Method and device for providing through-openings in a substrate and a substrate produced in said manner

1. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein the first focal depth is positioned past one side of the substrate and the focus of the individual pulse shifts from the first focal depth to at least the second focal depth located at an opposite side of the substrate.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the focus shift of the individual pulse is carried out by an optical system which is unchanged during the focus shift.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a numerical aperture (NA) of the optical system is greater than 0.3.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between a maximum intensity and a minimum intensity of the individual pulse is greater than a predetermined longitudinal extent of the recess or the though-opening to be produced.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the first focal depth is positioned past one side of the substrate with the minimum intensity which increases to the maximum intensity as the focus of the individual pulse shifts from the first focal depth to the second focal depth.

6. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the predetermined longitudinal extent of the recess or the though-opening to be produced is less than 2 mm.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmissive medium comprises sapphire.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmissive medium comprises glass.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmissive medium comprises quartz glass.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein surface regions of the substrate are not removed by the laser radiation.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the pulse duration of the individual pulse of the laser radiation is less than 50 ps.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the pulse duration of the individual pulse of the laser radiation is less than 20 ps.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the focal depths are separated by at least 30 μm in a direction of the beam axis of the laser radiation during a pulse duration of the individual pulse.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the first focal depth is disposed past a rear face of the substrate remote in the direction of the laser radiation along the beam axis.

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmissive medium is connected to and moveable with the laser machining head.

16. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the laser radiation source is additionally configured to provide continuous laser radiation.

17. A method for producing a recess or a through-opening in a substrate, the method comprising:

modifying the substrate in a region of the recess or the through-hole to be produced using a device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate so that the focus shifts from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

after modifying the region of the recess or the through-hole to be produced by the individual pulse of the laser radiation, immersing the substrate in an etching solution.

18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising, prior to modifying the substrate with the laser radiation, applying an etch resist layer to both sides of the substrate, wherein the individual pulse of the laser radiation additionally modifies the etch resist layers.

19. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising, after modifying the region of the recess or the through-hole to be produced by the individual pulse of the laser radiation and prior to immersing the substrate in an etching solution, applying a planar metal layer to one surface of the substrate.

20. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein a distance between a maximum intensity and a minimum intensity of the individual pulse is greater than a predetermined longitudinal extent of the recess or the though-opening to be produced.

21. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein the first focal depth is disposed past a rear face of the substrate remote in the direction of the laser radiation along the beam axis.

22. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein the transmissive medium is connected to and moveable with the laser machining head.

23. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

a transmissive medium having a higher intensity-dependent refraction index than air arranged between the laser machining head and the substrate such that an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head is deflected through the transmissive medium and across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein the laser radiation source is additionally configured to provide continuous laser radiation.

24. A device for modifying a region of a substrate, the device comprising:

a laser radiation source configured to produce pulsed laser radiation;

a laser machining head arranged to receive the pulsed laser radiation from the laser radiation source and direct it toward the substrate; and

an optical system configured to focus an individual pulse of the pulsed laser radiation from the laser machining head across a thickness of the substrate from a first focal depth to a second focal depth different from the first focal depth to modify the substrate along a beam axis of the laser radiation in a region of a recess or a through-opening to be formed in the substrate without removing an amount of material of the substrate necessary to form the recess or the through-opening,

wherein a length between the focal depths is greater than and extends across the thickness of the substrate, and

wherein at least one of the focal depths is positioned past one side of the substrate and the focus of the individual pulse shifts from the first focal depth to at least the second focal depth.

25. The device according to claim 24 , wherein optical system remains unchanged during the focus shift.