A research team led by Lecturer Yusuke Ito of the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with AGC Inc., has developed a novel technique that enables the ultrafast and ultraprecision processing of transparent materials such as glass—at a speed one million times faster than conventional methods.
In next-generation semiconductor technologies, fine processing of glass substrates is becoming increasingly essential. However, the practical use of glass substrates has been hindered by two major challenges: the extremely slow processing speeds and the difficulty of achieving high precision. In this study, the researchers demonstrated that by irradiating light with carefully controlled spatial and temporal distributions, the physical properties of the material can be dramatically altered for an ultrashort duration on the order of a picosecond (10⁻¹² seconds), enabling ultrafast and highly precision machining.
Remarkably, this processing can be achieved using lasers with power outputs four orders of magnitude lower than those of conventional femtosecond lasers, potentially leading to significant reductions in both equipment costs and energy consumption.
This study not only holds promise for accelerating the advancement of the semiconductor industry, but also introduces a new paradigm in manufacturing—where material properties can be momentarily altered—to drive transformative innovations across the field.
Transient generation of free electrons combined with selective light absorption enabled ultrafast machining at a speed one million times faster than conventional methods.
Through-holes with a depth of 1 mm and a diameter of less than 5 μm can be fabricated in glass substrates within 20 μs.
Papers
Journal: Science Advances
Title: Ultra-high-speed laser drilling of transparent materials via transient electronic excitation
Authors: Yanming Zhang, Takumi Koike, Reina Yoshizaki, Guoqi Ren, Akihiro Shibata, Sota Kiriake, Ryota Hasegawa, Ikuo Nagasawa, Keisuke Nagato, Naohiko Sugita, Yusuke Ito*
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