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.

Embodiments of the present method of laser cutting a laser wavelength transparent glass article comprises feeding at least one glass article to a pulsed laser assembly having at least one pulsed laser, wherein the pulsed laser defines a laser beam focal line with a length of 0.1-100 mm, the glass article being comprised of two end sections, and at least one lateral surface disposed lengthwise between the end sections. The method further comprises laser cutting at least one perforation line onto the lateral surface of the glass article while there is relative motion between the glass article and the pulsed laser and separating the glass article along the at least one perforation line to yield a laser cut glass article.

A method of manufacturing a partially textured glass article that includes (a) providing partially textured mother glass substrate that includes a first main surface and a second main surface which are opposed to each other; (b) irradiating the first main surface of the glass substrate with a laser to form a separating line on the first main surface that defines contour lines and extends from the first main surface to the second main surface dividing the glass article from the glass substrate, the glass article being a size smaller than the mother glass substrate; and (c) separating the partially textured glass article is separated from the mother glass substrate by the separating line. The method allows cutting a large partially textured mother glass substrate, with high precision, into smaller articles of partially textured glass at a requested size.

An internal feature can be laser machined in strengthened glass sheets or panels by first laser machining a first scribe in a first surface proximate to the internal feature to be laser machined. The internal feature can be then laser machined by positioning a beam waist of a laser beam proximate to an opposite second surface by focusing the laser beam through the strengthened glass panel from the first surface. The internal feature is laser machined by repositioning the beam waist from the second surface to the first surface while removing material from a kerf surrounding the internal feature. When the laser beam waist is finally positioned proximate to the first surface material, the internal shape formed by the laser machining is easily and cleanly removed from the surrounding glass.

The present invention relates to a method for the production of at least one three-dimensional layer of solid material, in particular for usage as wafer, and/or at least one tree-dimensional solid body. The inventive method preferably comprises the following steps: Providing a work piece for removing of layers of solid material and/or the solid bodies, wherein the work piece comprises at least one exposed surface, generating defects inside the work piece, wherein the defects define at least one crack directing layer, wherein the crack directing layer describes at least one three-dimensional contour; attaching or generating a receiving layer at the exposed surface of work piece by forming a composite structure, thermal treating of the receiving layer for generating stresses inside the work piece, wherein the stresses are causing a crack propagation inside the work piece, wherein a layer of solid material or a three-dimensional solid body is separated along the crack directing layer due to the crack propagation, wherein a surface of the layer of solid material or a surface of the solid body corresponds to the three-dimensional contour of the crack directing layer.

This invention provides an effective and a method of laser processing for separating semiconductor devices formed on a single substrate (6) or separating high thickness, hard and solid substrates (6), which is rapid. During preparation of the device or substrate (6) for the cleaving/breaking/dicing procedure an area of damage (8, 11) is achieved by obtaining deep and narrow damage area along the intended line of cleaving. The laser processing method comprises a step of modifying a pulsed laser beam (1) by an focusing unit (1), such as that an “spike”-shaped beam convergence zone, more particularly an above workpiece material optical damage threshold fluence (power distribution) in the bulk of the workpiece (6) is produced. During the aforementioned step a modified area (having a “spike”-type shape) is created. The laser processing method further comprises a step of creating a number of such damage structures (8, 11) in a predetermined breaking line by relative translation of the workpiece (6) relative the laser beam (1) condensation point.

Electrochromic device laminates and their method of manufacture are disclosed.

An invisible laser system and an optical path visualization method thereof are disclosed. The invisible laser system comprises an invisible laser light generator for generating invisible laser light; a visible light generator for generating visible light; and an optical path visualization component arranged in optical paths of the invisible and visible light, and comprising a first and second incident end and a first outgoing end. The invisible laser light is incident on the first incident end, and the visible light is incident on the second incident end. All of the invisible laser light and at least part of the visible light are emitted in parallel with each other at the first outgoing end. All of the invisible laser light is present in a direction parallel with the optical path of the visible light, and no invisible laser light is present in other directions, so radiation risks are eliminated.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for dicing one or more optical devices from a substrate with a laser machining system. The laser machining system utilizes a laser to perform methods for dicing one or more optical devices from a substrate along a dicing path. The methods use one of forming a plurality of laser spots along the dicing path or forming a plurality of trenches along the dicing path.

A method for separating a substrate of a brittle-hard material is provided. The method includes the steps of introducing defects into the substrate at a spacing from one another along a separation line using at least one pulsed laser beam; selecting an average spacing between neighboring defects and a number of laser pulses for generating a respective defect such that a breaking stress (σ.sub.B) for separating the substrate along the separation line is smaller than a first reference stress (σ.sub.R1) of the substrate and such that an edge strength σ.sub.K of the separation edge obtained after separation is greater than a second reference stress (σ.sub.R2) of the substrate; and separating the substrate after introducing the defects by applying a stress along the separation line.