A method and apparatus for producing glass products from tubular glass precursors is provided. In particular, a method and apparatus for separating tube glass into sized glass tube portions, produced glass tube portions, glass precursor portions, or glass product portions, and their use as pharmaceutical packaging are provided. The tube glass or the glass precursor or the glass product is provided with filaments along predetermined breaking planes. The filaments extend obliquely to the local wall radius and allow for clean separation of the tube glass or the glass precursor or the glass product.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a glass film, including: a conveying step of conveying an elongated glass film (G) along a longitudinal direction thereof; and a cutting step of irradiating the glass film (G) with a laser beam (L) from a laser irradiation apparatus (19) while conveying the glass film (G) through the conveying step, to thereby separate the glass film (G). The cutting step includes generating a thread-like peeled material (Ge) in a helical shape from an end portion of the separated glass film (G) in a width direction. The thread-like peeled material (Ge) has a width (W) of 180 m or more and 300 m or less. In addition, the thread-like peeled material (Ge) has a helical diameter (D) of 80 mm or more and 200 mm or less.

Systems and methods utilizing two Airy beams to process a non-rounded edge of a glass substrate or to cleave a glass substrate are disclosed. The method includes generating first and second Airy beams and causing them to cross at a crossing to define a curved intensity profile in the vicinity of the crossing point where the first and second Airy beams have respective local radii of curvature RA and RB. The method also includes scanning the curved intensity profile either along the non-rounded outer edge or through the glass along a scan path to form on the glass substrate a rounded outer edge having a radius of curvature RE that is smaller than the first and second local radii of curvature RA and RB. The radius of curvature RE can be adjusted by changing a beam angle between the first and second Airy beams.

A method and apparatus is provided for producing a hollow glass body product including a hollow glass body having an outer surface with a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being sealed by a first bottom and the second end portion being sealed by a second bottom. A plurality of spaced apart filamentary defects are provided in the outer surface and at least part of the filamentary defects form open passages connecting an interior of the hollow glass body to the outer surface thereof. Each individual passage has a diameter in the micrometer range between more than 0 micrometers and less than 50 micrometers. A plurality of the micrometer range-sized open passages provides a total cross-sectional area sufficiently large for venting and/or pressure equalization.

A method for forming a plurality of precision holes in a substrate by drilling, including affixing a sacrificial cover layer to a surface of the substrate, positioning a laser beam in a predetermined location relative to the substrate and corresponding to a desired location of one of the plurality of precision holes, forming a through hole in the sacrificial cover layer by repeatedly pulsing a laser beam at the predetermined location, and pulsing the laser beam into the through hole formed in the sacrificial cover layer. A work piece having precision holes including a substrate having the precision holes formed therein, wherein a longitudinal axis of each precision hole extends in a thickness direction of the substrate, and a sacrificial cover layer detachably affixed to a surface of the substrate, such that the sacrificial cover layer reduces irregularities of the precision holes.

A method for processing a transparent workpiece comprises forming an optically modified region in or on a transparent workpiece and forming a contour in the transparent workpiece, the contour comprising a plurality of defects in the transparent workpiece positioned laterally offset from the optically modified region. Forming the contour comprises directing a primary laser beam comprising a quasi-non diffracting beam oriented along a beam pathway onto the transparent workpiece such that a first caustic portion of the primary laser beam is directed into the transparent workpiece, thereby generating an induced absorption within the transparent workpiece to produce a defect within the transparent workpiece and a second caustic portion of the primary laser beam is modified by the optically modified region. Further, translating the transparent workpiece and the primary laser beam relative to each other along a contour line and laterally offset from the optically modified region.

In a substrate processing method in which, for a substrate including a first layer made of a glass substrate and second layers made of a material different from that of the first layer and provided on a front surface and a back surface of the first layer, respectively, an intended mark is formed in each of the second layers, the substrate processing method includes the step of irradiating with a laser beam having an energy density capable of processing the second layers but incapable of processing the first layer from one surface side of the substrate, thereby simultaneously forming the mark at corresponding positions on each of a front surface and a back surface of the substrate.

Methods are provided for laser processing arbitrary shapes of molded 3D thin transparent brittle parts from substrates with particular interest in substrates formed from strengthened or non-strengthened Corning Gorilla glass (all codes). The developed laser methods can be tailored for manual separation of the parts from the panel or full laser separation by thermal stressing the desired profile. Methods can be used to form 3D surfaces with small radii of curvature. The method involves the utilization of an ultra-short pulse laser that may be optionally followed by a CO.sub.2 laser for fully automated separation.

Provided herein is an apparatus that includes a first and second laser source. The first and second laser sources are each operable to cut a substrate and are each independently movable with respect to one another. Further, the first and second laser sources are included within a multitude of laser sources that are arranged in a circular array.

Systems and methods for fabricating ring structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of forming a ring structure includes forming an inner contour and an outer contour including a plurality of perforations by directing a pulsed laser beam focal line into a substrate at a plurality of locations, the pulsed laser beam focal line generating an induced absorption within a substrate at each of the locations, the induced absorption producing one of the plurality of perforations. The method further includes heating the outer contour with a heating laser beam such that an article separates from the substrate at the outer contour, heating a region of the article between an outer edge of the article and the inner contour with the heating laser beam, and removing an inner portion of the article at the inner contour to form the ring structure.