Process for fusing glass
When fusing glass members 104, 105 together by irradiating a glass layer 203 with a laser beam L 2 along a region R to be fused, a crystallized area 108 formed in the glass layer 203 is taken as an irradiation-initiating point and an irradiation-ending point. Since the crystallized area 108 exhibits a laser absorptance lower than that of the glass layer 203 here, the glass layer 203 is gradually heated when the laser beam L 2 is moved along the region R to be fused from the irradiation-initiating point, while the glass layer 203 is gradually cooled when the laser beam L 2 is moved along the region R to be fused to the irradiation-ending point. This can prevent residual stresses from occurring in a part including the irradiation-initiating point and irradiation-ending point of the laser beam L 2.
1. A glass fusing method for manufacturing a fused glass structure by fusing first and second glass members together, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a glass layer along a ring-shaped region to be fused between the first and second glass members;
forming a crystallized area in the glass layer by irradiating a part of the glass layer with a first laser beam; and
fusing the first and second glass members together by irradiating the glass layer with a second laser beam around the ring-shaped region to be fused wherein the crystallized area is used as an irradiation-initiating point and an irradiation-ending point for the second laser beam during said fusing.
2. A glass fusing method for manufacturing a fused glass structure by fusing first and second glass members together, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a glass layer along a ring-shaped region having a corner to be fused between the first and second glass members;
forming a crystallized area in the glass layer by irradiating the corner of the glass layer with a first laser beam; and
fusing the first and second glass members together by irradiating the glass layer with a second laser beam around the ring-shaped region to be fused.
3. A glass fusing method according to claim 1 , wherein the crystallized area is formed such that the absorptance for the second laser beam gradually decreases toward a center part of said crystallized area.
4. A glass fusing method according to claim 1 , wherein the first laser beam is pulse-oscillated, while the second laser beam is oscillated continuously.
5. A glass fusing method according to claim 2 , wherein the crystallized area is formed such that the absorptance for the second laser beam gradually decreases toward a center part of said crystallized area.
6. A glass fusing method according to claim 2 , wherein the first laser beam is pulse-oscillated, while the second laser beam is oscillated continuously.