A method of manufacturing an optionally shaped chip from a substrate having a crystalline structure includes establishing a projected dicing line on the substrate representing a contour of a chip to be fabricated from the substrate, and establishing a straight division assisting line contacting the contour of the chip for assisting in dividing the substrate. A division initiating point is formed after the projected dicing line is established and a laser beam is applied along the contour of the chip and the division assisting line while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam in the substrate at a predetermined position spaced from an upper surface of the substrate, thereby forming division initiating points in the substrate. The substrate is divided by applying external forces to the substrate in which the division initiating points have been formed, to divide the substrate along the division initiating points.

A method of manufacturing an optionally shaped chip from a substrate having a crystalline structure includes establishing a projected dicing line on the substrate representing a contour of a chip to be fabricated from the substrate, and establishing a straight division assisting line contacting the contour of the chip for assisting in dividing the substrate. A division initiating point is formed after the projected dicing line is established and a laser beam is applied along the contour of the chip and the division assisting line while positioning a focused spot of the laser beam in the substrate at a predetermined position spaced from an upper surface of the substrate, thereby forming division initiating points in the substrate. The substrate is divided by applying external forces to the substrate in which the division initiating points have been formed, to divide the substrate along the division initiating points.

The present invention relates to ultrafast laser inscribed structures for signal concentration in focal plan arrays, focal plan arrays, imaging and/or sensing apparatuses comprising said focal plan arrays, as well as methods of making and/or using ultrafast laser inscribed structures for signal concentration in focal plan arrays, focal plan arrays, imaging and/or sensing apparatuses comprising said focal plan arrays. Such ultrafast laser inscribed structures are particularly adapted to condense broad band radiation, thus allowing increased sensing efficiencies to be obtained from imaging and/or sensing apparatuses. Such ultrafast laser inscribed structures can be efficiently produced by the processes provided herein.

The present invention relates to ultrafast laser inscribed structures for signal concentration in focal plan arrays, focal plan arrays, imaging and/or sensing apparatuses comprising said focal plan arrays, as well as methods of making and/or using ultrafast laser inscribed structures for signal concentration in focal plan arrays, focal plan arrays, imaging and/or sensing apparatuses comprising said focal plan arrays. Such ultrafast laser inscribed structures are particularly adapted to condense broad band radiation, thus allowing increased sensing efficiencies to be obtained from imaging and/or sensing apparatuses. Such ultrafast laser inscribed structures can be efficiently produced by the processes provided herein.

One aspect is a device for processing a filament in a process stream, including at least one processing beam source, designed and arranged for emitting at least one processing beam which is suitable for processing a segment of the filament by interaction of the at least one processing beam with the segment of the filament, thereby obtaining a processed filament. The device includes a guide, including a filament feed which is arranged upstream of the at least one processing beam source, and is designed to feed the filament from a feed reel. The guide is designed and arranged to guide the filament so that during the processing the segment of the filament inclines an angle with a vertical axis in the range from 0 to 45°.

A method of laser processing of a metallic material is described, by means of a focused laser beam having a predetermined transverse power distribution on at least one working plane of the metallic material, comprising the steps of: providing a laser beam emitting source; leading the laser beam along a beam transport optical path to a working head arranged in proximity to the material; collimating the laser beam along an optical axis of propagation incident on the material; focusing the collimated laser beam in an area of a working plane of the material; and conducting the focused laser beam along a working path on the metallic material comprising a succession of working areas, wherein the laser beam is shaped: by reflecting the collimated beam by means of a deformable, controlled surface reflecting element having a plurality of independently movable reflection areas, and by controlling the arrangement of the reflection areas to establish a predetermined transverse power distribution of the beam on at least one working plane of the metallic material as a function of the area of the current working plane and/or of the current direction of the working path on the metallic material.

A method of laser processing of a metallic material is described by means of a focused laser beam having a predetermined transverse power distribution on at least one working plane of the material, comprising the steps of: providing a laser beam emitting source; leading the laser beam along a beam transport optical path to a working head arranged in proximity to the material; collimating the laser beam along an optical axis of propagation incident on the material; focusing the collimated laser beam in an area of a working plane of the material; and conducting the focused laser beam along a working path on the metallic material comprising a succession of working areas, wherein the laser beam is shaped: by reflecting the collimated beam by means of a deformable controlled surface reflecting element having a plurality of independently movable reflection areas, and by controlling the arrangement of the reflection areas to establish a predetermined transverse power distribution of the beam on at least one working plane of the metallic material as a function of the area of the current working plane and/or of the current direction of the working path on the metallic material.

A laser processing apparatus and a stack processing apparatus are provided. The laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator and an optical system for forming a linear beam and an x-y-θ or x-θ stage. With use of the x-y-θ or x-θ stage, the object to be processed can be moved and rotated in the horizontal direction. With this operation, a desired region of the object to be processed can be efficiently irradiated with laser light, and the area occupied by a chamber provided with the x-y-θ or x-θ stage can be made small.

A planning device for planning locally selective irradiation of a work region using an energy beam in order to produce a component from a powder material arranged in the work region is provided. The planning device is configured to obtain a plurality of irradiation vectors for irradiating a powder material layer arranged in the work region with the energy beam. The planning device is further configured to determine a vector alignment in a coordinate system on the work region for at least one irradiation vector of the plurality of irradiation vectors, and to specify, for the at least one irradiation vector, a beam alignment for a non-circular beam shape of the energy beam on the work region relative to the vector alignment of the at least one irradiation vector.

A method for laser welding two coated workpieces includes positioning an upper workpiece and a lower workpiece on top of each other and passing a first laser beam over the upper and lower workpieces from a side of the upper workpiece so as to at least partially evaporate the respective coating of each of the workpieces on their facing sides along a depletion trace. A second laser beam is passed over the workpieces from the side of the upper workpiece so as to melt a material of the two workpieces within the depletion trace, and thereby weld the workpieces to one another. In the first laser passing, the first laser beam melts the material of the upper workpiece, so that a web of non-melted material of the upper workpiece remaining between the melted material of the upper workpiece and the facing side of the upper workpiece.