Transparent Material Hardening with Ultrashort Laser Pulses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for hardening glass surfaces, such as those in consumer electronics, are limited to global hardening and cannot achieve localized hardening, which is necessary for regions under significant stress like foldable displays or displays with curved edges.
Innovation Solution
The use of an ultrashort pulse laser to introduce material modifications by local heating and rapid cooling of transparent materials, allowing for selective hardening of specific regions through precise control of laser pulses and beam geometry, enabling both surface and volume modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If global hardening methods are used, then the entire glass surface is hardened, but localized regions under stress cannot be selectively hardened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using a focused laser beam to modify only specific regions of the glass surface. The laser beam is concentrated to a small focal spot size, enabling selective hardening of localized areas under stress while leaving other regions unchanged. This resolves the contradiction by providing localized hardening capability without requiring complex masking or multiple processing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical hardening methods (such as chemical vapor deposition or thermal field treatment) with a laser-based optical system. The laser beam delivers energy precisely to targeted regions, substituting mechanical or chemical processes with optical energy delivery. This simplifies the manufacturing process while enabling localized treatment.
2Manufacturing precision
If laser beam is focused to a small spot size, then localized hardening is achieved, but processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by using pulsed laser operation instead of continuous beam delivery. The laser emits short pulses at controlled repetition rates, allowing the material to cool between pulses and preventing excessive heat accumulation. This enables precise localized hardening while maintaining reasonable processing speeds through optimized pulse timing and repetition rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the laser system movable through scanning mechanisms. The focused laser beam is dynamically positioned across the glass surface using galvanometer mirrors or linear stages, allowing rapid traversal between treatment locations. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining small spot size for precision while achieving high processing throughput through fast beam scanning.
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 method effectively increases the hardness and resistance of transparent materials locally, reducing stress and maintaining the optical properties of the glass while allowing for homogeneous processing over the material thickness.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a material modification to the transparent material using a laser beam of ultrashort laser pulses of an ultrashort pulse laser
Implementation Method 2
local heating and rapid cooling of transparent materials
Data Source
AI summary
A method for hardening a transparent material includes the steps of introducing a material modification to the transparent material using a laser beam of ultrashort laser pulses of an ultrashort pulse laser so as to harden at least a portion of the transparent material.