Glass welding method

• US 9,922,790 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Original Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics KK
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JODI COHEN
• Application Number:
  US13/511,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20120240632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,741 Days
• Field of Search: 65 36, 65 43- 44, 65152, 65155, 156 99
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/54 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0006 taking account of the properties of the material involved B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/18 using absorbing layers on the workpiece, e.g. for marking or protecting purposes
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/245 Hollow glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/06 Joining glass to glass by processes other than fusing fusing C03B23/20; units for use as elements for closing wall or like openings and comprising two or more parallel glass panes in spaced relationship, the panes being permanently secured together E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/261 the vessel being for a flat panel display for flat discharge lamps H01J9/268

Abstract

At the time of temporary firing for fixing a glass layer 3 to a glass member 4, the glass layer 3 is irradiated with laser light L2 having a ring-shaped irradiation region. At this time, in a width direction of the glass layer 3, two peaks M in a beam profile of the laser light L2 respectively overlap both edge parts 3b of the glass layer 3. This allows a center part 3a and each of both edge parts 3b of the glass layer 3 to be irradiated for shorter and longer times with a part having a relatively high intensity in the laser light L2, respectively. As a consequence, the amount of heat input by irradiation with the laser light L2 is homogenized between the center part 3a and both edge parts 3b in the glass layer 3, whereby the whole glass layer 3 is molten appropriately.

Claims

1. A glass fusing method for manufacturing a glass fusing structure by fusing first and second glass members to each other, the method comprising:

arranging a glass layer containing a laser-light-absorbing material and a glass powder with a predetermined width on the first glass member along an extending region to be fused, the glass layer having a melting point;

irradiating the glass layer with first laser light while relatively moving an irradiation region of the first laser light along the region to be fused to melt the glass layer, thereby fixing the glass layer to the first glass member; and

superposing the second glass member on the first glass member having the glass layer fixed thereto with the glass layer interposed therebetween and irradiating the glass layer with second laser light to fuse the first and second glass members to each other;

wherein a beam profile of the first laser light has peaks where an intensity of the first laser light is relatively high that are shaped like rings, the glass layer being irradiated with the first laser light such that, in a width direction of the glass layer, two peaks in the beam profile of the first laser light respectively overlap both edge parts of the glass layer,

wherein outer edges of the irradiation region of the first laser light are located outside from both edge parts of the glass layer in the width direction of the glass layer, and the diameter of the irradiation region is wider than the glass layer,

wherein the peak values of the two peaks in a beam profile of the first laser light do not match the respective edge parts of the glass layer in the width direction of the glass layer,

during fixing of the glass layer to the first glass member, the temperature of at least a center part of the glass layer becomes higher than the melting point and lower than the crystallization temperature due to the irradiation region corresponding to an inside part rather than a peak value of the two peaks in the beam profile of the first laser light,

wherein the glass layer is irradiated with the first laser light such that, in the width direction of the glass layer, peak values of the two peaks are located on the outside of the respective edge parts of the glass layer, and

wherein, in the beam profile of the first laser light, a distance between a minimum intensity value position inside the two peaks and a peak value position is longer than a distance between a minimum intensity value position outside the two peaks and the peak value position.

2. A glass fusing method according to claim 1, wherein the glass layer is irradiated with the first laser light through the first glass member from the first glass member side.

3. A glass fusing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

irradiating a part of the glass layer arranged on the first glass member with third laser light before fixing the glass layer to the first glass member to melt a part of the glass layer, thereby forming a laser-light-absorbing part in the glass layer; and

wherein the fixing the glass layer to the first glass member irradiates the glass layer with the first laser light while relatively moving the irradiation region of the first laser light along the region to be fused from the laser-light-absorbing part acting as an irradiation start position.

4. A glass fusing method according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation region of the first laser light is circular.