Method and apparatus for cutting a non-metallic substrate using a laser beam

• US 6,653,210 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeon, Baek-Kyun, Choo, Dae-Ho, Nam, Hyung-Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghyka, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/150,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20020170896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 438/460, 438/463, 219/121.6, 219/121.67, 219/121.72
• US Class Current: 438/460
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/40 Semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/42 Plastics B23K2103/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/52 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/364 for making a groove or trench, e.g. for scribing a break initiation groove
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/40 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 1/221 by thermic methods
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/093 using two or more focussed radiation beams
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3043 Making grooves, e.g. cutting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/78 with subsequent division of the substrate into plural individual devices cutting to change the surface-physical characteristics or shape of semiconductor bodies H01L21/304

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for cutting a non-metallic substrate by a laser are disclosed. In the disclosed method and apparatus, a first laser beam for breaking molecular bonds of the non-metallic substrate material is scanned on a cutting path formed on the non-metallic substrate to form a scribe line having a crack in desired depth. Then, a second laser beam is scanned along a scanning path of the first laser beam to propagate the crack in a depth direction of the substrate and to completely separate the non-metallic substrate. Since the cutting speed can be controlled by the speed of the first laser beam, the cutting speed can be increased and the cutting speed can be easily controlled as compared with the conventional cutting method using the temperature difference due to the heating operation and the cooling operation.

Claims

1. A method for cutting a non-metallic substrate, comprising the steps of:

scanning a first laser beam for breaking molecular bonds of the non-metallic substrate material on a cutting path formed on the non-metallic substrate to form a scribe line having a crack to a desired depth; and

scanning a second laser beam along a scanning path of the first laser beam to propagate the crack in a depth direction of the substrate and to completely separate the non-metallic substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser beam has a wavelength having an absorptivity of 90% or more with respect to the non-metallic substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-metallic substrate is a glass, and the first laser beam is a 4^th harmonics YAG laser beam having a wavelength of 266 nm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser beam is scanned from a starting point of the cutting path to an end point of the cutting path.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second laser beam is a CO₂ laser beam.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser beam has a width less than that of the second laser beam.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second laser beam is directly scanned onto the scribe line.