Laser system and method forming a high purity fused silica glass sheet with micro-crenellations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11274056-B2
Application number	US-201715678680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2017
Priority date	Aug 24, 2016
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

A system and method for sintering a thin, high purity fused silica glass sheet having a thickness of 500 μm or less, includes a step of rastering a beam of a laser across a sheet of high purity fused silica soot; wherein a pattern of the rastering includes tightly spacing target locations on the sheet such that the laser sinters the soot and simultaneously forms tiny notches on a first major surface of the sheet when viewed in cross-section, wherein the tiny notches are crenellated such that at least some of the notches have generally flat bottom surfaces and at least some respective adjoining caps have generally plateau top surfaces offset from the bottom surfaces by steeply-angled sidewalls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high purity fused silica glass sheet, comprising:
a first major surface;
a second major surface opposite the first major surface;
at least 99.9 mole % silica, wherein the silica is at least generally amorphous, having less than 1% crystalline content by weight; and
an average thickness between the first major surface and the second major surface of less than 500 um;
wherein the first major surface, in cross section, has tiny notches along the first major surface, wherein at least ten of the tiny notches have:
a depth that is at least 25 nm and no more than 1 um measured relative to a higher one of adjoining local caps on either side of the respective notch,
a width between adjoining local caps that is at least 5 um, and
a length of at least 500 um;

wherein the tiny notches curve along the length thereof, and
wherein the notches are crenellated such that at least some of the notches have generally flat bottom surfaces and at least some respective adjoining caps have generally plateau top surfaces offset from the bottom surfaces by steeply-angled sidewalls.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Bhagavatula Venkata Adiseshaiah
• Hawtof Daniel Warren
• Li Xinghua
• Merz Gary Edward
• Stone Iii John

Classifications

• C03C2201/02

  Pure silica glass, e.g. pure fused quartz · CPC title

• C03C2201/3488

  Ytterbium · CPC title

• C03C3/06

  with more than 90% silica by weight, e.g. quartz {(C03C3/045 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C03B2201/02

  Pure silica glass, e.g. pure fused quartz · CPC title

• C03B19/066 Primary

  for the production of quartz or fused silica articles (other processes specially adapted for the production of quartz or fused silica articles C03B20/00) · CPC title