METHOD FOR PROCESSING INORGANIC MATERIALS

• Main Authors: MIWA TAKAO, KOYO HIROTAKA, JIBIKI SATOSHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.03.2007
• Subjects: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; GLASS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A method for processing inorganic material such as a glass substrate is provided to form a microfine and homogeneous deep groove on the substrate without complex operations by applying laser irradiation and etching processes to the substrate. The method includes: (A) a step of forming continuous cracks on an inorganic material substrate(5) and modified area around the cracks by irradiating pulse laser beam while partially overlapping pulse radiation areas of pulses; and (B) a step of etching the modified area. The pulse has a width ranging from 10 to 100 pico-seconds and a radiation pitch of less than 0.05 micrometers. Absorbency constant to a processing wavelength is less than 1cm^(-1). The method further includes another step(C) to previously form a protective film on the surface of the substrate and has at least one cycle of the steps(A) and (B).