Method for preparing and / or performing cutting of substrate components and substrate components

Abstract

To provide a substrate sub-element having a side surface (edge part) with high strength.SOLUTION: Provided is a substrate sub-element, comprising at least one body 103 comprising at least one glass material, a glass ceramic material, and silicon, wherein the main body 103 has at least one side surface comprising at least in part a height-adjusted surface, wherein the side surface at least in part has a surface roughness, and wherein a surface change based on the surface roughness is 1 to 5 orders of magnitude smaller than the surface change due to the height adjustment, wherein the side surface is flat or curved and has at least in part a parabolic or circular extension or an extension according to a quartic equation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2a

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for preparing and / or performing the cutting of a substrate member into at least two substrate partial members along a cutting plane, and in particular to substrate partial members manufactured and / or manufacturable by a method according to the present invention.

[0002] Background Art In glass manufacturing, glass processing, and similar fields, it is regularly necessary to cut substrate members, such as glass members, particularly glass plates, etc., along precisely defined cutting planes. Complying with a predefined extension direction at the cutting plane is extremely important, for example, with regard to the compatibility between the substrate partial members obtained after cutting and other components.

[0003] In addition to a perfect cutting plane in this regard, the specifications often also define the requirement of a high strength of the cutting plane, that is, the edge. The reason is that substrate partial members, particularly glass partial members, etc., having a high-strength cutting plane are generally less susceptible to external influences as a whole. Thereby, it is possible to completely or at least partially prevent, to a certain extent, the occurrence of external damage to the cutting plane in the first place and the progression of existing defects that may occur into the interior of the material.

[0004] In this case, the methods for performing common cutting processes well-known to those skilled in the art from the prior art are, for example, thermal laser beam separation (TLS) using a CO2 laser, mechanical scribing, laser scribing, or laser-based thermal cutting (laser-based thermal shock cutting method), etc. Laser-based thermal cutting is typically aimed at the progression of initial cracks in the substrate member using the thermomechanical stress generated by a CO2 laser. However, what is common to all of these methods is that they can either not control the crack path inside the material at all or can only do so insufficiently.

[0005] In the laser drilling method, which is also well known to those skilled in the art, individual regions of the substrate material to be cut are removed by a laser along the desired cutting surface within the framework of an ultrashort pulse laser (USP) process.

[0006] Figure 1a shows a plan view of a state well known from the prior art, and Figure 1b shows the same state in a cross-sectional view extending perpendicularly to the plan view in Figure 1a. The substrate member 1 shown in Figures 1a and 1b has a substrate body 3, in which case the substrate body 3 has a substrate material. For example, the substrate member 1 may be a glass member, the substrate body 3 may be a glass body, and the substrate material may be glass. The substrate member 1 is prepared so that it can be cut along a cutting plane located in the plane of the figure in Figure 1b and extending through the center point of a circular hollow space 5. For this purpose, a USP laser system that generates a linear focus 7 within the substrate material is often used in laser drilling. This makes it possible to remove the substrate material at multiple desired locations, and in this way a hollow space 5 or cavity can be formed as a drilled hole within the substrate member 1 or the substrate body 3.

[0007] Next, the prepared substrate material 1 is finally cut along the perforation lines formed by the multiple perforations, for example, by mechanical fracture or cleavage.

[0008] However, it was found that controlling the path of the crack line within the substrate material, and consequently the direction of the fracture surface, is difficult even with this method. In other words, it was observed that the crack line may deviate from the drilling line and propagate away from it during fracture. Therefore, this may result in a fracture surface that does not correspond to the desired direction of fracture. The force required for fracture is often relatively large. The greater the required force, the more likely the fracture process itself is to become the starting point for new damage to the substrate material.

[0009] The extension direction of the cut surface can be controlled to a certain extent relatively well by increasing the number of perforations along the cut surface, that is, by reducing the spacing between adjacent hollow spaces. This also reduces the required fracture force. However, from unexpected observations, it has been found that when the spacing of the hollow spaces falls below a certain level, the force required for fracture does not decrease further, but rather increases again. This is often accompanied by at least temporary and / or partial disappearance of the linear focus, so that the hollow spaces do not temporarily or partially occur. Control over the fracture process also decreases. Therefore, a limit is set on how much the spacing can decrease below a certain value. This value corresponds to approximately 10 times the maximum extension length of the hollow space in a cross-section perpendicular to the main extension direction of the hollow space.

[0010] Furthermore, it was found that the substrate components cut along the perforation lines typically only had weak cut surfaces (edges).

[0011] It is well known that (micro)cracks form around cavities created within the substrate material during the drilling process. In addition to the essentially desired cracks that are located within the desired cut surface and assist in subsequent cutting processes, cracks with other orientations are also formed. These alternatively oriented cracks constitute pre-damage to the substrate component, further reducing the edge strength of the substrate portion to be cut later. By appropriately selecting laser parameters according to the material properties, it is certainly possible to influence the formation of these and other material damages. For example, the number and length of cracks can be controlled to some extent. However, in this case, a compromise must be made between the ability to cut later and pre-damage.

