an optical amplifier and an optical laser.

A gas floating-transporting apparatus transports a material to be treated along a predetermined direction in a thermal space so as to thermally treat the material to be treated. The apparatus includes a gas floating mechanism and a transporting mechanism. The gas floating mechanism includes a gas ejection device which expels the gas toward a portion of the material to be treated on which a floating force is acted so as to float the material to be treated, and a gas supply device which supplies the gas to the gas ejection means. The transporting mechanism includes an abutting member which abuts a trailing end of the floated material to be treated and moves along the predetermined direction, and which pushes the material to be treated by the movement thereof, whereby the floated material to be treated is moved along the predetermined direction.

Burner firing method and device are presented where an oxidizing oxygen-fuel burner is fired at an angle to the reducing air-fuel burner flame to reduce overall NOx emissions from high temperature furnaces. The oxidizing oxy-fuel burner stoichiometric equivalence ratio (oxygen/fuel) is maintained in the range of about 1.5 to about 12.5. The reducing air-fuel burner is fired at an equivalence ratio of 0.6 to 1.00 to reduce the availability of oxygen in the flame and reducing NOx emissions. The oxidizing flame from the oxy-fuel burner is oriented such that the oxidizing flame gas stream intersects the reducing air-fuel flame gas stream at or near the tail section of the air-fuel flame. The inventive methods improve furnace temperature control and thermal efficiency by eliminating some nitrogen and provide an effective burnout of CO and other hydrocarbons using the higher mixing ability of the oxidizing flame combustion products. The simultaneous air-fuel and oxy-fuel burner firing can reduce NOx emissions anywhere from 30% to 70% depending on the air-fuel burner stoichiometric ratio.

A preparatory tempered glass structure for a cutting treatment includes a glass substrate and at least one trench. The glass substrate is given a strengthening treatment to form, from a surface to the inside of the glass substrate, at least one compression stress layer and a tensile stress layer corresponding to the compression stress layer. The trench is formed in the compression stress layer of the glass substrate and overlaps a predetermined cutting path for the cutting treatment.

The present invention is directed to a method of cutting glass mother material involving preparing the plate glass mother material in which a plurality of grooves are scribed, disposing the plate glass mother material with the grooves turned inward; and pressing an outer surface of the plate glass mother material with a cushioning member having a thickness not to be protruded downward from a lowermost portion of an indenter, with the cushioning member being attached onto an under surface of an indenter base excluding the indenter, pressing a portion opposite to the groove on the outer surface with the indenter having a stretched shape, and cutting the plate glass mother material.

A method for recycling glass mat waste, wound rovings, and other products includes providing a source of glass mat, or a plurality of rovings, for example on a roll, and routing the glass mat or rovings into a submerged combustion melter. An unwind system and a pair of powered nip rolls, powered conveyors, or other arrangement may work in combination to provide a substantially consistent rate of material into the melter. The melter may operate under less than atmospheric pressure to avoid fumes escaping the melter. A slot in the melter allows ingress of the glass mat or rovings into the melter, and a glass mat former such as a folder may be used to ensure that the mat fits through the slot. Alternatively, the glass mat may be cut by a slitter prior to entering the slot.

In a cleaving apparatus (1) for a glass film, an initial crack (10), which is formed at a leading end portion of a preset cleaving line (7) of a glass film (G), is propagated along the preset cleaving line (7) by a thermal stress generated in the glass film (G) through localized heating performed along the preset cleaving line (7) and cooling of a heated region resulting from the localized heating. At this time, a resin sheet (R) having higher flexibility than the glass film (G) is arranged in a cleaving region, and the resin sheet (R) is floated by blowing a gas on a lower surface of the resin sheet (R) by a floating unit (3). Then, a preset cleaving portion of the glass film (G) including the preset cleaving line (7) is lifted and supported while being covered with the floated resin sheet (R) from below, and in this state, the glass film (G) is cleaved.

Various embodiments may be used for laser-based modification of target material of a workpiece while advantageously achieving improvements in processing throughput and/or quality. Embodiments of a method of processing may include focusing and directing laser pulses to a region of the workpiece at a pulse width sufficiently short so that material is efficiently removed by nonlinear optical absorption from the region and a quantity of heat affected zone and thermal stress on the material within the region, proximate to the region, or both is reduced relative to a quantity obtainable using a laser with longer pulses. In at least one embodiment, an ultrashort pulse laser system may include at least one of a fiber amplifier or fiber laser. Various embodiments are suitable for at least one of dicing, cutting, scribing, and forming features on or within a composite material.

A front end for a glass forming operation comprises an open channel and at least one burner. The channel has at least one surface. The surface has at least one hole therein. The burner is oriented in the hole at an acute angle relative to the surface. In another embodiment of the invention, the channel has a top and a pair of sidewalls each having a surface. At least one hole is in at least one of the surfaces. The hole is at an acute angle relative to at least one surface. The burner is an oxygen-fired burner. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the top and sidewalls each have a super structure surface constructed of refractory material. The channel has an upstream end and a downstream end. At least one of the surfaces has a plurality of holes therein. The burners extend at an acute angle relative to at least one surface and in a plane extending between the upstream end and the downstream end and perpendicular to at least one surface. Oxygen-fired burners extend axially through corresponding holes.