Glass microgroove processing methods and apparatus, glass products

By modulating laser with a blazed grating and Fresnel lens phase map, combined with chemical etching, the problem of difficult shape control in glass microgrooves in existing technologies has been solved, achieving high-precision and low-cost glass microgrooving processing.

CN117428340BActive Publication Date: 2026-04-03SHENZHEN SHUOGUANG PRECISION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-10-12
Publication Date
2026-04-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In existing technologies, it is difficult to precisely control the shape of glass microgrooves, 3D printing is slow and the material shrinks and deforms, molding is energy-intensive and costly, and laser direct writing has poor controllability and poor surface roughness.

Method used

By determining the phase diagram of the blazed grating and Fresnel lens, the laser is modulated to form a multifocal spot, which is then scanned on the material to be processed and combined with chemical etching to form a precise glass microgroove.

Benefits of technology

It enables precise control over the shape of glass microgrooves, reducing processing costs and surface roughness, and improving processing accuracy and efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

This application discloses a method and apparatus for processing glass microgrooves, as well as a glass product. The method includes: determining a first phase and a second phase corresponding to the target groove shape of the material to be processed; determining a target phase diagram based on the first phase and the second phase; modulating a laser beam according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam; focusing the first beam to form a multifocal spot, and scanning the material to be processed using the multifocal spot; controlling the movement of the material to be processed during the scanning process to form multiple cracks in the material; and chemically etching the material to be processed to connect the multiple cracks and form the target groove shape. This application modulates the laser by superimposing the phase of a blazed grating and the phase of a Fresnel lens to form a multifocal spot distributed according to the target groove shape. The spot is used to scan the material to be processed to form cracks, and then the material is etched, causing the cracked areas to detach from the material to form a glass microgroove, thereby precisely controlling the shape of the glass microgroove.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of laser processing technology, specifically to a method and apparatus for processing glass microgrooves and glass products. Background Technology

[0002] Glass possesses excellent chemical stability and high-temperature resistance, and glass with micro- and nano-structures on its surface is now widely used in various fields. For example, in microelectronic devices, glass with micro-grooves on its surface can serve as fluid channels inside microfluidic chips; in the field of optics, glass with micro-grooves on its surface can be used as blazed gratings in various optical devices; and in the field of communications, using glass with micro-grooves on its surface can improve the coupling efficiency and transmission characteristics of optical fibers, thereby enhancing the performance of optical fiber communication systems.

[0003] Existing glass surface processing technologies include 3D printing, molding, and laser direct writing. 3D printing is slow and requires sintering after printing, during which material shrinkage can cause microgroove deformation. Molding is technically demanding, requires high temperatures, consumes significant energy, and is costly. Laser direct writing suffers from poor controllability; localized concentration of high-energy laser energy can damage localized glass structures, and the resulting microgroove surface has poor roughness, making it impossible to precisely control the shape of the generated glass microgroove. Currently, there is a lack of a method for precisely controlling the shape of the microgroove. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a glass microgroove processing method and apparatus, as well as a glass product, capable of precisely controlling the shape of the generated glass microgroove.

[0005] A first aspect of this application provides a method for fabricating glass microgrooves, the method comprising:

[0006] The first phase and the second phase are determined according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens;

[0007] Determine the target phase map based on the first phase and the second phase;

[0008] The laser beam is modulated according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam;

[0009] The first beam is focused to form a multi-focus spot, and the material to be processed is scanned through the multi-focus spot;

[0010] During the scanning process, the material to be processed is controlled to move so as to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed;

[0011] The material to be processed is chemically etched to connect the multiple cracks and form the target groove shape.

[0012] In some embodiments, determining the corresponding first phase and second phase based on the target groove shape of the material to be processed includes:

[0013] Determine the corresponding longitudinal section shape function based on the target groove type;

[0014] The coordinates of each target light point are determined based on the longitudinal section shape function;

[0015] The first phase of the blazed grating used to generate the target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point;

[0016] The second phase of the Fresnel lens used to generate the target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining the first phase of the blazed grating used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point includes:

[0018] Determine the ray deflection corresponding to each target light point based on the coordinates of the target light points;

[0019] The period of the blazed grating is determined based on the light deflection corresponding to all the target light spots;

[0020] The first phase of the blazed grating is determined based on the period of the blazed grating and the coordinates of each target light point.

[0021] In some embodiments, determining the second phase of the Fresnel lens used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point includes:

[0022] The focal length of the Fresnel lens corresponding to each target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point.

[0023] The second phase of the Fresnel lens is determined based on the focal length of the Fresnel lens.

