Glass Element Microstructuring via Laser Filamentation and Chemical Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for structuring glass substrates, such as ultrasonic machining and laser processing, are limited in precision and efficiency, leading to mechanical stresses, microcracks, and high costs when producing fine structures for microelectronic and optical applications, which restrict the use of glass in industrial manufacturing for components requiring specific surface topography and microstructures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an ultrashort pulse laser to create filamentary channels in glass substrates, followed by etching with a controlled ablation rate to generate holes and elevations with specific heights and roughness values, allowing for the production of glass elements with defined microstructures that can serve as both substrates and spacers, reducing material stress and manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ultrasonic machining or laser processing is used to structure glass substrates, then fine structures can be produced, but mechanical stresses and microcracks are generated in the glass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical machining methods (ultrasonic machining, water jet cutting, sandblasting) with a chemical etching process. Glass substrates are treated with an etching medium that selectively removes material to create desired structures without mechanical contact, thereby avoiding the generation of mechanical stresses and microcracks that plague traditional mechanical processing methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes controlled chemical etching parameters (etching medium composition, temperature, duration, concentration) to precisely shape glass structures. By adjusting these chemical parameters rather than mechanical forces, the process achieves fine structuring precision while maintaining glass integrity and avoiding mechanical damage.
2Ease of manufacture
If mechanical ablation methods are used for glass structuring, then openings can be created, but stresses and delaminations occur at the marginal region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical ablation methods with chemical etching to create openings in glass substrates. The etching medium chemically dissolves glass material to form openings without mechanical contact, eliminating the stresses and delaminations that occur at marginal regions during mechanical processing.
3Manufacturing precision
If laser beams with small diameter are used for fine structuring, then small structures can be made, but thermal load causes critical stresses and microcracks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces laser-based thermal processing with chemical etching. The etching medium removes glass material through chemical reaction rather than thermal ablation, achieving fine structuring precision without the thermal load that causes critical stresses and microcracks in laser processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the etching process through chemical parameters (medium composition, temperature, concentration, exposure time) rather than thermal parameters. This allows precise control over material removal to create fine structures while maintaining the glass substrate below critical temperature thresholds that would cause thermal stress and microcrack formation.
4Manufacturing precision
If conventional structuring methods are used, then surface structuring can be achieved, but the process is complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple structuring functions (opening creation, surface texturing, elevation formation) into a single chemical etching step. By treating the glass substrate with the etching medium in one process, all desired structures are created simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple separate machining or laser processing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and laser-based structuring systems with a simpler chemical etching process. The etching medium, applied through straightforward immersion or spraying, creates complex three-dimensional surface structures without requiring sophisticated mechanical tooling or laser beam control systems.
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
This approach enables the cost-effective production of glass elements with precise microstructures and enhanced mechanical stability, suitable for various applications including microsensor technology and electro-optical components, by minimizing material removal and stress while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one filamentary channel is generated by a laser beam of an ultrashort pulse laser in the glass element
Implementation Method 2
the channel is widened by the etching medium to form a hole
Data Source
AI summary
A platelike glass element is provided that includes a first surface, a second surface opposite the first, and a hole that perforates the first surface. The hole extends in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, where the longitudinal direction is transverse to the first surface. The first surface has, at least partially around the hole, an elevation. The elevation has a feature selected from a group consisting of: a height of less than 5 μm that at least partially around the hole, a height greater than 0.05 μm, a height greater than 0.5 μm, a height greater than 1 μm, a height greater than 10 μm, a height less than 20 μm, a height less than 15 μm, a height less than 12 μm, and combinations thereof. The first surface has an average roughness value that is greater than 15 nm and less than 100 nm.