High quality femtosecond laser cutting of alumina substrates

In the paper, the result on femtosecond laser cutting of alumina substrate is reported. The effects of various conditions such as different focus position, traverse speed, water soluble PVA coating, on the cutting quality in terms of kerf width, taper, surface cleanness, cracks, and delamination were studied. The quality of laser cut alumina substrates was evaluated with optical microscope, SEM/EDX, and X-ray micro-CT analysis. The optimum laser cutting conditions were identified. High quality laser cutting of alumina substrates were demonstrated. The developed process has potential application in manufacturing of alumina substrate based electronic devices. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.