Apparatuses and methods for synchronous multi-laser processing of transparent workpieces

1. A method for laser processing a transparent workpiece, the method comprising:

focusing a pulsed laser beam output by a pulsed laser beam source into a pulsed laser beam focal line oriented along a beam propagation direction and directed into the transparent workpiece, thereby forming a pulsed laser beam spot on an imaging surface of the transparent workpiece, wherein:

the pulsed laser beam focal line generates an induced absorption within the transparent workpiece; and

the induced absorption produces a defect along the pulsed laser beam focal line within the transparent workpiece;

directing an infrared laser beam output by an infrared beam source onto the transparent workpiece such that the infrared laser beam forms an annular infrared beam spot on the imaging surface, wherein:

the annular infrared beam spot circumscribes the pulsed laser beam spot at the imaging surface; and

the infrared laser beam heats the transparent workpiece;

translating the transparent workpiece and the pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other along a separation path, thereby laser forming a plurality of defects that define a contour line within the transparent workpiece along the separation path; and

translating the transparent workpiece and the annular infrared beam spot relative to each other along the separation path synchronous with the translation of the transparent workpiece and the pulsed laser beam focal line relative to each other, such that the annular infrared beam spot circumscribes the pulsed laser beam spot during relative motion of the transparent workpiece and the pulsed laser beam focal line and irradiates the transparent workpiece along or near the contour line to separate the transparent workpiece along the contour line.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the pulsed laser beam is directed through one or more lenses to form the pulsed laser beam focal line;

at least one of the one or more lenses comprises an aspheric optical element; and

the aspheric optical element comprises a refractive axicon, a reflective axicon, negative axicon, a spatial light modulator, a diffractive optic, or a cubically shaped optical element.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the infrared laser beam is directed through one or more lenses positioned between the infrared beam source and the transparent workpiece;

at least one of the one or more lenses comprises an aspheric optical element; and

the aspheric optical element comprises a refractive axicon, a reflective axicon, negative axicon, a spatial light modulator, a diffractive optic, or a cubically shaped optical element.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the infrared laser beam is redirected by a beam directing element onto the transparent workpiece at an approach angle that is non-parallel to the beam propagation direction of the pulsed laser beam.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the beam directing element comprises a mirror, a 2D scanner system, or a rotatable scanner.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the beam directing element comprises the rotatable scanner and the method further comprises rotating the infrared laser beam using the rotatable scanner such that the annular infrared beam spot rotates when translating along the imaging surface of the transparent workpiece.

7. The method of claim 4 , where the infrared laser beam is directed through a beam conditioning element thereby altering a cross-sectional beam profile of the infrared laser beam.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a spacing between adjacent defects is from about 1 microns to 30 microns.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

an outer diameter of the annular infrared beam spot is from about 0.5 mm to about 20 mm; and

an inner diameter of the annular infrared beam spot is from about 5% to about 95% of the outer diameter.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the annular infrared beam spot and the pulsed laser beam spot are coaxial on the imaging surface of the transparent workpiece.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the annular infrared beam spot and the transparent workpiece are translated relative to one another at a speed from about 1 mm/s to about 10 m/s;

the pulsed laser beam focal line and the transparent workpiece are translated relative to each other at a speed that is equal to the speed of relative motion between the annular infrared beam spot and the transparent workpiece.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the infrared laser beam has a power of from about 20 W to about 1000 W.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

a spacing between adjacent defects of the contour line is from about 7 microns to about 12 microns; and

the pulsed laser beam produces pulse bursts with from about 5 sub-pulses per pulse burst to about 15 sub-pulses per pulse burst and the pulse burst energy is from about 400 μJ per pulse burst to about 600 micro Joules per pulse burst.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser beam produces pulse bursts and the sub-pulses of the pulse bursts have a duration of from about 1 picosecond to about 100 picoseconds and a repetition rate in a range of from about 10 kHz and about 3 MHz.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser beam focal line has an average spot diameter in a range of from about 0.1 micron to about 10 microns.