Laser Cutting Ceramic Substrate for LED Packages
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cutting methods for light emitting element packages with ceramic substrates are inefficient due to the difficulty in cutting ceramic materials, leading to low productivity and high costs, especially when using blade sawing devices which require frequent replacement and result in broken pieces.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mechanical cutting of a light-transmitting material layer to expose the ceramic substrate, followed by laser cutting along the exposed surface, which significantly increases cutting speed and reduces equipment costs by using a high-power laser beam to cut the ceramic substrate effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If blade sawing method is used to cut ceramic substrate, then cutting can be performed, but productivity is reduced and equipment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical blade sawing system with a laser cutting system. The laser beam cuts the ceramic substrate without mechanical contact, eliminating the need for blade wheels and their associated support structures. This substitution dramatically improves cutting speed and reduces equipment complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cutting parameter from mechanical force (blade sawing) to optical energy (laser beam). By using laser radiation with specific wavelength and power parameters, the ceramic substrate is cut through thermal ablation rather than mechanical force, achieving higher productivity and lower equipment costs.
2Reliability
If blade sawing method is used to cut ceramic substrate, then cutting can be performed, but the substrate is prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical blade contact with non-contact laser cutting. The laser beam vaporizes or melts the ceramic material along the cutting path without applying mechanical stress, eliminating the risk of substrate breaking during cutting and improving both reliability and yield rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser cutting process utilizes phase transitions of the ceramic material (solid to liquid or gas) through localized heating. The high-energy laser beam rapidly heats the ceramic substrate along the cutting line, causing material removal through melting or vaporization without mechanical contact, thus preventing substrate breakage.
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 enhances cutting speed by up to six times compared to traditional blade sawing methods, reduces equipment costs, and minimizes damage to the light-transmitting material layer, thereby improving overall productivity and efficiency in separating individual light emitting element packages.
Implementation Method 1
cutting the ceramic substrate along the cutting line by using a laser cutting method
Implementation Method 2
The high-power laser beam may be irradiated onto the ceramic substrate through a groove formed by partially removing the light-transmitting material layer
Data Source
AI summary
A method of cutting light emitting element packages includes preparing a ceramic substrate having a surface on which a plurality of light emitting element chips are mounted and a light-transmitting material layer is formed to cover the plurality of light emitting element chips; partially removing the light-transmitting material layer between the plurality of light emitting element chips along a cutting line by using a mechanical cutting method; and separating individual light emitting element packages by cutting the ceramic substrate along the cutting line by using a laser cutting method.