[0024] In some embodiments, modulating the laser beam according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam includes:

[0025] The target phase map is loaded into the spatial light modulator;

[0026] The laser is injected into the spatial light modulator to perform wavefront modulation of the laser in the spatial light modulator according to the target phase diagram, thereby obtaining the first beam.

[0027] In some embodiments, the corrosion solution used to chemically corrode the material to be processed is an alkaline solution, and the temperature of the corrosion solution is between 50 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius.

[0028] In some embodiments, before modulating the laser according to the target phase map to obtain the first beam, the method further includes:

[0029] A laser with a specific pulse width is generated according to the type of material to be processed, wherein the energy distribution of the laser spot satisfies a Gaussian distribution.

[0030] In some embodiments, before modulating the laser according to the target phase map to obtain the first beam, the method further includes:

[0031] The laser is polarized and filtered to remove the non-horizontally polarized beam components.

[0032] A second aspect of this application provides a glass microgroove processing apparatus, comprising:

[0033] The phase calculation module is used to determine the corresponding first phase and second phase according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens;

[0034] A phase overlay module is used to overlay the first phase and the second phase to obtain a target phase map;

[0035] A modulation module is used to modulate the laser according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam;

[0036] A focusing module is used to focus the first beam to form a multi-focal spot, and to scan the material to be processed through the multi-focal spot;

[0037] A moving module is used to control the movement of the material to be processed during scanning to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed;

[0038] The corrosion module is used to chemically corrode the material to be processed, so that multiple cracks are connected to form the target groove shape.

[0039] A third aspect of this application provides a glass article prepared by a glass microgroove processing method as described in any one of the first aspect embodiments.

[0040] This application discloses a method and apparatus for processing microgrooves in glass, as well as a glass product. The method includes: determining a first phase and a second phase corresponding to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of a blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of a Fresnel lens; determining a target phase map based on the first phase and the second phase; modulating a laser beam according to the target phase map to obtain a first beam; focusing the first beam to form a multifocal spot, and scanning the material to be processed through the multifocal spot; controlling the movement of the material to be processed during the scanning process to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed; and chemically etching the material to be processed to connect the multiple cracks to form the target groove shape. This application utilizes a phase-map modulated laser based on a superimposed blazed grating and Fresnel lens. This allows for precise control of the target light field distribution, enabling the modulated laser to be focused into a multi-focal spot with the focal point distributed according to the target groove shape. This precisely ablates the material to be processed, forming multiple cracks distributed according to the target groove shape. Then, chemical etching is used to corrode the material to be processed, causing the cracks to connect. The material surrounded by the cracks detaches from the surface of the material to be processed, forming a glass microgroove with the target groove shape. This allows for precise control of the shape of the generated glass microgroove.

[0041] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the application. The objectives and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a glass microgroove processing method proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a glass microgroove processing system proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the sub-process of step S101;

[0045] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the sub-process of step S303;

[0046] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the sub-process of step S304;

[0047] Figure 6 yes Figure 1A schematic diagram of the sub-process of step S103;

[0048] Figure 7 This is a modular schematic diagram of a glass microgroove processing device proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of a high aspect ratio V-groove prepared using the glass microgroove processing method proposed in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of an obtuse-angled V-groove prepared using the glass microgroove processing method proposed in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of an arc-shaped groove prepared by the glass microgroove processing method proposed in the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of a large-area trapezoidal groove prepared using the glass microgroove processing method proposed in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 201-Ultrafast laser, 202-Spatial light modulator, 203-Objective lens, 204-Material to be processed, 205-Displacement stage, 206-Half-wave plate, 207-4f system, 208-Mirror, 209-Beam expander, 210-Industrial camera, 211-Light source, 212-Dichroic mirror;

[0054] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions of this application and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0056] It should be noted that although functional modules are divided in the device schematic diagram and a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order than the module division in the device or the order in the flowchart. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and the aforementioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0057] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit this application.

[0058] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a thorough understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, apparatuses, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known methods, apparatuses, implementations, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this disclosure.

[0059] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly limited, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0060] Reference Figure 1 This application proposes a glass microgroove processing method, including but not limited to the following steps S101 to S106.

[0061] Step S101: Determine the corresponding first phase and second phase according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens;

[0062] Step S102: Determine the target phase map based on the first phase and the second phase;

[0063] Step S103: Modulate the laser beam according to the target phase diagram to obtain the first beam;

[0064] Step S104: Focus the first beam to form a multi-focus spot, and scan the material to be processed using the multi-focus spot;

[0065] Step S105: During the scanning process, control the movement of the material to be processed to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present a target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed.