[0012] In other words, the conventional state can also be described as follows: Based on the nonlinear interaction between the USP laser pulse and the substrate material along the focal line, micropathways (often with a diameter of less than 1 μm) are formed within the substrate. In this case, the substrate material inside is pushed into the edge region of the path, and that region is compressed. Microcracks are formed radially around the path (depending on the pulse output). When burst pulses are used (i.e., multiple pulses hit the path in a short period of time), the region around the path is damaged by multiple relatively long microcracks. When the pitch, i.e., the distance between adjacent micropathways, is large compared to the hole diameter and the length of the microcracks, adjacent micropathways can be formed by their respective precursors without optical or mechanical influence. As the pitch decreases, some of the beam energy is blocked by the micropathways that were formed first, which affects the formation of subsequent micropathways. Furthermore, when the pitch is significantly reduced, the web material remaining between the currently forming microchannel and the adjacent preceding channel is weakened by the two adjacent microcrack systems, leading to web fracture and the material being pushed into the previously formed microchannel, where it remelts or re-bonds and seals the preceding channel based on its high power density. Thus, perforations formed with such a short pitch have significantly worse cutting ability than an unbiased observer would actually expect.

[0013] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for cutting a substrate member easily, but nevertheless safely and reliably, or for preparing for such cutting, in which case it is desirable that the extending direction of the cut surface can be set as accurately as possible, and in some cases, that the force required for fracture is minimized. At the same time, it is desirable that the edge strength of the substrate portion member is also improved. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a substrate portion member having a side (edge) with high strength.

[0014] The aforementioned problem is solved by a method according to the present invention, based on a first aspect, for preparing and / or carrying out the cutting of a substrate member into at least two substrate sub-members along the cutting surface: - A step of preparing a substrate member having at least one substrate body containing at least one substrate material; - A step of controlling at least one linear focal point within the substrate body such that the substrate material of the substrate body is removed and / or pushed aside at least partially along the cut surface; Includes, A linear focus is at least one focus of at least one ray, and the ray is formed in the form of a ray that supplies light asymmetrically within at least the region of the linear focus, and this is resolved by a proposed method.

[0015] In other words, the surprising finding that underlies this invention is that if the light rays are not affected by already formed cavities, it is possible to reliably form uniform and high-quality cavities within the substrate material. The inventors realized that such effects from adjacent cavities can be particularly effectively prevented by reducing or completely eliminating the lateral component of the light rays used, which would otherwise "collide" with already formed cavities. However, in the case of conventional linear focals, due to the large numerical aperture, the partial rays have regularly prominent lateral line segments, which in turn creates a correspondingly large "collision risk."

[0016] Based on the teachings of the present invention, asymmetrically supplied rays satisfy the characteristic of reduced or removed lateral partial rays particularly simply and effectively. To achieve this, energy is no longer supplied to the focal line asymmetrically, rather than rotationally symmetrically along the conical surface (e.g., via the optical system forming the beam). In other words, unlike conventionally used rays, the rays are processed and shaped so that they do not contain any components that may overlap with already formed cavities. This ensures that the rays are hardly affected by already formed cavities, and consequently, the formation of particularly high-quality perforations can be guaranteed, because linear focal points can be formed with a consistently high quality across the entire thickness region of the substrate material.

[0017] In relation to light or energy supply, the term "asymmetric" in this invention is understood to mean "non-rotationally symmetric." This means that other forms of symmetry are not excluded. For example, an Airy beam has a mirror plane parallel to the plane in which its curved extension lies.

[0018] Therefore, the proposed method contributes in a particularly intelligent way to the improvement of the cutting process and the cutting results or preparation for cutting. This is because it achieves significantly improved control of the extension direction of the cut surface in reducing the fracture force, as well as improving the edge strength.

[0019] At the same time, the method according to the present invention can be implemented using conventional means and can be incorporated into existing equipment without any problems. In other words, a special method for cutting a substrate plate and freeing multiple substrate plate cut pieces can be operated particularly effectively and with particularly good results.

[0020] Therefore, the present invention preferably enables substrate members having a large thickness of 0.6 mm or more, particularly 0.6 mm to 10 mm, preferably 0.6 mm to 5 mm or 3 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mm, even more preferably 0.6 mm to 2 mm, or most preferably 0.6 mm to 1.5 mm, to be cut or prepared for cutting, especially transparent and / or brittle and easily fractured substrate members, such as glass members, particularly glass plates or glass sheets, glass ceramic members, particularly glass ceramic plates or glass ceramic sheets, and / or silicon members, especially silicon wafers. Alternatively or supplementally, the substrate members may have a thickness of more than 1 mm, more than 5 mm or more than 10 mm. For example, the substrate members may have a thickness of 1 mm to 50 mm, 1 mm to 40 mm, 1 mm to 30 mm, 1 mm to 20 mm or 1 mm to 15 mm. Furthermore, in this invention, it is standard practice to cut or prepare a substrate material for cutting with only a few passes (i.e., relative movement of the substrate material relative to the laser), for example, 2 to 10 passes, or even just one pass. This enables an extremely efficient process.

[0021] In this case, the method can generally be applied to transparent, brittle, and easily fractured substrate materials such as glass, glass ceramics, silicon, and sapphire. Therefore, the method is particularly versatile.

[0022] In other words, according to the present invention, in principle, a substrate member can be processed by creating a plurality of modified parts, such as perforations, i.e., tubular passages, in the first step. In another step, the glass member can be cut or closed inner / outer contours can be generated by applying mechanical and / or thermal stress within the material. Preferably, the inner contour can be formed by an etching process. However, the outer contour may also be formed basically by subsequent etching, for example. Generally speaking, the plurality of passages formed in the first step are connected to each other, for example, by cracking or material removal, based on the method applied in the other step.

[0023] In this case, a person skilled in the art will understand that while an asymmetric ray has multiple asymmetrically arranged subrays, it is not the case that multiple optical paths are used to supply an asymmetric ray.

