Picosecond Laser Glass Cutting with High Pulse Energy

Enabling Clean Edges and High Throughput with 70W @ 20 kHz

Why Picosecond Lasers for Glass Cutting?

Glass is a brittle and thermally sensitive material, making traditional cutting methods prone to chipping, micro-cracks, and edge damage. Even conventional laser technologies can introduce unwanted thermal effects that compromise mechanical strength and surface quality.

Picosecond lasers offer a significant advantage by delivering ultrashort pulses that confine energy deposition in time and space. This results in:

• Minimal heat-affected zone (HAZ)
• Reduced micro-cracking and chipping
• High edge quality and strength
• Improved process control for thin and fragile glass

These characteristics make picosecond lasers an ideal solution for high-precision glass cutting applications.

The Advantage of High Pulse Energy (70W @ 20 kHz)

While many picosecond systems focus on high repetition rates, high pulse energy at lower repetition rates provides unique advantages—especially for glass cutting.

At 70W average power and 20 kHz repetition rate, the system delivers significantly higher pulse energy, enabling:

🔹 Efficient Internal Modification (Stealth Cutting)

Higher pulse energy allows deeper and more uniform energy deposition inside the glass, making it ideal for:

• Stealth dicing / internal modification
• Controlled crack propagation
• Reduced surface damage

🔹 Faster Cutting Speed

With more energy per pulse, fewer passes are required to achieve the desired cutting depth, resulting in:

• Increased throughput
• Reduced cycle time
• Lower overall processing cost

🔹 Improved Edge Strength

High pulse energy enables cleaner modification zones, which translates to:

• Higher mechanical strength after separation
• Reduced micro-fractures
• Better reliability for downstream applications

Processing Methods Enabled by Picosecond Lasers

1) Stealth Dicing / Internal Modification

The laser creates a modified layer inside the glass without affecting the surface. A controlled mechanical or thermal force then separates the material along the modified plane.

Benefits:

• Smooth, chip-free edges
• Minimal debris
• High edge strength

2) Direct Ablation Cutting

For certain applications, picosecond lasers can also perform direct material removal with high precision.

Benefits:

• Flexible geometries
• No need for secondary separation
• Suitable for complex patterns

Applications

Picosecond glass cutting is widely used in:

• Consumer electronics (cover glass, display panels)
• Optical components (lenses, windows)
• Medical devices (microfluidics, diagnostic glass)
• Semiconductor and photonics packaging
• Sapphire and brittle material processing

Why Choose Advanced Optowave Picosecond Lasers?

Advanced Optowave’s high-power picosecond laser platforms are engineered for industrial precision and reliability, with a strong focus on real-world manufacturing needs.

AOPico Montauk Lasers

Key strengths include:

• High pulse energy design (3.5mJ) for efficient processing
• Excellent beam quality for fine feature control
• Stable output for 24/7 operation
• Wide process window for different glass types
• Integration-ready for automation systems

With strong application support and process development capabilities, Advanced Optowave helps customers achieve better edge quality, higher yield, and faster production cycles.

Partner with Advanced Optowave

We welcome customers to submit samples for testing and process evaluation. Our team can provide optimized parameters and application support tailored to your specific requirements.