[0066] Step S106: Chemically corrode the material to be processed to connect multiple cracks and form the target groove shape.

[0067] In step S101 of some embodiments, the material to be processed is a glass substrate with a smooth, flat upper surface. Specifically, it can be a glass substrate made of quartz glass, borosilicate glass, or other composite glass. The target groove shape refers to the shape of the microgroove to be formed on the surface of the material to be processed, such as a V-groove.

[0068] For trapezoidal grooves, the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating required to deflect the laser in the x-direction according to the target groove shape, wherein the x-direction is determined according to the direction of the long side of the material to be processed, and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens required to converge the laser at a specific distance to form a focal point according to the target groove shape.

[0069] In step S102 of some embodiments, the first phase and the second phase can be superimposed using a grating and lens superposition algorithm (S) to obtain a target phase map for modulating the laser. Specifically, the target phase map can be calculated using the following formula:

[0070]

[0071]

[0072] in, It is the first phase required to generate the j-th target spot. It is the second phase required to generate the j-th target spot. It is the phase of the j-th target light point in the target light field, J represents the number of target light points, e is the natural constant, i is the imaginary unit, and T is the transfer function corresponding to the target phase map.

[0073] In step S103 of some embodiments, referring to Figure 2 The spatial light modulator 202 is a light modulation device composed of multiple pixels. These pixels are distributed in one or two dimensions in space. Each pixel can independently receive optical signal control to change its own state, thereby adjusting the phase or amplitude of the input laser. After the target phase map is loaded into the spatial light modulator 202, the spatial light modulator 202 will adjust the state of each pixel according to the target phase map, and then adjust the phase and amplitude distribution of the laser when it passes through the spatial light modulator 202 according to the state of each pixel, so that the laser is modulated into the shape described by the target phase map to form the first beam.

[0074] In some embodiments, prior to step S103, the method further includes: generating a laser with a specific pulse width according to the type of material to be processed, wherein the energy distribution of the laser-generated spot follows a Gaussian distribution. (Refer to...) Figure 2The laser can be generated using an ultrafast laser 201. The center wavelength of the laser can be 1030 nanometers. For materials with different compositions, using lasers with different pulse widths can better provide the thermal effect and achieve strong ablation of the material. For example, a shorter pulse width is more suitable for fused silica, while a longer pulse width achieves better ablation results for composite glasses such as borosilicate glass. Based on this, the target groove shape can be ablated simply by scanning the material with a laser of a specific pulse width. Specifically, depending on the type of material being processed, the laser pulse width can be selected from 220 femtoseconds to 20 picoseconds, the single pulse energy can be between 40 and 200 microjoules, the laser repetition frequency can be between 10 kHz and 50 kHz, and the laser energy distribution should meet a Gaussian distribution. Compared with other types of beams, Gaussian beams have a more uniform energy distribution, and their energy is more concentrated near the focal point. At the same time, Gaussian beams produce smaller focal spots and higher energy densities. Using Gaussian beams can improve processing accuracy and more precisely control the shape of the resulting glass microgrooves. Understandably, after the Gaussian beam is generated by the ultrafast laser 201, the beam width of the Gaussian beam can be amplified by the beam expander 209. At least one reflector 208 can also be placed in the propagation path of the Gaussian beam to fold the optical path.

[0075] In some embodiments, before step S103, the method further includes: polarization filtering of the laser to filter out beam components that are not horizontally polarized. Specifically, refer to... Figure 2 Before the laser is injected into the spatial light modulator 202, a half-wave plate 206 can be used to polarize the laser, ensuring that only the horizontally polarized component remains. It is understood that vertically polarized or unpolarized lasers produce uneven processing effects on the surface of the material being processed, reducing processing quality. By polarizing the laser and filtering out the non-horizontally polarized beam component, reflection and scattering problems can be reduced, thereby improving processing quality and precisely controlling the shape of the resulting glass microgrooves. Furthermore, controlling the uniformity of the beam polarization state can reduce the size of the laser focal spot, thereby improving processing accuracy and more precisely ablating the edge contour of the target groove on the surface of the material being processed, thus controlling the shape of the processed target microgrooves.