[0024] In this case, a person skilled in the art will understand that the linear focus must be formed essentially inside the substrate body. This includes the case where the linear focus is formed entirely inside the substrate body, that is, no linear focus is formed outside the substrate body at all. In this case, the linear focus is preferably formed inside the substrate body up to the surface of the substrate body, or the linear focus is formed inside the substrate body at intervals of some degree from each surface, for example, at intervals of up to 2 μm, up to 1 μm, or up to 0.5 μm. Of course, however, this also includes the case where the linear focus is indeed formed inside the substrate body but extends outside the substrate body. In fact, this even constitutes one preferred case.

[0025] When the substrate material of the substrate body is removed and / or pushed aside at least partially along the cut surface, this is preferably done based on a linear focus. In other words, by controlling a linear focus within the substrate body, the linear focus removes or pushes aside the substrate material of the substrate body at least partially along the cut surface.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate member is a glass member in the form of a glass plate or has a glass plate.

[0027] In this case, a person skilled in the art will understand that if something is done "along" the cut surface, for example, by removing substrate material from the main substrate body, the cut surface does not necessarily have to be completely present at this point. This is because the cut surface only becomes fully formed on the two substrate sub-members after the substrate member has been cut. In this case, however, we are referring to the planned cut surface.

[0028] Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises, alternatively or additionally, determining a planned cutting plane of the substrate member.

[0029] In this case, everything related to the cutting plane in the substrate member that has not yet been cut is related to the planned cutting plane. For example, in this case, the control of the linear focus includes that the substrate material of the substrate body is at least locally removed and / or pushed back at least partially along the planned cutting plane.

[0030] With the proposed method, the extension direction of the crack line in the substrate material and thus the extension direction of the cutting plane can be managed particularly reliably. The required breaking force can also be reduced, thereby avoiding further damage during breaking. This is because the individual cavities can be arranged and positioned closer together. In particular, the microcracks caused by the method are fewer or even disappear completely, so the strength of the cutting plane can also be improved.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, in an asymmetric beam supply, (i) energy is supplied asymmetrically and preferably the center of gravity of the energy distribution in at least one plane perpendicular to the plane in which the beam propagation takes place is located within the area of the substrate material that has not been modified so far, i.e., preferably on the side opposite to the previous cavity; (ii) partial beams of the beam enter only from 1 / 2 of the spatial half or from a part of the spatial half; (iii) the beam has a polar angle p with 0° < p < 90° and / or the partial beams of the beam are located within an azimuth range of less than 180°, preferably 85° to 100°, particularly 90° to 95°; (iv) the partial beams of the beam enter only from a direction selected so that the partial beams of the beam do not propagate through the area of the substrate body where the substrate material has already been removed and / or pushed back and / or compressed within the substrate material; (v) the beam has at least one mirror plane parallel to the plane in which the beam propagation takes place; (vi) the term "asymmetric" should be understood to mean "non-rotationally symmetric", i.e., in particular it does not exclude other symmetries, and / or (vii) it may be assumed that the partial beams of the beam enter only from one or two quadrants in all planes parallel to at least one surface of the substrate member and / or in all planes perpendicular to the optical axis of the beam.

[0032] When energy is supplied asymmetrically and preferably the center of gravity of the energy distribution in a plane perpendicular to the beam propagation direction is located within the area of the material that has not been modified so far, i.e., on the side opposite to the previous cavity, it is possible to particularly efficiently prevent the linear focus from being affected by the existing cavity.

[0033] By means of an asymmetric energy supply and thus an asymmetric beam supply, it is achieved that the laser energy is no longer focused rotationally symmetrically from all directions along the focal line - as seen in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0034] Thus, the concept of "from all directions (not)" relates to the components in the cross-section, i.e., the plane perpendicular to the optical axis. These components are always oriented along the optical axis in the propagation direction of the laser beam.

[0035] Both the airy beam and the Bessel beam have a polar angle p with 0° < p < 90°. In this case, the direction of the pole is defined as the propagation direction of the center of gravity of the laser beam, or the polar axis is defined as being parallel to the optical axis.

[0036] In the case of an airy beam, the interval width of the azimuth angles of the partial rays is less than 180°, for example 90° - 95°. Or in other words: In polar coordinates, the azimuth angle does not exceed 360°, i.e., all directions, but only exceeds a part of them.

[0037] This is the case in a preferred embodiment where there is a curved focal line. In such a case, those skilled in the art also refer to "accelerated rays".

[0038] The partial rays may extend into 1 / 2 of the spatial half or a part of the spatial half, whereby it is ensured that the partial rays always extend into the material region that has not yet been processed.

[0039] Preferably, with regard to an asymmetric ray supply, the plurality of partial rays and their incident directions are seen in one plane, and in this case, this plane is preferably perpendicular to the plane in which the ray propagation takes place.

[0040] Alternatively or additionally, the ray may include at least one laser beam, the ray may be formed as an airy beam or a Bessel beam at least within the region of the linear focus and / or it may be assumed that the laser energy is focused along the focal line of the linear focus.

[0041] The airy beam is particularly well-suited for an asymmetric / lateral ray supply. The Bessel beam is particularly well-suited for a symmetric / radial ray supply.

[0042] Airy beams or Bessel beams can be produced even more easily and efficiently.

[0043] In other words, for example, a Gaussian beam may be used as the starting material, and then the Gaussian beam is shaped into a Bessel beam using a suitable optical system such as an axicon.

[0044] A Gaussian beam may be used as the starting ray for an Airy beam. In this case, a cubic phase is applied to the Gaussian beam via a phase mask such as a DOE or SLM or a cylindrical lens. This ray with the cubic phase is then imaged, for example, through a microscope objective lens. In other words, the Airy beam may be generated as an image of a beam with a cubic phase, which is formed directly by a phase mask (DOE or SLM) or by a structure with a cylindrical lens. To further paraphrase or add to this, in this case the Airy beam arises as the Fourier transform of the cubic phase. To form the Fourier transform with the planar phase, i.e., for the most optimal propagation possible before and after the Fourier plane, the cubic phase is preferably formed in the "front focal plane," i.e., in the focal plane in front of the imaging optical system. In this case, the Fourier plane corresponds to the focal plane behind the imaging optical system ("rear focal plane").

