Methods and apparatus for separating substrates are disclosed, as are articles formed from the separated substrates. A method of separating a substrate having first and second surfaces includes directing a beam of laser light to pass through the first surface and, thereafter, to pass through the second surface. The beam of laser light has a beam waist located at a surface of the substrate or outside the substrate. Relative motion between the beam of laser light and the substrate is caused to scan a spot on a surface of the substrate to be scanned along a guide path. Portions of the substrate illuminated within the spot absorb light within the beam of laser light so that the substrate can be separated along the guide path.

Disclosed herein are methods for ion exchanging, e.g., chemically strengthening, a substrate, the methods comprising applying a first electrode to at least one first region on a first surface of the substrate and applying a second electrode to at least one second region on an opposing second surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate comprises mobile ions, e.g., metal ions chosen from alkali metal ions, alkaline earth metal ions, transition metal ions, and combinations thereof; applying voltage between the first and second electrodes sufficient to cause the mobile ions to migrate away from the at least one first region on the first surface; and treating the substrate by ion exchange, e.g., chemically strengthening the substrate. Also disclosed herein are substrates, e.g., glass, glass-ceramic, and ceramic substrates, produced by the methods disclosed herein.

Antireflective nanoparticle coatings and methods of forming the coatings on substrates are disclosed. One method for forming an antireflective coating includes depositing a nanoparticle coating layer on a substrate, wherein the nanoparticle coating layer includes a colloidal solution of nanoparticles and a solidifying material. The solidifying material includes a silica precursor. The method further includes curing the solidifying material to form silica inter-particle connections between adjacent nanoparticles and between at least some of the nanoparticles and the substrate to bind the nanoparticles to each other and to the substrate to form the antireflective coating.

Some embodiments of present disclosure are directed to a micro-perforated glass or glass-ceramics laminate, comprising a first substrate laminated to a second substrate by a first polymer interlayer, wherein the first and the second substrates are independently selected from glass or glass-ceramics, and a plurality of micro-perforations, each of the plurality of micro-perforations extending through the first substrate, the first polymer interlayer, and the second substrate. Some embodiments are directed to methods of forming such micro-perforated glass or glass-ceramics laminates.

A method for forming ion-exchanged regions in a glass article by contacting an ion source with at least one surface of the glass article, forming a first ion-exchanged region in the glass article by heating a first portion of the glass article with a laser, and forming a second ion-exchanged region in the glass article. Characteristics of the first ion-exchanged region may be different from characteristics of the second ion-exchanged region. A depth of the ion-exchanged region may be greater than 1 μm. A glass article including a first ion-exchanged region, and a second ion-exchanged region having different characteristics from the first ion-exchanged region. The thickness of the glass article is less than or equal to about 0.5 mm.

The deterioration of the resin base materials in the bonded structure is prevented. In a bonded structure containing two base materials at least one of which is a resin, an oxide which contains either P or Ag, V, and Te, and are formed by softening on the two base materials, bond the two base materials. In addition, in a method for producing a bonded structure containing two base materials at least one of which is a resin containing: supplying an oxide containing either P or Ag, V, and Te to the base material; and applying electromagnetic waves to the oxide, whereby the oxide, which soften on the substrates, bond the two base material.

A process that anneals a surface of a substrate bearing a coating includes running the substrate under a flash lamp emitting intense pulsed light and irradiating the coating with the pulsed light through a mask located between the flash lamp and the coating. A frequency of the flash lamp and a run speed of the substrate are adjusted so that each point of the coating to be annealed receives at least one light pulse. A distance between a lower face of the mask and the surface of the coating to be annealed is at most equal to 1 mm. A shape and extent of a slit in the mask are such that the mask occults the coating to be annealed in all zones where the light intensity that, in an absence of the mask, would arrive at the coating to be annealed is lower than a threshold light intensity.

Provided are a micro-hole array capable of accurately holding optical fibers or the like and a method for manufacturing a micro-hole array by which micro-holes having high shape accuracy can be formed. A micro-hole array has thirty or more through holes 3 formed per cm.sup.2 in a glass plate 2 with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, both inclusive, the through holes 3 each having a cylindrical portion 5 having a cylindricity of 5% or less of a hole diameter d.sub.1 of the through hole 3.

Annealing treatments for modified titania-silica glasses and the glasses produced by the annealing treatments. The annealing treatments include an isothermal hold that facilitates equalization of non-uniformities in fictive temperature caused by non-uniformities in modifier concentration in the glasses. The annealing treatments may also include heating the glass to a higher temperature following the isothermal hold and holding the glass at that temperature for several hours. Glasses produced by the annealing treatments exhibit high spatial uniformity of CTE, CTE slope, and fictive temperature, including in the presence of a spatially non-uniform concentration of modifier.

A composite article includes an inorganic non-metallic article and a resin article. The resin article is connected to the inorganic non-metallic article. The inorganic non-metallic article includes at least one connecting surface. At least a portion of the connecting surface comprises groove-peak like microstructures. At least one of the microstructures comprises a rough and/or porous surface having at least one of a roughness element and a porous structure. The inorganic non-metallic article and resin article are combined together through the microstructures. A method for making the composite article is also provided.