[0076] In step S104 of some embodiments, the laser is modulated to form a first beam with a target light field distribution. The first beam propagates along the optical path and is focused by the objective lens 203 to form a multifocal spot. Modulating the laser to change its phase and amplitude distribution can make the shape of the spot conform to the target groove shape, that is, the multiple focal points of the spot are distributed according to the target groove shape in the longitudinal section direction of the material to be processed. Since the multifocal spot has formed the pattern of the target groove shape, scanning the material to be processed by the multifocal spot can ablate the material at the focal position of the spot, forming multiple compact ablation points distributed according to the target groove shape on the surface and inside of the material to be processed. Specifically, the objective lens 203 can be a 20x objective lens or a 50x objective lens. After the first beam is focused by the objective lens 203 to form a multifocal spot, the surface of the material to be processed is scanned at a scanning speed of 10 milliseconds to 50 millimeters per second. The repetition frequency of the first beam can be set between 10 kHz and 50 kHz. It is understood that, with reference to Figure 2 In order to transfer the phase of the first beam to the objective lens 203 with high fidelity, a 4f system 207 can be set between the outlet of the spatial light modulator 202 and the objective lens 203. The 4f system 207 can include plano-convex lenses with the same focal length that are arranged opposite each other on the propagation path of the first beam. The distance between the two plano-convex lenses on the beam propagation path is twice the focal length of the plano-convex lenses. For example, the focal length of the two plano-convex lenses is 50cm and the distance between the two plano-convex lenses on the beam propagation path is 100cm. It can be understood that multiple mirrors 208 can also be set between the two plano-convex lenses to fold the beam propagation path, thereby compressing the length of the optical path system in a single direction.

[0077] In step S105 of some embodiments, during the scanning of the material to be processed by a multi-focus spot, the material is controlled to move along a planned path. During the movement of the material, the multi-focus spot continuously ablates the material at different locations, forming corresponding target grooves. Multiple continuous cracks are formed from the surface to the interior of the material, each crack being ablated by the same spot. These multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material. Specifically, refer to... Figure 2 The material to be processed 204 can be placed on a displacement stage 205. The displacement stage 205 is connected to a controller, which controls the displacement stage 205 according to a planned route, thereby moving the material to be processed placed on the displacement stage 205. The displacement stage 205 can be a micron-level XY motion platform. For example, when it is necessary to prepare a blazed grating with a target groove shape, the displacement stage 205 is controlled to move a certain distance axially in the Y direction, then move a distance equal to one grating cycle in the X direction, and then move a certain distance in the opposite direction in the Y direction, repeating this displacement path, thereby forming multiple contours of the target groove shape on the glass surface.

[0078] In step S106 of some embodiments, after forming multiple continuous cracks distributed according to the target groove shape from the surface to the interior of the material to be processed, the material to be processed is placed in an etching solution to chemically etch the glass. This allows the multiple cracks formed by the multi-focal spot ablation to connect with each other under the chemical etching action and concentration stress of the etching solution. The area surrounded by the cracks then detaches from the material to be processed, thereby forming a glass microgroove of the target groove shape on the surface of the material to be processed. The surface roughness of the microgroove formed by chemical etching can reach the micrometer level. It is understood that the chemical etching process can be carried out in an ultrasonic environment. The mechanical vibration of ultrasound can further accelerate the etching process, improve etching efficiency, and reduce the roughness of the etched surface. Specifically, ultrasound generates high-frequency vibrations in the etching solution, forming a large number of microbubbles. These bubbles continuously contract and expand in the ultrasonic environment, causing the etched material to desorb. Furthermore, the bursting of the bubbles generates high pressure, which accelerates the detachment of the etched material, thereby accelerating the material exchange between the material to be processed and the etching process. Meanwhile, the mechanical vibration of ultrasound accelerates the diffusion of the etching solution, preventing its aggregation and improving etching uniformity. It is understandable that the solution used for chemical etching of the material is alkaline, with a temperature between 50 and 100 degrees Celsius. Etching glass in a hot alkaline environment further accelerates the etching efficiency.

[0079] Understandably, during the microgroove processing, the processing status can be observed in real time using an industrial camera to control the process. For details, refer to... Figure 2 A monitoring system consisting of a dichroic mirror 212, a reflector 208, an industrial camera 210, and an illumination source 211 can be installed above the displacement stage 205 to observe the microgroove processing in real time.

[0080] In this embodiment, the first phase of the corresponding blazed grating and the second phase of the Fresnel lens are determined based on the target groove shape. The first and second phases are superimposed and then the laser is modulated to precisely modulate the laser into a multi-focal spot of the target groove shape. By scanning the material to be processed with this multi-focal spot and controlling the movement of the material during the scanning process, multiple continuous cracks can be formed in the material to be processed, precisely ablating the outline of the target groove shape. Finally, the material to be processed is chemically etched. Under the action of chemical etching and concentrated stress, the multiple cracks connect with each other, so that the material surrounded by the cracks is removed from the surface of the material to be processed to form a glass microgroove, while reducing the surface roughness of the microgroove and precisely controlling the shape of the glass microgroove.