[0045] Alternatively or supplementally, linear focus control may involve sequentially forming linear focuses within a plurality of different local regions of the substrate material, thereby removing and / or pushing aside the substrate material in these local regions each time, in particular compressing the substrate material into a portion of the substrate body surrounding each local region, in which case it is preferably assumed that the individual local regions extend along a linear path within a first specific cross-section of the substrate member, particularly extending at least perpendicular to the cutting plane, perpendicular to the optical axis of the ray and / or parallel to the first surface of the substrate member.

[0046] By selecting multiple different local regions of the substrate material to form linear foci, the direction and configuration of the perforated holes can be accurately determined. In particular, this allows for the selection of multiple discrete locations within the substrate body or substrate material where the perforations should be made.

[0047] To form a linear cross-section, individual local regions can be selected such that each local region extends along a linear path.

[0048] In this case, a person skilled in the art will understand that the local area of ​​the substrate material can be, in principle, larger than the area within the substrate material occupied by the linear focus. The local area is defined by the removal and / or displacement of the substrate material by the linear focus within the local area. For example, within the substrate body, the substrate material may be mainly displaced, and in the surface area of ​​the substrate body, the substrate material may be mainly removed.

[0049] Alternatively or supplementally, it may be assumed that the linear foci and / or local regions are selected such that the maximum extent of the local region within a first specific cross-section is 0.2 μm to 200 μm, preferably 0.2 μm to 100 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 50 μm, even more preferably 0.3 μm to 20 μm, even more preferably 0.3 μm to 10 μm, and most preferably 0.7 μm.

[0050] When the extension length of the local region, and consequently the extension length of the region where the material is removed or pushed aside, is appropriately selected, a particularly advantageous perforation line can be obtained for subsequent cutting, for example, by mechanical fracture.

[0051] Alternatively or supplementarily, it may be assumed that each adjacent local region within a first specific cross-section has a center-to-center distance from one another, particularly along the path, that corresponds to 1 to 500 times, preferably 1 to 100 times, more preferably 1 to 50 times, more preferably 1 to 10 times, more preferably 1.1 to 5 times, the maximum extending length of the local region within the first specific cross-section, and / or a center-to-center distance of 0.1 μm to 500 μm, preferably 0.2 μm to 400 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 100 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 50 μm, more preferably 0.4 μm to 20 μm, more preferably 1 μm to 7 μm, and most preferably 1 μm to 3 μm.

[0052] By selecting the spacing between adjacent local regions according to the extended length of each local region, cutting the substrate material requires particularly small forces. This leads to significantly less additional damage within the substrate material. This, in turn, promotes the achievement of particularly high strength at the cut surface. However, it is also possible to achieve particularly favorable cutting characteristics based on absolute data of the spacing.

[0053] Alternatively or supplementally, linear focus control includes sequentially forming linear focuses within a plurality of different working regions within a substrate member, particularly within the substrate body, thereby removing and / or pushing aside substrate material located within each of these working regions, particularly compressing the substrate material into a portion of the substrate body surrounding each working region, wherein the spacing between the individual working regions is selected such that at least immediately adjacent working regions at least partially overlap, thereby forming a consistent passage through which the substrate material is removed along the cut surface, wherein preferably the individual working regions are assumed to extend along a linear path, particularly within a second specific cross-section of the substrate member, preferably extending perpendicular to the cut surface, perpendicular to the optical axis of the ray, and / or parallel to a second surface of the substrate member.

[0054] Multiple different areas of action that form linear foci are positioned, so to speak, inside and outside of each other. As a result, the entire substrate material present within each area of ​​action is removed or pushed aside each time, making it possible to even achieve immediate cutting of the substrate material along the cutting plane. This eliminates the need for additional steps of mechanical fracture.

[0055] To form a linear cross-section, individual action regions can be selected so that each action region extends along a linear path.

[0056] Advantageously, the "passage" can be separated into both its inner and outer portions. That is, the inner portion can be removed from a single substrate. For example, a circular opening can be removed from a (rectangular) substrate, thereby creating a hole in the substrate. In this case, depending on whether it is an inner or outer contour, mechanical fracturing and / or etching can be used, for example. In the case of an inner contour, mechanical fracturing is generally not possible.

[0057] In this case, a person skilled in the art will understand that the area of ​​action can be, in principle, larger than the area occupied by the linear focus. The area of ​​action is defined by the removal or displacement of substrate material by the linear focus within the area of ​​action. Accordingly, it is clear that each area of ​​action does not need to be completely filled with substrate material; only the substrate material contained within it is removed or displaced.

[0058] In one embodiment, a second specific cross-section of the substrate member is the same as a first specific cross-section of the substrate member.

[0059] In one embodiment, the second surface of the substrate member is the same as the first surface of the substrate member.

[0060] Alternatively or supplementally, it may be assumed that the linear focus and / or area of ​​action is selected such that the maximum extent of the area of ​​action in a second specific cross-section is 0.2 μm to 200 μm, preferably 0.2 μm to 100 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 50 μm, even more preferably 0.3 μm to 20 μm, even more preferably 0.3 μm to 10 μm, and most preferably 0.7 μm.

[0061] When the length of the working area, and consequently the length of the area where the material is removed or pushed aside, is appropriately selected, the "pathway" can be advanced particularly efficiently through the substrate material. The larger the individually selected working areas become, the fewer working areas are required to be positioned internally and externally to one another.

