Precision Laser Cutting for Glass and Fused Silica

Laser cutting is suitable for glass and optical substrates that require clean contours, small kerf width, curved profiles or high-precision singulation without mechanical tool contact. According to the material and thickness, CO₂ laser, UV nanosecond laser, picosecond laser or femtosecond laser can be selected for cutting, scribing, stealth dicing or cold ablation.

It is commonly used for thin glass panels, fused silica windows, sapphire parts, microfluidic chip dicing, optical window blanks, display glass and coated substrates. We can process custom laser-cut glass parts from DXF, STEP or Gerber files, with options for edge polishing, AR coating and dimensional inspection when required.

What Is Laser Cutting?

Laser cutting for glass and optical substrates is a non-contact material removal process in which a focused high-energy laser beam ablates, melts, or induces controlled fracture along a programmed cutting path — without any mechanical tool contact. Depending on the laser source and substrate type, three main mechanisms are used: thermal ablation (CO₂ lasers for thicker glass), stealth dicing (infrared pulsed lasers for wafer singulation), and ultrafast laser ablation (picosecond and femtosecond lasers for cold, stress-free cutting of any transparent material). Because no mechanical force is applied to the substrate, laser cutting eliminates the chipping, micro-cracks, and edge damage associated with conventional diamond wheel cutting. Modern laser systems can follow arbitrary 2D contours with positional accuracy to ±10 µm, making them the preferred choice for complex shapes, curved cuts, and high-precision singulation of thin glass, display substrates, microfluidic chips, and optical windows.

Process Capabilities

Laser Sources: CO₂ (10.6 µm) / UV ns (355 nm) / ps (1064 nm) / fs (1030 nm)
Substrate Thickness Range: 0.05 mm – 20 mm (material-dependent)
Kerf Width: 20 – 100 µm (ultrafast); 100 – 300 µm (CO₂)
Positional Accuracy: ±10 µm across full substrate
Edge Roughness (Ra): ≤ 0.5 µm (ultrafast laser); ≤ 2 µm (CO₂)
Minimum Feature Radius: 0.1 mm internal corner radius
Maximum Substrate Size: 600 × 600 mm

Compatible Materials

1	Fused Silica	Corning 7980 / Tosoh ES-2000
2	Quartz Glass	SCHOTT Lithosil Q / Heraeus Suprasil 1
3	Borosilicate Glass	PYREX 7740 / BOROFLOAT 33
4	Soda-Lime Glass	Float / Tempered
5	Sapphire	C-plane / A-plane
6	Glass-Ceramic	ZERODUR / PYROCERAM 9606
7	Optical Glass	BK7 / N-BK7
8	Silicon	Float Zone / Czochralski
9	CaF₂	UV-grade / IR-grade
10	Thin Film Glass	0.1 – 0.5 mm display-grade
11	Coated Glass	ITO / AR / metal-coated substrates

Laser Technology Selection

CO₂ (10.6 µm): Best for thick soda-lime and borosilicate glass (1–20 mm); thermal scribing and controlled fracture; high speed, wider kerf
UV Nanosecond (355 nm): Good for thin glass and coated substrates; direct ablation; moderate edge quality
Picosecond (1064 nm): Stealth dicing for wafers and thin substrates; internal modification without surface ablation
Femtosecond (1030 nm): Cold ablation for any transparent material; finest kerf, lowest HAZ, best edge quality; suitable for sapphire and fused silica
Selection Principle: Thicker + cheaper → CO₂; thinner + precision → ultrafast (ps/fs)

Typical Applications

Display Glass Singulation: Curved and straight cuts for smartphone, tablet, and wearable cover glass
Microfluidic Chip Dicing: Complex contour cutting of bonded glass microfluidic devices
Optical Window Blanks: Custom-shaped windows for cameras, sensors, and laser systems
Semiconductor Wafer Singulation: Stealth dicing of silicon, sapphire, and GaN-on-sapphire wafers
Thin Film Patterning: Scribing and isolation cuts in ITO, metal, and dielectric coatings
Aerospace Optics: Complex-contour sapphire and fused silica windows for harsh environments

Custom Specifications

We accept custom laser cutting orders based on DXF, STEP, or Gerber files, supporting both prototype and production volumes. Custom parameters include laser source selection, kerf width control, multi-pass strategies for thick substrates, and integrated workflows combining laser cutting with CNC edge polishing, AR coating, and CMM inspection. For display and consumer electronics applications, we offer high-throughput panel-level cutting with automated loading and vision-alignment systems. All cut parts are delivered with edge quality reports, dimensional verification, and full material traceability.