[0081] Reference Figure 3In some embodiments, step S101 includes, but is not limited to, steps S301 to S304.

[0082] Step S301: Determine the corresponding longitudinal section shape function based on the target groove type;

[0083] Step S302: Determine the coordinates of each target light point based on the longitudinal section shape function;

[0084] Step S303: Determine the first phase of the blazed grating used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point;

[0085] Step S304: Determine the second phase of the Fresnel lens used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point.

[0086] In step S301 of some embodiments, the longitudinal section shape function corresponding to the target groove shape can be expressed as z = f(x), x ∈ [x1, x2], where, referring to Figure 2 The x-direction is parallel to the upper surface of the material to be processed, and the z-direction is the normal direction of the upper surface of the material to be processed. x represents the change in the transverse coordinate of a microgroove's longitudinal section, z represents the microgroove depth under different x-coordinates, x1 represents the x-coordinate of the leftmost point of the glass microgroove with the target groove shape, x2 represents the x-coordinate of the rightmost point of the glass microgroove with the target groove shape, and x2-x1 represents the groove width of the target groove shape. The specific expression of f(x) needs to be determined according to the target groove shape. This shape function describes the change in microgroove depth with x-coordinate on the longitudinal section of the target groove shape. Taking a standard V-groove as an example, then...

[0087] f(x)=a|xb|-c, x∈[x1,x2];

[0088] Where a is the inclination of the V-groove sidewall, b is the x-coordinate of the V-groove's axis of symmetry, c is the groove depth at the deepest point of the V-groove, and a, b, and c are all constants. The specific values ​​of a, b, and c need to be determined according to the shape of the V-groove. x1 is the x-coordinate of the leftmost point of the V-groove, and x1 can generally be 0. x2 is the x-coordinate of the rightmost point of a single V-groove, for example, x2 can be 2*b. x2-x1 represents the groove width of the V-groove.

[0089] In step S302 of some embodiments, after determining the longitudinal cross-sectional shape function corresponding to the target groove, the coordinates of each target light point required to ablate the target groove can be determined according to the preset interval. Specifically, taking the preset interval as t as an example, referring to step S301 above, the x-coordinate of the leftmost point of the glass microgroove is set as x1, and the x-coordinate of the rightmost point is set as x2. Then, points are uniformly selected in the interval [x1, x2] with t as the preset interval. The point set formed by the x-coordinates of the target light points is then...

[0090] A = {x1, x1+t, x1+2t, ..., x2}

[0091] Substituting the point set A into the above equation z = f(x), we can obtain the coordinates of each target light point. The coordinates of the j-th target light point can be denoted as (x... j , z j ).

[0092] In step S303 of some embodiments, the coordinates of the target light spot are substituted into the phase calculation formula of the blazed grating to calculate the first phase of the blazed grating required to deflect the laser in the x-direction and form the target light spot. Specifically, step S303 may include, but is not limited to, the following steps S401 to S403:

[0093] Step S401: Determine the ray deflection corresponding to each target light point based on the coordinates of the target light points;

[0094] Step S402: Determine the period of the blazed grating based on the light deflection corresponding to all target light points;

[0095] Step S403: Determine the first phase of the blazed grating based on the period of the blazed grating and the coordinates of each target light point.

[0096] In step S401 of some embodiments, the light deflection is the deflection amount after the laser beam diffracts through the grating. Specifically, based on the coordinates of each target light point, the required light deflection amount to propagate to each target light point after the first beam diffracts can be calculated. For example, the coordinates of the j-th target light point are (x... j , z j If x j / z j This refers to the amount of light deflection when the light beam enters from the leftmost boundary of the target groove and focuses at the j-th target spot. It can be understood that since the light beam actually propagates from the objective lens to the upper surface of the material to be processed, and then enters the j-th target spot inside the material, focusing to form the j-th target spot, and since the objective lens and the material are not actually in close contact, when calculating the light deflection corresponding to each target spot, the distance between the objective lens and the upper surface of the material to be processed, as well as the coordinates (x, y) of each target spot, can also be considered. j , z j This allows us to calculate the amount of light deflection required for the laser to propagate to each target spot after diffraction.

[0097] In step S402 of some embodiments, the corresponding deflection angle can be calculated based on the amount of light deflection. This deflection angle can be regarded as the diffraction angle required for the laser to diffract and propagate to the j-th target spot after passing through the blazed grating. Given the wavelength of the laser, the period of the blazed grating required for the laser to propagate to the j-th target spot after diffraction can be calculated based on the grating formula, according to the diffraction angle and the laser wavelength.