[0062] Alternatively or supplementarily, it may be assumed that adjacent working regions within a second specific cross-section have a center-to-center spacing of 0.01 to 1.0 times, preferably 0.01 to 0.5 times, the maximum extending length of the working region within the second specific cross-section, and / or 0.002 μm to 200 μm, preferably 0.002 μm to 100 μm, more preferably 0.002 μm to 50 μm, more preferably 0.002 μm to 10 μm, more preferably 0.002 μm to 1 μm, and most preferably 0.005 μm to 0.3 μm, particularly along the path.

[0063] By selecting the spacing between adjacent working regions according to the extended length of the working region, the passage can be formed in an optimal processing time. Furthermore, this can also achieve particularly high strength of the cut surface. However, it is also possible to achieve particularly advantageous cutting characteristics based on absolute data of the spacing.

[0064] Alternatively or supplementally, the local region and / or region of action in the substrate material may be assumed to be at least partially tubular, cylindrical, and / or curved, particularly extending in a sickle shape within at least one cross-section and / or preferably extending from a first or second surface of the substrate body to the opposite surface of the substrate body, through the entire thickness region of the substrate body enclosed between the two surfaces.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, the area of ​​action and / or the local area extends in a direction parallel to the cutting plane and / or in a direction perpendicular to the cutting plane and / or the main extending direction of the path.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the local tangents of each working region and / or each local region are located in a plane defined by the bent linear focus.

[0067] Alternatively or supplementally, the control of the linear focus may include moving the substrate member relative to at least one ray and / or linear focus, thereby preferably forming linear focuses in at least several different local regions and / or areas of action, particularly sequentially or continuously.

[0068] Linear focal points can be formed particularly easily and reliably within individual local regions and / or areas of action by moving the substrate member relative to the light ray. In other words, the apparatus and optical system required for ray generation can be modified for this purpose, but it is not necessary to modify them. Thus, each time the substrate member is moved relative to the ray, a new linear focal point located in a new local region or area of ​​action can be formed based on the movement of the substrate member. Alternatively, linear focal points may continue to be formed continuously while the substrate member is moved relative to the ray. Preferably, this embodiment is suitable for the formation of a passage, i.e., the complete cutting of the substrate member.

[0069] In preferred embodiments, post-adjustment and / or adaptation of the ray geometry is performed.

[0070] Those skilled in the art know that while continuous formation of linear focals is impossible with pulsed lasers, linear focals in the sense of the present invention, formed by such lasers, can be formed very well "continuously across multiple different local and / or action regions." In other words, this means that the location where the linear focals are formed changes continuously.

[0071] Alternatively or supplementarily, the ray may be assumed to be emitted by at least one pulsed laser, particularly an ultrashort pulsed laser, having (i) a wavelength of 300 nm to 1500 nm, particularly 343 nm, 355 nm, 515 nm, 532 nm, 1030 nm or 1064 nm, (ii) a wavelength based on the transparent region of the substrate material, and / or (iii) a pulse duration of 200 fs to 50 ps, ​​preferably 500 fs to 10 ps, ​​a burst pulse number of 1 to 10, preferably 4, a repetition rate of 1 kHz to 4 GHz, preferably 40 MHz, and / or a pulse energy of 80 μJ / mm to 300 μJ / mm, preferably 100 to 230 μJ / mm, particularly 180 μJ / mm.

[0072] Linear focal points can be formed particularly robustly and reliably using suitable parameters for the light ray or laser beam.

[0073] USP lasers have a high power density, which allows them to utilize the nonlinear effects of the substrate material. In particular, they can utilize the focal effect, which enables the creation of smaller cavities.

[0074] A burst is characterized by the fact that multiple pulses occur in succession within a short time window, for example, less than 1 μs, preferably less than 0.1 μs or even less than 0.01 μs, with intervals of less than 50 ns between two pulses. These pulses may generally each have equal energy, particularly pulse peak output.

[0075] Alternatively or supplementally, it may be assumed that the substrate member is at least partially and / or regionally surrounded by and / or placed in a fluid while the substrate material is removed and / or pushed aside, so that the fluid can flow into the location of the removed or pushed-aside substrate material, in which case preferably the light ray has at least one wavelength, and the fluid has a refractive index that is up to 30% different from the refractive index of the substrate body with respect to the wavelength of the light ray, and / or has a refractive index of 1.2 to 2.5, in particular the fluid includes a liquid and has a refractive index that is up to 20%, 10%, 7%, 5%, 3%, or 1% different from the refractive index of the substrate body, and / or has a refractive index of 1.2 to 2.1, preferably 1.3 to 1.6.

[0076] The increase in the required fracture force observed with decreasing spacing between individual hollow spaces was found to be related to the risk that forming one hollow space could fill the immediately adjacent hollow space with substrate material. This may be a result of the substrate material being compressed within the substrate body (or within the walls between adjacent cavities) during the melting and re-solidification of the substrate material or the formation of new cavities, and then being pushed into the adjacent cavities.

[0077] The presence of fluid within existing cavities successfully protects them because, when a new cavity forms nearby, the existing cavity is refilled, either entirely or partially, by the substrate material. Since the fluid is incompressible, the existing cavity is clearly mechanically stabilized by the fluid. Therefore, when a new cavity forms next to it, the substrate material is effectively prevented from being pushed into the existing cavity. In other words, a reaction force is applied to the material between the newly formed cavity and the preceding cavity.

