Ceramic Substrate Division via Segmented Laser Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for producing ceramic circuit substrates face challenges such as inadvertent breaking during metal plate bonding, poor processing efficiency, and issues with micro-cracks and voids due to heat-affected zones, leading to reduced reliability and dielectric strength.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic assembled board with continuous grooves formed using a fiber laser, where the groove depth is controlled to be no greater than half the board thickness, and the heat-affected zone is minimized, allowing for precise division and high-quality substrate production with improved fracture toughness and dielectric strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If scribe holes are formed by laser machining to facilitate breaking, then division ease is improved, but micro-cracks and fissures occur at the ends of substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The scribe line is segmented into multiple discrete holes arranged in series, allowing the ceramic board to be broken along the line connecting these holes. This segmentation facilitates division while the proper spacing and arrangement prevent crack propagation to substrate ends.
Solution Approach 2:
Holes are pre-formed at strategic positions before the breaking operation. These preliminary holes create stress concentration points that guide the break along the desired path without causing unintended fissures at substrate ends.
2Productivity
If laser beam irradiation is used to form scribe lines, then processing efficiency is improved, but heat-affected zones cause micro-cracks and reduce dielectric strength
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous scribe line is segmented into discrete holes, reducing the total heat-affected zone compared to a continuous laser line. This segmentation maintains processing efficiency while minimizing thermal damage and micro-crack formation that would compromise dielectric strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Laser energy is applied locally at discrete hole positions rather than continuously along the entire scribe line. This localized heating reduces the cumulative heat-affected zone and minimizes thermal stress that causes micro-cracks, while still achieving sufficient division guidance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If metal plates are bonded to ceramic board before division, then circuit substrate functionality is achieved, but inadvertent breaking occurs during bonding process
Solution Approach 1:
The scribe holes are formed and division lines are established before metal plate bonding. This preliminary action ensures that the ceramic board is pre-configured for safe division, reducing the risk of inadvertent breaking during subsequent bonding and processing operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method enables efficient and precise division of ceramic substrates with reduced micro-cracks and improved adhesion, resulting in high-quality ceramic circuit substrates with enhanced dimensional precision and dielectric strength.
Implementation Method 1
At least one of the continuous grooves is formed by laser machining
Implementation Method 2
the surface layer section to be processed by a laser beam
Data Source
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Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A ceramic assembled board shows an advantageous dividablility of allowing the board to be divided when intended and not allowing it to be divided with ease when unintended. A ceramic substrate shows an excellent degree of dimensional precision and bending strength. A ceramic circuit substrate shows a high dielectric strength. A ceramic assembled board is formed by cutting continuous dividing grooves on one or both of the surfaces of a sintered ceramic board by way of laser machining to produce a large number of circuit substrates and at least one of the continuous grooves has a largest depth section and a smallest depth section with a depth difference Δd of 10 µm ≤ Δd ≤ 50 µm. A ceramic substrate is produced by dividing the ceramic assembled board and at least one of its lateral surfaces is a surface formed by dividing the ceramic assembled board along the continuous grooves, the arithmetic mean roughness Ra2 of the machined surfaces of the continuous grooves being smaller than the arithmetic mean roughness Ra1 of the surfaces of broken sections with regard to the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the lateral surfaces.