[0098] In step S403 of some embodiments, after calculating the period of the blazed grating, the first phase of the blazed grating required to propagate the laser diffraction to each target light point can be calculated by combining the coordinates of each target light point and the coordinates of each pixel in the spatial light modulator.

[0099] In this embodiment, based on the coordinates of each target light point, the amount of light deflection required for the laser to diffract and form each target light point is calculated. Based on the amount of light deflection, the diffraction angle of the blazed grating for laser diffraction is determined, thereby determining the corresponding blazed grating period. In this way, the first phase of the blazed grating required for the laser to diffract and propagate to each target light point is calculated.

[0100] In step S304 of some embodiments, after determining the first phase of the blazed grating required to cause the laser to diffract and deflect towards the target spot, it is also necessary to determine the second phase of the Fresnel lens required to focus the laser along the deflected direction to a specific distance and form the target spot. Specifically, refer to... Figure 5 Step S304 includes, but is not limited to, the following steps S501 to S502.

[0101] Step S501: Determine the focal length of the Fresnel lens corresponding to each target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point;

[0102] Step S502: Determine the second phase of the Fresnel lens based on the focal length of the Fresnel lens.

[0103] In step S501 of some embodiments, after determining the first phase of the blazed grating required to cause the laser to diffract and deflect towards the target light spot, it is also necessary to control the laser to propagate along the diffraction direction to the target light spot for focusing. Specifically, the second phase of the corresponding Fresnel lens can be calculated and used to modulate the laser, so that the laser, after passing through the spatial light modulator 202 and the objective lens 203, exhibits the effect of being focused twice, thereby forming a focal point at the target light spot. It can be understood that after the laser is injected into the spatial light modulator, it will be modulated by the second phase of the Fresnel lens. This is equivalent to the first focusing of the laser in the spatial light modulator. In this embodiment, referring to... Figure 2After the laser beam is modulated by the spatial light modulator to form the first beam, it is compressed and moved to the objective lens 203 for focusing with high fidelity via the 4f transmission system. That is, in this embodiment, it can be considered that the laser beam forms a focal point at the target light point after being focused twice. Let the coordinates of the j-th target light point be (x... j , z j For example, there is a certain distance L between the objective lens 203 and the material to be processed 204. It can be understood that this distance L is a fixed, known value. In this case, it's equivalent to the laser light being focused twice by the Fresnel lens and the objective lens 203 before exiting from the objective lens 203 at a distance of (L+z) from the objective lens. j The focal point is formed at a distance of ) far, that is, the total focusing effect of the laser after being focused twice by the Fresnel lens and objective lens 203 is (L+z) j Given the focal length of objective lens 203, the focal length of the corresponding Fresnel lens can be calculated using the lens imaging formula.

[0104] In step S502 of some embodiments, the focusing of the lens is actually the result of the beam passing through the lens and generating a specific wavefront modulation. By calculating the second phase of the corresponding Fresnel lens and modulating the laser to a specific phase according to the second phase, the laser can present the effect of being focused by the Fresnel lens. After determining the focal length of the Fresnel lens, the second phase of the corresponding Fresnel lens can be calculated according to the focal length of the Fresnel lens and the coordinates of each pixel in the spatial light modulator.

[0105] In this embodiment, after calculating the focal length of the Fresnel lens required to form each target light point based on the coordinates of each target light point, the second phase of the corresponding Fresnel lens is calculated. The laser is modulated by the second phase so that the laser appears to be focused by the corresponding Fresnel lens. Thus, the laser is focused at the position of each target light point after being focused twice by the objective lens 203.

[0106] Reference Figure 6 In some embodiments, step S103 includes, but is not limited to, steps S601 to S602.

[0107] Step S601: Load the target phase map into the spatial light modulator;

[0108] Step S602: Inject the laser into the spatial light modulator to perform wavefront modulation of the laser in the spatial light modulator according to the target phase diagram to obtain the first beam.

[0109] A spatial light modulator is an optical device capable of wavefront modulation of light waves. By changing the phase and amplitude of the light beam, it can precisely control and adjust the light field. A spatial light modulator is composed of a large number of independent tiny pixels. Each pixel can be used to change the phase or amplitude of the light passing through the device. After the target phase map is loaded into the spatial light modulator, the spatial light modulator will adjust the state of each tiny pixel according to the loaded target phase map to simulate the target phase in space. When a laser is injected into the spatial light modulator loaded with the target phase map, the laser passing through the spatial light modulator can be distributed according to the shape of the target phase map, deflected in a specific direction, and form multiple focal points at a specific distance to form the first beam.