[0078] By preventing the reduction of the load on the new cavity due to the preceding cavity, an improvement in the preload of the cut edge is also observed, thereby achieving higher edge stability. In this case, the inventors explain this effect by the fact that during cavity formation, the material is not pushed into the adjacent cavity, but rather more into the wall surrounding the cavity, and radial compressive stress is applied within the compressed wall. In this case, this corresponds to a compression zone parallel to the cut surface, i.e., a compressive stress zone, in the cut substrate portion.

[0079] At the same time, the inventors also confirmed that the fluid can hinder or at least reduce surface effects, for example, in laser processing. Specifically, when the surface of the substrate material is wetted by the fluid or when the entire substrate material is immersed in the fluid, the threshold intensity of plasma ignition at the substrate surface is optimized. This results in greater uniformity of the cavity over its entire length.

[0080] Furthermore, the fluid within the cavity contributes to a further significant reduction in any other influences that might be exerted on the linear focus by adjacent cavities. Indeed, the closer the refractive index of the fluid is to that of the substrate material, the better the results. The inventors speculate that this is because, in the case of a matched refractive index, energy loss at the interface is relatively small or even nonexistent.

[0081] If a fluid is present, and for example fills the working region, the refraction and / or scattering of partial rays of light at the exposed surface of the preceding working region near the linear focus can be significantly reduced. Clearly, this allows for a more precise cross-section to be realized.

[0082] The use of fluids is particularly effective when the refractive index corresponds to or approximates that of the substrate material.

[0083] Alternatively or supplementarily, (i) the substrate member includes or is composed of glass members, glass ceramic members, silicon members and / or sapphire members and / or is formed at least partially in the form of plates and / or wafers, particularly silicon wafers; (ii) the substrate body includes or represents glass bodies, glass ceramic bodies, silicon bodies and / or sapphire bodies; and / or (iii) the substrate material may include or consist of glass, glass ceramic, silicon and / or sapphire.

[0084] The aforementioned problems are solved by proposing a substrate sub-member manufactured and / or manufacturable according to a second aspect of the present invention, particularly by a method according to a first aspect of the present invention, which has at least one body comprising at least one glass material, glass ceramic material and / or silicon, the body having at least one side surface, the side surface having at least a partially height-adjusted surface.

[0085] In other words, the surprising finding that underlies this invention is that high strength can be achieved on the sides by artificially creating small irregularities. The inventors realized that height adjustment clearly leads to stabilization of the sides and, consequently, higher edge strength.

[0086] The inventors explain this positive characteristic by explaining that adjusting the height creates a positive stress characteristic within the main body that contributes to overall higher strength.

[0087] Those skilled in the art will understand that in a preferred embodiment, the surface height or adjustment portion may extend along a direction perpendicular to the main extending direction of the surface.

[0088] Alternatively or supplementarily, it may be assumed that the surface height adjustment section has a corrugated surface and / or that the surface change based on the height adjustment is within a settable range of values, particularly within the range of 0.5 μm to 100 μm, preferably within the range of 0.5 μm to 50 μm.

[0089] When surface height adjustment results in surface waviness, particularly high strength values ​​can be achieved in that area.

[0090] A suitable range of values ​​yields a suitable high intensity. In this case, it is obvious that the change represents the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the height.

[0091] Alternatively or supplementarily, it may be assumed that (i) the sides have at least partially a roughness depth RZ of 0.01 μm to 30 μm, preferably 0.05 μm to 10 μm, most preferably 0.05 μm to 5 μm, preferably an average roughness depth RZ, (ii) the sides have at least partially a surface roughness, preferably an average surface roughness, and / or (iii) the surface change based on the roughness depth and / or surface roughness is 1 to 5 orders of magnitude smaller, preferably 2 or 3 orders of magnitude smaller, than the surface change based on height adjustment.

[0092] In parallel with height adjustment, minimal surface roughness or roughness depth has been found to be particularly advantageous in terms of high strength, resulting in particularly stable and well-usable substrate components.

[0093] It is clear that the scales for surface roughness and height adjustment differ, particularly by an order of magnitude of 1 to 5.

[0094] Alternatively or supplementally, it may be assumed that the sides are preloaded at least partially and / or that the strength of the substrate portion members along the sides, particularly the edge strength of the main body, is greater than 100 MPa, preferably greater than 150 MPa, and / or is variable and / or constant over the entire side.

[0095] Alternatively or supplementarily, it may be assumed that the side is flat and / or curved, particularly on a macroscopic scale, and particularly preferably has at least partially parabolic and / or circular extensions and / or extensions based on a quartic equation within at least one cross-section perpendicular to the side.

[0096] In the case of curved sides, the forces acting on these sides can be derived in a particularly advantageous way, thereby enhancing the stability of the sides. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0097] Another feature and advantage of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to schematic diagrams. [Figure 1a] This is a plan view showing the main body of a circuit board processed using conventional technology. [Figure 1b] This is a cross-sectional view showing the main body of a circuit board processed using conventional technology. [Figure 2a] This is a plan view showing the first substrate component. [Figure 2b] This is a cross-sectional view showing the first substrate member. [Figure 3a] This is a plan view showing the second substrate member together with the light rays of the first configuration based on the prior art. [Figure 3b] This is a plan view showing the second substrate member along with the rays of light in the second configuration. [Figure 4a] This is a plan view showing the third substrate component together with the third configuration ray based on the prior art. [Figure 4b] This is a plan view showing the third substrate member along with the rays of the fourth configuration. [Figure 5a] This is a first cross-sectional view showing a ray tracing model of an Airy beam in the first cross-section. [Figure 5b] This is a second cross-sectional view showing a ray tracing model of the Airy beam in the second cross-section.

