Ultrafast Picosecond Laser Processing of Ceramic Materials-ShangHai RunQia Electronics Technology Co.,Ltd.

Ultrafast Picosecond Laser Processing of Ceramic Materials

Ceramic materials such as alumina and aluminum nitride feature excellent thermal conductivity, superior insulation performance and high temperature resistance, and are widely applied in electronics, semiconductors, aero-engine parts and other fields. However, ceramic materials possess high hardness and brittleness, resulting in great difficulties in forming and machining, especially in micro-hole processing.

Thanks to the extremely high power density and good directivity of laser beams, ceramic thin plates are currently mostly processed by laser drilling. Laser drilling generally adopts pulsed laser or quasi-continuous laser (fiber laser). The laser beam is focused through an optical system and irradiated onto the workpiece placed perpendicularly to the laser axis.

Electronic and semiconductor components are miniaturized and highly integrated, which puts forward strict requirements on the precision and speed of laser drilling. According to service conditions, the diameter of micro-holes usually ranges from 0.04 mm to 0.1 mm. For precision ceramic processing, the laser focal spot diameter is generally controlled within 0.03 mm. Holes with different apertures can be fabricated by adjusting the focal separation distance according to the thickness and size of ceramic plates, and holes smaller than 0.15 mm in diameter can also be realized through focal separation control.

There are two mainstream methods for ceramic plate cutting: waterjet cutting and laser cutting. At present, ultrafast picosecond fiber lasers are widely adopted for laser cutting in the market.

Advantages of Ceramic Laser Cutting Machines

1.Narrow kerf, high precision, small heat-affected zone, smooth cutting surface without burrs.

2.The laser cutting head does not contact the material surface and causes no damage to the workpiece.

3.Ultra-narrow kerf and small heat-affected zone lead to negligible local deformation and no mechanical deformation of the workpiece.

4.Flexible processing capability: capable of machining arbitrary patterns, as well as cutting pipes and other special-shaped materials.

Shanghai Runqia has developed high-end precision laser processing equipment specially designed for precision finishing of various ceramics. It features high processing efficiency, superior machining quality, tiny heat-affected zone, stress-free flexible processing, arbitrary pattern machining, as well as CCD automatic focusing, positioning and automatic box-to-box loading and unloading. It serves as an ideal processing tool for ceramic materials used in thick-film circuits, microwave communication devices and other electronic components.

The equipment adopts IPG infrared picosecond lasers with a pulse width of 1–5 picoseconds. The laser is equipped with burst pulse function, supporting micro-hole drilling and precision cutting of ceramic materials. The laser focusing device can achieve a focused spot of 30 μm, enabling the fabrication of micro-holes with a diameter as small as 0.04 mm.

With the continuous upgrading of Chinese manufacturing, industries including precision microelectronics, aerospace and shipbuilding have achieved further development, expanding the application scope of ceramic substrates. Among them, ceramic substrate PCBs are being increasingly adopted due to their outstanding comprehensive properties.

Ceramic substrates are fundamental materials for high-power electronic circuit structure technology and interconnection technology. They have a dense internal structure and inherent brittleness. For ultra-thin ceramic sheets, conventional machining methods inevitably generate mechanical stress during processing, which easily causes fragmentation.

In recent years, driven by the trend of miniaturization and lightweight design, traditional cutting methods can no longer meet the stringent precision requirements. As a non-contact machining tool, laser technology plays a vital role in the processing of ceramic substrate PCBs.

With the continuous development of the microelectronics industry, electronic components are gradually evolving toward miniaturization, thinning and light weighting, with ever-higher precision demands, which in turn raises stricter requirements for the processing quality of ceramic substrates. Against this backdrop, the application of laser-processed ceramic substrates in the PCB industry boasts broad development prospects.

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