[0110] This application also proposes a glass microgroove processing apparatus 700, comprising:

[0111] The phase calculation module 701 is used to determine the corresponding first phase and second phase according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens.

[0112] Phase superposition module 702 is used to superimpose the first phase and the second phase to obtain a target phase map;

[0113] The modulation module 703 is used to modulate the laser according to the target phase diagram to obtain the first beam;

[0114] The focusing module 704 is used to focus the first beam to form a multi-focus spot, and to scan the material to be processed by the multi-focus spot;

[0115] The moving module 705 is used to control the movement of the material to be processed during the scanning process so as to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present a target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed;

[0116] The corrosion module 706 is used to chemically corrode the material to be processed so that multiple cracks can be connected to form the target groove shape.

[0117] It is understood that the above-described apparatus corresponds to the glass microgroove processing method of the embodiments of this application, and has similar technical features and the same beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] This application also proposes a glass article prepared by the above-described glass microgroove processing method. The following is in conjunction with... Figures 8 to 11 Specific embodiments are described below.

[0119] Figure 8This refers to a high aspect ratio V-groove fabricated on fused silica using the aforementioned glass microgroove processing method. The V-groove width is 100 micrometers and the depth is 300 micrometers. Specifically, an ultrafast laser is used to generate a Gaussian beam with a pulse width of 1 picosecond, a single pulse energy of 60 microjoules, and a repetition frequency of 50 kHz. The longitudinal cross-sectional shape function of the V-groove can be set as z = f(x) = 6|x-50|-300, x∈[0,100]. The preset interval t is 5 / 3 micrometers. Points are taken at preset intervals of 5 / 3 micrometers to obtain a point set consisting of the abscissas of 60 target light points. Then, the abscissas of the point set are substituted into the longitudinal cross-sectional shape function of the V-groove to obtain the coordinates (x, y, t) of each target light point. j ,z j ), will (x j ,z j Substituting the calculation formulas for the first phase of the blazed grating and the second phase of the Fresnel lens, the first and second phases required to generate each target spot are determined. After superposition, a target phase map is obtained. The target phase map is loaded into a spatial light modulator to modulate the Gaussian beam. Then, a 20x objective lens is used to focus the modulated laser to form a multifocal spot corresponding to the high aspect ratio V-groove. The multifocal spot is scanned on the glass surface at a scanning speed of 10 mm / s. The material to be processed is ablated at each focal point of the spot. At the same time, the displacement stage is controlled to move the material to be processed according to the planned path, forming multiple continuous cracks corresponding to each focal point. Finally, the ablated material to be processed is placed in a potassium hydroxide solution with a concentration of 18 mol / L at a temperature of 55 degrees Celsius and etched in an ultrasonic environment for 1 hour to form a high aspect ratio V-groove.

[0120] Figure 9 An obtuse-angled V-shaped groove is processed on the surface of fused silica using the aforementioned glass microgroove processing method. The groove width is 100 micrometers, and the angle between one side of the microgroove opening and the glass surface is 135 degrees. Referring to the above embodiment, the corresponding longitudinal section shape function is determined according to the groove shape. The number of target light spots is set to 59. The preset interval is determined according to the number of target light spots and the width of the microgroove. The coordinates of each target light spot are determined in combination with the longitudinal section shape function of the microgroove. Then, the corresponding target phase diagram is calculated to modulate the laser. The laser pulse width generated by the ultrafast laser is 1 picosecond, the single pulse energy is 40 microjoules, and the laser repetition frequency is 50 kHz. The modulated laser is focused using a 20x objective lens to form a multifocal spot. The glass surface is then scanned at a speed of 15 mm / s. After inducing continuous cracks on the glass surface, the material is chemically etched for 3.5 hours in an ultrasonic environment using a potassium hydroxide solution heated to 55 degrees Celsius with a concentration of 7 mol / L.

[0121] Figure 10The arc-shaped grooves are fabricated on the surface of fused silica using the aforementioned glass microgroove fabrication method. The groove radius is 50 mm, and the number of target light spots is set to 54. The fabrication process is the same as described in the above embodiment. The laser pulse width generated by the ultrafast laser is 1 picosecond, the single pulse energy is 80 microjoules, and the laser repetition frequency is 50 kHz. The modulated laser is focused using a 50x objective lens, and then the glass surface is scanned at a speed of 10 mm / s. The scanned glass is then chemically etched for 3 hours in an ultrasonic environment using a potassium hydroxide solution heated to 55 degrees Celsius with a concentration of 8 mol / L.

