There is provided a laser light irradiating device that includes a spatial light modulator configured to modulate laser light output from a laser light source according to a phase pattern and emit the modulated laser light, an objective lens configured to converge the laser light emitted from the spatial light modulator onto the object, a focusing lens arranged between the spatial light modulator and the objective lens in an optical path of the laser light and configured to focus the laser light, and a slit member arranged at a focal position on a rear side of the focusing lens in the optical path of the laser light and configured to block a part of the laser light.

A method is disclosed for dividing a composite material in which a brittle material layer and a resin layer are laminated, including: a resin removing step of irradiating the resin layer with a laser beam oscillated from a first laser source along a scheduled dividing line of the composite material to form a processing groove along the scheduled dividing line; a brittle material removing step of irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from an ultrashort pulsed laser source along the scheduled dividing line to form a processing mark along the scheduled dividing line; and a brittle material layer dividing step of generating thermal stress in the brittle material layer by irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from a second laser source from the opposite side to the resin layer to thereby divide the brittle material layer.

A method for producing an intermediate glass plate includes a defect formation step, a separation step, and a polishing step. In the defect formation step, a defect is formed on main surfaces of glass blanks by irradiating a laminate of the glass blanks with a laser beam from one side in a lamination direction in which the glass blanks are laminated, along the lamination direction, and moving the laser beam relative to the laminate such that a circle is drawn in a view from the main surfaces of the glass blanks. In the separation step, a cylindrical laminate is formed by separating a removal target portion along the defect while maintaining the laminate. In the polishing step, a side wall surface of the laminate is polished while maintaining the cylindrical laminate so as to obtain a disk-shaped intermediate glass plate that has been subjected to edge surface polishing.

A glass and an enclosure, including windows, cover plates, and substrates for mobile electronic devices comprising the glass. The glass has a crack initiation threshold that is sufficient to withstand direct impact, has a retained strength following abrasion that is greater than soda lime and alkali aluminosilicate glasses, and is resistant to damage when scratched. The enclosure includes cover plates, windows, screens, and casings for mobile electronic devices and information terminal devices.

A method for separating a thin glass, in which method the thin glass is progressively heated along a path which forms a parting line, wherein the heating of the glass is realized by way of the energy of at least one energy source within an area of action of the energy source on the thin glass, and, by way of a temperature gradient of the glass heated by way of the at least one energy source in relation to the surrounding glass, a mechanical stress is generated in the glass, by way of which mechanical stress, a crack propagates, following the mechanical stress, along the parting line.

Provided are a method of full body cutting a brittle material without via the bend-breaking step, an apparatus of cutting a brittle material, a method of manufacturing a brittle material, and a cut brittle material. A method of cutting a brittle material, the method comprising: a conveyance cutting step of converging and irradiating an infrared ray to the brittle material linearly along a line using an infrared line heater while moving the infrared line heater relative to the brittle material in a direction along the line, thereby cutting the brittle material along the line.

Provided are a method of full body cutting a brittle material without via the bend-breaking step, an apparatus of cutting a brittle material, a method of manufacturing a brittle material, and a cut brittle material. A method of cutting a brittle material, the method comprising: a conveyance cutting step of converging and irradiating an infrared ray to the brittle material linearly along a line using an infrared line heater while moving the infrared line heater relative to the brittle material in a direction along the line, thereby cutting the brittle material along the line.

A method of cutting thin flexible glass substrates utilizing a feedback loop configured to monitor a position of a crack tip relative to an irradiated zone on the glass substrate. A process controller including the feedback loop controls at least one of a laser beam power, a laser speed or a cooling fluid speed based on the distance between the crack tip and the irradiated zone.

Provided is a cleaving method for a glass film (G) including: cleaving, during conveyance of the glass film (G) in a predetermined direction, the glass film (G) continuously along a preset cleaving line (8) extending in a predetermined conveying direction (a) by a thermal stress generated through localized heating performed along the preset cleaving line (8) and through cooling of a locally heated region (H); dividing the glass film (G) in a width direction of the glass film (G); diverting, after the dividing, adjacent divided glass films (10), which are obtained by the dividing, so that the adjacent divided glass films (10) are separated in a front and rear direction of the adjacent divided glass films; and forming a predetermined widthwise clearance between the adjacent divided glass films after the dividing of the glass film (G) and before the diverting of the adjacent divided glass films (10).

Methods and apparatus provide for sourcing a glass web, the glass web having a length and a width transverse to the length; continuously moving the glass web from the source to a destination in a transport direction along the length of the glass web; and cutting the glass web at a cutting zone into at least first and second glass ribbons as the glass web is moved from the source to the destination, the first glass ribbon having a first width and the second glass ribbon having a second width, where the first and second widths are not equal.