[0098] example Figure 2a shows a rectangular, plate-shaped first substrate member 101, for example, a glass member, in a plan view. The first substrate member 101 has a substrate body 103, for example, a glass body, which includes a substrate material, for example, glass.

[0099] Figure 2b shows the first substrate member 101 in a cross-sectional view that extends perpendicularly to the plan view in Figure 2a.

[0100] To prepare the first substrate member 101 so that it can be cut along a cutting plane located in the figure plane in Figure 2b and extending through the center point of a circular hollow space 105, the method according to the present invention assumes that linear foci 107 are controlled within the substrate body 103, thereby locally and partially removing and / or pushing aside the substrate material of the substrate body 103 along the defined cutting plane. To this end, linear foci 107 are sequentially formed within a plurality of different local regions of the substrate material, thereby removing or pushing aside the substrate material in each of these local regions. The local regions correspond to the regions of the hollow space 105 within the previous substrate material. However, it is also possible to modify, particularly damage, the substrate body 103 around the hollow space 105 without removing or pushing aside any material. For example, this may be a change in refractive index.

[0101] Adjacent local regions are located within the diagrammatic plane of Figure 2a, and have a center-to-center distance greater than the maximum extending length of the local region within the diagrammatic plane.

[0102] In this case, the linear focus 107 is formed by a laser beam, which is also formed in the form of rays that supply light asymmetrically within the region of the linear focus. In this asymmetric ray supply case, the partial rays 109 of the rays are incident only from a direction selected so that the partial rays 109 do not propagate through the region of the substrate body 103 where the substrate material has already been removed and / or pushed aside and / or compressed into the substrate material. In other words, in Figures 2a and 2b, the partial rays 109 are incident only from the right side, because the drilled hole is formed from the left side toward the right side.

[0103] The laser beam has a wavelength of 1030 nm and is located within the transmission area of ​​the substrate body 103. It is generated by an ultrashort pulse laser. The ultrashort pulse laser has a pulse length of 1 ps.

[0104] In one embodiment, the first substrate member 101 may be surrounded by a fluid (not shown in Figures 2a and 2b) while the substrate material is being removed or pushed aside, and the fluid may flow into the position of the removed or pushed-aside substrate material. That is, as soon as the substrate material is removed or pushed aside, the fluid can already flow into the position of the substrate material. In this case, the hollow space 105 shown in Figures 2a and 2b is considered to be completely filled with the fluid.

[0105] Therefore, asymmetric ray supply is particularly advantageous in the present invention. This is especially evident when there is a large area of ​​lateral interference and / or refractive index difference. This is because asymmetric ray supply makes it possible for such interference or refractive index difference to have as little or no effect on the partial rays of the ray forming the focal point.

[0106] The present invention can, for example, be advantageously used to remove and / or push away material from a substrate material near a transition between two refractive indices.

[0107] Using Figures 3a, 3b, 4a, and 4b, the advantages of the proposed method over conventional implementations are explained by considering the different configurations of light rays in various settings.

[0108] For this reason, Figures 3a and 3b show the same second substrate member 201 in plan view, respectively. The second substrate member 201 has a substrate body 203, for example, a glass body, which includes a substrate material, such as glass.

[0109] For example, in order to prepare the substrate member 201 for cutting, it is desirable that the substrate material of the substrate body 203 be locally removed and / or pushed aside. To achieve this, a linear focal point 205 is formed within the glass material by a light ray, thereby creating a hollow space within the substrate material. The linear focal point 205 extends perpendicularly to the plane of the view in Figures 3a and 3b and is located near the edge 207 of the substrate member 201.

[0110] The edge portion 207 forms a transition area between two refractive indices (for example, from the refractive index of the substrate material to the refractive index of the medium surrounding the substrate member 201 in Figures 3a and 3b).

[0111] The ray shown in Figure 3a represents a first configuration in which the ray is supplied to the linear focus 205 in the conventional manner based on prior art. In this case, the linear focus 205 is formed by partial rays 209 incident from all directions (in the diagrammatic plane of Figure 3a). Therefore, some of the partial rays, shown as dashed lines in Figure 3a, extend at least partially outside the substrate member 201. This may make it difficult, or even significantly hinder, the formation of the focus 205 based on the change in refractive index at the edge 207.

[0112] In this case, the concept of "from all directions" refers to each component in the cross-section, i.e., the plane perpendicular to the optical axis. These components are always oriented along the optical axis in the direction of laser beam propagation. In other words: in polar coordinates, the azimuth angle is 360°, that is, in all directions, and the polar angle moves within the focusing cone as the maximum extension, defined by the axicon.

[0113] The ray shown in Figure 3b represents a second configuration that supplies light asymmetrically according to the present invention. In this case, the linear focus 205 is formed by a partial ray 209 that is incident only from a specific direction (in the diagrammatic plane of Figure 3b). In this case, with respect to the state shown in Figure 3b, the partial ray 209 extends entirely inside the substrate member 201. This particularly effectively supports the formation of the focus 205. In other words, the asymmetric ray supply enables stable focus formation near the edge 207.

[0114] The present invention can also be used, for example, advantageously, to remove and / or push aside material from a substrate member near a large area of ​​lateral interference.

[0115] For this reason, Figures 4a and 4b show the same third substrate member 301 in plan view, respectively. The third substrate member 301 has a substrate body 303, for example, a glass body, which includes a substrate material, such as glass.

[0116] It is desirable that the substrate material of the substrate body 303 be locally removed and / or pushed aside. To achieve this, a linear focal point 305 is formed within the glass material by the light ray, thereby creating a hollow space within the substrate material. The linear focal point 305 extends perpendicularly to the diagrammatic plane in Figures 4a and 4b and is located near the interference portion 307 of the substrate member 301. In this case, the interference portion 307 represents multiple modified portions introduced into the substrate body 303, for example, in the form of changes in refractive index and / or removed glass material.