[0122] Figure 11 This describes a large-area trapezoidal groove fabricated on a borosilicate glass surface using the aforementioned glass microgroove fabrication method. Each groove has a width of 127 micrometers, with upper and lower base angles of 120 degrees and 60 degrees respectively, and a period of 127 micrometers. The fabrication process of the large-area trapezoidal groove follows the example described above. The ultrafast laser generates a laser pulse width of 1 picosecond, a single pulse energy of 200 microjoules, and a laser repetition frequency of 50 kHz. The modulated laser is focused using a 20x objective lens, and then the glass surface is scanned at a speed of 20 millimeters per second. Finally, chemical etching is performed for 5 hours in an ultrasonic environment using a potassium hydroxide solution heated to 55 degrees Celsius with a concentration of 8 mol / L.

[0123] It should be noted that although the etching solutions mentioned in the above embodiments are all potassium hydroxide solutions heated to 55 degrees Celsius, this is not the case. Those skilled in the art should understand that the type and temperature of the etching solution can be adjusted according to actual needs. Similarly, the pulse width and repetition frequency of the laser can also be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0124] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, while others can be combined or partially combined; therefore, the actual order of execution may change depending on the specific circumstances.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, as well as the functional modules / units in the systems and devices, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof.

[0126] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification and accompanying drawings of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are expressly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not expressly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0127] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "more than" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0128] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0129] The preferred embodiments of the present application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but this does not limit the scope of the claims of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and substance of the embodiments of the present application shall be within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for processing glass microgrooves, characterized in that, The method includes: The first phase and the second phase are determined according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens; Determine the target phase map based on the first phase and the second phase; The laser beam is modulated according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam; The first beam is focused to form a multi-focus spot, and the material to be processed is scanned through the multi-focus spot; During the scanning process, the material to be processed is controlled to move so as to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed; The material to be processed is chemically etched to connect the multiple cracks and form the target groove shape. The step of determining the corresponding first phase and second phase based on the target groove shape of the material to be processed includes: Determine the corresponding longitudinal section shape function based on the target groove type; The coordinates of each target light point are determined based on the longitudinal section shape function; The first phase of the blazed grating used to generate the target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point; The second phase of the Fresnel lens used to generate the target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point. Determining the first phase of the blazed grating used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point includes: Determine the ray deflection corresponding to each target light point based on the coordinates of the target light points; The period of the blazed grating is determined based on the amount of light deflection corresponding to each target light spot; The first phase of the blazed grating is determined based on the period of the blazed grating and the coordinates of each target light point; Determining the second phase of the Fresnel lens used to generate the target light point based on the coordinates of the target light point includes: The focal length of the Fresnel lens corresponding to each target light point is determined based on the coordinates of the target light point. The second phase of the Fresnel lens is determined based on the focal length of the Fresnel lens.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of modulating the laser beam according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam includes: The target phase map is loaded into the spatial light modulator; The laser is injected into the spatial light modulator to perform wavefront modulation of the laser in the spatial light modulator according to the target phase diagram, thereby obtaining the first beam.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The corrosion solution used to chemically corrode the material to be processed is an alkaline solution, and the temperature of the corrosion solution is between 50 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before modulating the laser according to the target phase diagram to obtain the first beam, the method further includes: A laser with a specific pulse width is generated according to the type of material to be processed, wherein the energy distribution of the laser spot satisfies a Gaussian distribution.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before modulating the laser according to the target phase diagram to obtain the first beam, the method further includes: The laser is polarized and filtered to remove the non-horizontally polarized beam components.

6. A glass microgroove processing device, characterized in that, The glass microgroove processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is applied; the glass microgroove processing apparatus includes: The phase calculation module is used to determine the corresponding first phase and second phase according to the target groove shape of the material to be processed, wherein the first phase is the phase of the blazed grating and the second phase is the phase of the Fresnel lens; A phase overlay module is used to overlay the first phase and the second phase to obtain a target phase map; A modulation module is used to modulate the laser according to the target phase diagram to obtain a first beam; A focusing module is used to focus the first beam to form a multi-focal spot, and to scan the material to be processed through the multi-focal spot; A moving module is used to control the movement of the material to be processed during scanning to form multiple cracks in the material to be processed, wherein the multiple cracks present the target groove shape on the longitudinal section of the material to be processed; The corrosion module is used to chemically corrode the material to be processed, so that multiple cracks are connected to form the target groove shape.

7. A glass article, characterized in that, The glass article is prepared by the glass microgroove processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

Citation Information

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