Apparatuses and methods for laser processing laminate workpiece stacks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10752534-B2
Application number	US-201715795870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Nov 1, 2016
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A method for laser processing a laminate workpiece stack includes forming a contour line in a first transparent workpiece of the laminate workpiece stack having a resin layer disposed between the first transparent workpiece and a second transparent workpiece. Forming the contour line includes focusing a pulsed laser beam into a pulsed laser beam focal line directed into the first transparent workpiece to generate an induced absorption within the first transparent workpiece and translating the pulsed laser beam focal line along a first workpiece separation line, thereby laser forming the contour line having a plurality of defects. The method also includes separating the resin layer along a resin separation line by focusing the pulsed laser beam into the pulsed laser beam focal line directed into the resin layer and translating the pulsed laser beam focal line along the resin separation line, thereby laser ablating the resin layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for laser processing a laminate workpiece stack, the method comprising:
forming a contour line in a first transparent workpiece of a laminate workpiece stack comprising a resin layer disposed between the first transparent workpiece and a second transparent workpiece, wherein forming the contour line comprises:
focusing a pulsed laser beam output by a beam source into a pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along a beam pathway and directed into the first transparent workpiece, the pulsed laser beam focal line generating an induced absorption within the first transparent workpiece; and
translating the laminate workpiece stack and the pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along a first workpiece separation line, thereby laser forming the contour line comprising a plurality of defects along the first workpiece separation line;
separating the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line;
positioning the laminate workpiece stack such that the first transparent workpiece is located downstream the second transparent workpiece along the beam pathway subsequent to separating the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line; and
separating the resin layer along a resin separation line, subsequent to positioning the laminate workpiece stack such that the first transparent workpiece is located downstream the second transparent workpiece along the beam pathway, wherein separating the resin layer comprises:
focusing the pulsed laser beam into the pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along the beam pathway and directed into the resin layer; and
translating the laminate workpiece stack and the pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along the resin separation line, thereby laser ablating the resin layer along the resin separation line.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resin layer comprises polyvinyl butyral, ethylene-vinyl acetate, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the laminate workpiece stack and the pulsed laser beam focal line are translated relative to each other along the resin separation line such that the pulsed laser beam focal line ablates a first portion of the resin layer prior to ablating and a second portion of the resin layer; and
the first portion of the resin layer is adjacent the second portion of the resin layer along the resin separation line.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first portion of the resin layer overlaps the second portion of the resin layer.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first portion of the resin layer is spaced apart from the second portion of the resin layer along the resin separation line by 2 μm or less.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
when forming the contour line in the first transparent workpiece, the pulsed laser beam comprises a first pulse energy; and
when ablating the resin layer, the pulsed laser beam comprises a second pulse energy that is greater than the first pulse energy.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser beam focal line comprises a first pulsed laser beam focal line and separating the first transparent workpiece comprises:
focusing the pulsed laser beam output by the beam source into a second pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along the beam pathway and directed into the first transparent workpiece at a location along or near the contour line; and
translating the laminate workpiece stack and the second pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along or near the contour line, thereby separating the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second pulsed laser beam focal line comprises a greater pulse energy than the first pulsed laser beam focal line.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the first transparent workpiece comprises:
positioning the laminate workpiece stack such that the first transparent workpiece is located upstream the second transparent workpiece along the beam pathway;
directing an infrared laser beam onto the first transparent workpiece along or near the contour line; and
translating the first transparent workpiece and the infrared laser beam relative to each other along or near the contour line, thereby separating the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first transparent workpiece comprises a strengthened glass substrate such that laser forming the contour line along the first workpiece separation line induces crack propagation along the contour line to separate the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising positioning the laminate workpiece stack such that the first transparent workpiece is located downstream the second transparent workpiece along the beam pathway prior to both separating the first transparent workpiece along the first workpiece separation line and separating the resin layer along the resin separation line.

12. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
forming a second contour line in the second transparent workpiece of the laminate workpiece stack along a second workpiece separation line, wherein forming the second contour line comprises:
focusing the pulsed laser beam into the pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along the beam pathway directed into the second transparent workpiece, the pulsed laser beam focal line generating induced absorption within the second transparent workpiece; and
translating the laminate workpiece stack and the pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along the second workpiece separation line, thereby forming the second contour line comprising a plurality of defects along the second workpiece separation line.

13. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising separating the second transparent workpiece along the second workpiece separation line.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pulsed laser beam focal line comprises a first pulsed laser beam focal line and separating the second transparent workpiece comprises:
focusing the pulsed laser beam output by the beam source into a second pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along the beam pathway and directed into the second transparent workpiece at a location along or near the second contour line of the second transparent workpiece; and
translating the second transparent workpiece and the second pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along or near the second contour line, thereby separating the second transparent workpiece along the second contour line.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second pulsed laser beam focal line comprises a greater pulse energy than the first pulsed laser beam focal line.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein separating the second transparent workpiece comprises:
positioning the laminate workpiece stack such that the second transparent workpiece is located upstream the first transparent workpiece along the beam pathway;
directing an infrared laser beam onto the second transparent workpiece along or near the second contour line of the second transparent workpiece; and
translating the second transparent workpiece and the infrared laser beam relative to each other along or near the second contour line of the second transparent workpiece, thereby separating the second transparent workpiece along the second workpiece separation line.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second transparent workpiece comp

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Nieber Albert Roth
• Wieland Kristopher Allen

Classifications

• B32B17/1099

  After-treatment of the layered product, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• B32B17/10788

  containing ethylene vinylacetate · CPC title

• B32B17/10761

  containing vinyl acetal · CPC title

• B32B17/10036

  comprising two outer glass sheets · CPC title

• B23K26/702

  Auxiliary equipment · CPC title