Method and apparatus for the selective separation of two layers of material using an ultrashort pulse source of electromagnetic radiation

• US 8,382,943 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William George Clark
• Original Assignee: William George Clark
• Inventors: Clark, William George
• Primary Examiner(s): Osele, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US12/604,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 156/712
• US Class Current: 156/712
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/172 wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/361 for deburring or mechanical trimming B23K26/351 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/40 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/57 the laser beam entering a face of the workpiece from which it is transmitted through the workpiece material to work on a different workpiece face, e.g. for effecting removal, fusion splicing, modifying or reforming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1158 Electromagnetic radiation applied to work for delamination [e.g., microwave, uv, ir, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A direct-write method, apparatus and end use device for selective separation of at least one layer of material from another layer of material at the interface between them using a beam of electromagnetic radiation from an ultrashort pulse source is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of separating two layers of material on a substrate in at least a portion of an interface between them comprising:

thinning at least a portion of one of the layers of material on the substrate by ablation with electromagnetic radiation; and

directing an evanescent wave of electromagnetic radiation into the interface.