[0117] The ray shown in Figure 4a is a third configuration that supplies rays to the linear focus 305 in the conventional manner based on prior art. In this case, the linear focus 305 is formed by partial rays 309 incident from all directions (in the diagrammatic plane of Figure 4a). Therefore, some of the partial rays, shown as dashed lines in Figure 4a, extend at least partially through the interference region 307. This may make the formation of the focus 305 difficult, or even significantly hinder it.

[0118] The ray shown in Figure 4b represents a fourth configuration that supplies light asymmetrically based on the present invention. In this case, the linear focus 305 is formed by a partial ray 309 that is incident only from a specific direction (in the diagram plane of Figure 4b). Therefore, in the diagram plane of Figure 4b, the partial ray extends only within the upper right quadrant. In this case, the partial ray 309 extends in a way that it does not pass through the interference region 307. This particularly effectively supports the formation of the focus 305. In other words, asymmetric ray supply enables stable focus formation near the interference region 307.

[0119] In particular, when multiple interference sections 307, such as the modification sections, are densely installed, the influence on the partial rays 309, especially in the form of shadows, is extremely significant. Accordingly, asymmetric ray supply is particularly advantageous in this case. A special case of this application is the intersection of two lines, especially a T-junction. In other words, the intersection of modification sections extending along two lines. For this reason, the present invention can be suitably used by appropriately selecting the ray supply.

[0120] Therefore, the first and third configurations each represent a ray used in the prior art, along with the associated drawbacks. These drawbacks can be overcome by selecting the configuration according to the present invention, namely the second and fourth configurations, etc., for the ray.

[0121] Figure 5a shows a first cross-sectional view illustrating a ray tracing model of an Airy beam in a first cross-section. In this case, the first cross-section extends parallel to the cross-section of a hypothetical (e.g., rectangular) substrate member. That is, the cross-section is located in the xz plane (when y=0) and intersects the entire curved linear focus. In Figure 5a, the linear focus has its maximum intensity in the region centered at (x=0;z=0). Corresponding to the curved linear focus, the local region or area of ​​action extends in a similarly curved manner. In the method according to the present invention, adjacent local regions or areas of action are continuous in the positive x direction.

[0122] Figure 5b shows a second cross-sectional view illustrating a ray tracing model of an Airy beam in a second cross-section. The second cross-section is located perpendicular to the first cross-section. For example, this may be the surface of a hypothetical (rectangular) substrate member, or a plane within the substrate member extending parallel to this surface. In the method according to the present invention, adjacent local / operating regions are continuous in the positive x-direction. The second cross-section shown in Figure 5b may be, for example, a first and / or second specific cross-section according to the present invention. Both the first and second specific cross-sections may correspond to the second cross-section shown in Figure 5b. For example, adjacent local or operating regions within the first or second specific cross-section, i.e., the second cross-section shown in Figure 5b, may need to have a specific intercenter spacing from each other.

[0123] The cross-section in Figure 5b intersects the linear focus of the laser beam in the region centered at the point (x=0; y=0). In the region with positive x values, a lateral partial beam of the laser beam can also be seen. As can be seen further from Figure 5b, the Airy beam has no lateral component toward negative x values. Instead, in accordance with the method according to the present invention, the light supply is asymmetrical, that is, in the state of Figure 5b, it is supplied only from the 1 / 2 spatial portion which has positive x values. As a result, when the linear focus is moved relatively in the direction of the positive x axis, no partial beam is generated in the region of the previous cavity.

[0124] As already stated, in relation to light ray supply or energy supply, the term "asymmetric" in this invention is understood to mean "non-rotationally symmetric." This means that other forms of symmetry are not excluded. For example, the Airy beam described has a mirror image plane parallel to the xz plane, as can be seen from Figure 5b.

[0125] The features disclosed in the prior description, claims, and drawings may be important to various embodiments of the present invention, either individually or in any combination. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0126] 1. Substrate component 3. Main board 5 Hollow space 7 focus 9 partial rays 101 Substrate material 103 Main board 105 Hollow space 107 Focus 109 Partial ray 201 Substrate material 203 Main board 205 Focus 207 Edge 209 Partial ray 301 Substrate components 303 Main board 305 Focus 307 Interference section 309 Partial ray

Claims

1. A substrate component, It has at least one body (103) comprising at least one glass material, a glass ceramic material and silicon, and the body (103) has at least one side. The side surface has a surface that is at least partially height-adjusted along a direction perpendicular to the main extending direction of the surface, The height adjustment of the surface is such that it forms a wave-shaped surface, and the surface change resulting from the height adjustment is located within the range of 0.5 μm to 50 μm. The aforementioned side surface has surface roughness at least partially, and the surface roughness is an average surface roughness. The aforementioned side surface has a roughness depth RZ of at least partially 0.05 μm to 5 μm, The surface change based on the surface roughness or roughness depth is two or three orders of magnitude smaller than the surface change based on the height adjustment. The aforementioned side surface is curved and, within at least one cross-section perpendicular to the aforementioned side surface, has at least partially a parabolic or circular extension or an extension based on a quartic equation. The edge strength of the substrate portion member along the aforementioned side surface is greater than 100 MPa. Substrate component.

2. The substrate portion member according to claim 1, wherein a preload is applied to the side surface at least partially, or the edge strength of the substrate portion member along the side surface is variable or constant over the entire side surface.

3. The substrate portion member according to claim 1, wherein the edge strength of the substrate portion member along the side surface is greater than 150 MPa.

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