Abstract:
A method for cutting a flexible glass substrate is provided. The method includes directing the flexible glass substrate to a flexible glass cutting apparatus including a laser. The flexible glass substrate includes a first broad surface and a second broad surface that extend laterally between a first edge and a second edge of the flexible glass substrate. A laser beam is directed from the laser onto a region of the flexible glass substrate. A crack is formed through the flexible glass substrate using the laser beam. A local mechanical deformation is formed in the flexible glass substrate using a stress-inducing assembly that includes a stress-inducing feature allowing the flexible glass substrate to deform locally. The crack is propagated along the flexible glass substrate using the laser beam and the local mechanical deformation.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus provide for: cutting a thin glass sheet along a curved cutting line, where the curve is divided into a plurality of line segments; applying a laser beam and continuously moving the laser beam along the cutting line; applying a cooling fluid simultaneously with the application of the laser beam in order to propagate a fracture in the glass sheet along the cutting line; and varying one or more cutting parameters as the laser beam moves from one of the plurality of line segments to a next one of the plurality of line segments, wherein the one or more cutting parameters include at least one of: (i) a power of the laser beam, (ii) a speed of the movement, (iii) a pressure of the cooling fluid, and (iv) a flow rate of the cooling fluid.
Abstract:
Systems and methods of for measuring birefringence and stress in a sample made of ion-exchanged glass or a ceramic are disclosed, wherein the method includes digitally capturing TE and TM angular spectra of intensity versus pixel number for the sample. The TE and TM angular spectra are processed to minimize differences between respective regions of the TE and TM angular spectra. The amount of shift in pixels that best overlaps the processed TE and TM spectra is determined. The birefringence B is calculated by multiplying the pixel shift by the index resolution. The stress is calculated by multiplying the birefringence by the stress-optic coefficient.
Abstract:
A method for producing an optical fiber is provided. The method includes the steps of drawing an optical fiber from a heated glass source in a furnace and introducing index perturbations to the optical fiber via a plurality of perturbation sources arranged at a plurality of different azimuthal locations. The index perturbations are introduced synchronously at different locations along the axial length of the fiber by the plurality of perturbation sources in a generally helical pattern on the outside surface of the fiber in one embodiment. According to another embodiment, the index perturbations are introduced by the plurality of perturbation sources at different frequencies.
Abstract:
A label-free cell assay method including: culturing rigid cells in a buffer, the rigid cells having a diameter of about 3 to about 7 micrometers; depositing the rigid cells on the surface of a sensor system; and detecting the rigid cells with the sensor when exposed to two or more wavelengths of light having two or more penetration depths, as defined herein. Also disclosed are assay methods for contacting the rigid cells with a substance and determining the response of the contacted rigid cells to the substance, such as a drug candidate or modulator compound, as defined herein.
Abstract:
A large-mode-area (LMA) optical fiber (10) that operates as a single-mode optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a core region (20) surrounded by an inner cladding (32), which in turn is surrounded by an outer cladding (40). The inner cladding includes at least one up-doped ring region (32R1). The ring region is configured to form a large attenuation differential between the higher-order modes and the fundamental mode so only that the fundamental mode remains traveling in the optical fiber. If necessary, the optical fiber can include a bend (10B) having a select "resonant" bend diameter (DB) that increases the relative attenuation of the fundamental and higher-order modes. The optical fiber supports an effective mode field diameter (MFD) of up to 40 µm to 50 µm. As a result, detrimental non-linear effects are suppressed, which allows the optical fiber to carry substantially more optical power than conventional LMA optical fibers. The LMA optical fiber is thus eminently suited for a number of optical-fiber-based applications calling for high optical power, such as fiber lasers and pump sources for wavelength conversion.
Abstract:
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a optical assembly comprising: an axicon lens with spherical aberration configured to generate the laser beam focal line, an optical element set spaced part from the optical lens, and a focusing optical element spaced apart from the optical element set, wherein the axicon lens and the optical element set are translatable relative to each other along the laser beam propagation direction and wherein the focusing optical element is in a fixed position along the laser beam propagation direction.
Abstract:
Glass separation apparatus can comprise a first vacuum port facing a first side of a glass ribbon travel path. The glass separation apparatus can further comprise a first gas knife comprising a first gas outlet facing the first side of the glass ribbon travel path. The first gas outlet can define a first sheet plane intersecting the first side of the glass ribbon travel path. The first sheet plane can be at least partially located upstream from the first vacuum port. In further embodiments, methods of separating a glass ribbon can comprise intersecting a first gas sheet with the first major surface of the glass ribbon at a first intersection axis extending across a travel direction and located upstream from a separation path. The methods can further comprise separating the glass ribbon along the separation path and shielding glass particles generated during the separating with the first gas sheet.
Abstract:
The systems and methods disclosed herein utilize a beam-forming system configured to convert a Gaussian laser beam into an annular vortex laser beam having a relatively large depth of focus, which enables the processing of thick or stacked glass-based objects annular laser beam is defined in part by a topological charge m that defines an amount of rotation of the annular vortex beam around its central axis as it propagates annular vortex beam is used to form micro-holes in a glass-based object using either a one-step or a two-step method micro-holes formed by either process can be in the form of recesses or through-holes, depending on the application size of the micro-holes can be controlled by controlling the size of the annular vortex beam over the depth of focus range.
Abstract:
Disclosed herein are transparent articles and methods and systems for processing transparent articles. Systems for processing transparent articles, e.g. cutting glass, may include at least one initial laser and at least one polarizing beam splitter, where the polarizing beam splitter is configured to split an initial laser beam into a plurality of laser beams, and wherein the plurality of laser beams are useful for processing transparent articles. Methods for processing transparent articles comprise creating at least one flaw in the transparent articles with a plurality of laser beams.