This method includes: an initial crack forming step of forming an initial crack (CR1) on a first surface (MG1) of a mother glass sheet (MG); and a laser irradiation step of irradiating the mother glass sheet (MG) with laser light (L) to cause a crack (CR2) to propagate along a preset cleaving line (CL) through use of the initial crack (CR1) as a starting point. The laser irradiation step includes irradiating a second surface (MG2) of the mother glass sheet (MG) with the laser light (L) to heat a surface layer (SL) and an inner portion (IL) of the second surface (MG2), to thereby cause, through a thermal shock caused by the heating, the crack (CR2) to propagate in an entire thickness direction of the mother glass sheet (MG) while propagating along the preset cleaving line (CL).

A method of separating a transparent mother sheet includes contacting a first surface of the transparent mother sheet with an open ended pressure assembly including a pressure vessel shell, thereby forming a shell cavity defined by the first surface of the transparent mother sheet and the pressure vessel shell, where the transparent mother sheet comprises a damage path. The method also includes removing gas from the shell cavity through a fluid removal outlet extending through the pressure vessel shell to reduce a cavity pressure in the shell cavity, thereby applying stress to the damage path to separate a portion of the transparent mother sheet along the damage path.

Disclosed herein are glass articles coated on at least one surface with an electrochromic layer and comprising minimal regions of laser damage, and methods for laser processing such glass articles. Insulated glass units comprising such coated glass articles are also disclosed herein.

Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may include cutting a part from a hard dielectric material using a continuous wave laser operating in a quasi-continuous wave (QCW) mode to emit consecutive laser light pulses in a wavelength range of about 1060 nm to 1070 nm. Cutting using a QCW laser may be performed with a lower duty cycle (e.g., between about 1% and 15%) and in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, argon or helium. Laser processing of hard dielectric materials may further include post-cut processing the cut edges of the part cut from the dielectric material, for example, by beveling and/or polishing the edges to reduce edge defects. The post-cut processing may be performed using a laser beam with different laser parameters than the beam used for cutting, for example, by using a shorter wavelength (e.g., 193 nm excimer laser) and/or a shorter pulse width (e.g., picosecond laser).

A device for producing and removing an internal contour from a planar substrate comprising: a beam-producing- and beam-forming arrangement which is configured to perform: a contour definition step wherein a laser beam is guided over the substrate to produce a plurality of individual zones of internal damage in a substrate material along a contour line defining the internal contour; a crack deformation step, wherein the laser beam is guided over the substrate and produces a plurality of individual zones of internal damage in the substrate material to form a plurality of crack line portions that lead away from the contour line into the internal contour; and a material removal-step, wherein a laser beam directed towards the substrate surface that inscribes a removal line through a thickness of the substrate at the internal contour causes the internal contour to detach from the substrate.

The present invention relates to a high-generation TFT-LCD glass substrate production line. The production line includes a kiln, a large-flow precious metal channel, a tin bath, an annealing kiln, a cutting machine and an unloading machine connected in sequence. The present invention combines high-efficiency melting, clarification and homogenization of molten glass, ultrathin float forming and annealing process technologies of the TFT-LCD glass, which can produce the TFT-LCD glass substrates with large sizes such as 8.5 generations and 10.5/11 generations, which has the advantages of large product size, excellent product performance, coherent process procedures, high production efficiency, high productivity and the like.

The present invention relates to a high-generation TFT-LCD glass substrate production line. The production line includes a kiln, a large-flow precious metal channel, a tin bath, an annealing kiln, a cutting machine and an unloading machine connected in sequence. The present invention combines high-efficiency melting, clarification and homogenization of molten glass, ultrathin float forming and annealing process technologies of the TFT-LCD glass, which can produce the TFT-LCD glass substrates with large sizes such as 8.5 generations and 10.5/11 generations, which has the advantages of large product size, excellent product performance, coherent process procedures, high production efficiency, high productivity and the like.

Methods of laser processing a transparent material are disclosed. The method may include positioning the transparent material on a carrier and transmitting a laser beam through the transparent material, where the laser beam may be incident on a side of the transparent material opposite the carrier. The transparent material may be substantially transparent to the laser beam and the carrier may include a support base and a laser disruption element. The laser disruption element may disrupt the laser beam transmitted through the transparent material such that the laser beam may not have sufficient intensity below the laser disruption element to damage the support base.

An apparatus for cutting brittle material comprises an aspheric focusing lens, an aperture, and a laser-source generating a beam of pulsed laser-radiation. The aspheric lens and the aperture form the beam of pulsed laser-radiation into an elongated focus having a uniform intensity distribution along the optical axis of the aspheric focusing lens. The elongated focus extends through the full thickness of a workpiece made of a brittle material. The workpiece is cut by tracing the optical axis along a cutting line. Each pulse or burst of pulsed laser-radiation creates an extended defect through the full thickness of the workpiece.

A method and apparatus for substrate dicing are described. The method includes utilizing a laser to dice a substrate along a dicing path to form a perforated line around each device within the substrate. The dicing path is created by exposing the substrate to bursts of laser pulses at different locations around each device. The laser pulses are delivered to the substrate and may have a pulse repetition frequency of greater than about 25 MHz, a pulse width of less than about 15 picoseconds, and a laser wavelength of about 1.0 μm to about 5 μm.