Patent
US 9,452,495A LASER SLICER OF CRYSTAL INGOTS AND A METHOD OF SLICING GALLIUM NITRIDE INGOTS USING A LASER SLICER
Tadao Hashimoto
US
Copyright © 2026 Matter42. All rights reserved.
Patent
Atlas literature
Patent
US 9,452,495Patent drawings and their descriptions. Click a drawing to enlarge it.
FIG. 1 is one construction of slicing tool. 30 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 2 Attorney Docket No.: SIXPO I-011US 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 …
FIG. 2 is one construction of slicing tool. 10 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 Primary laser beam 202A Split laser beam …
FIG. 3 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 25 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
FIG. 4 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 5 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
Claims define the patent's legal scope. Independent claims stand alone; dependent claims (nested) narrow them. Click a claim to expand its dependents.
1. A tool to slice ingots of crystals comprising: (a) a reservoir to supply an alkali solution on a cutting front of an ingot, wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride; (b) a laser configured to shine a laser beam on the cutting front; wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than a band gap of the ingot and a sufficiently small divergence angle to cut through the ingot by illuminating the cutting front as the cutting front progresses through the ingot; and (c) a beam splitter to generate multiple beams of laser light configured to produce multiple cutting fronts in the ingot simultaneously, wherein a spacing of the beams determines the thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The tool of claim 1 wherein the ingot is immersed in the alkali solution.
The tool of claim 1, further comprising a scanner for scanning the laser beam across a surface or the cutting front of the ingot.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a spot size that enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the reservoir contains KOH or Na OH.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser is an ultraviolet gas laser.
canceled
canceled
canceled
A method of slicing an ingot of group III nitride crystals comprising, (a) immersing the ingot in an alkali solution (b) shining a laser beam to a cutting front of the ingot wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than the band gap of the ingot ingots and a small enough divergence angle to reach the cutting front of the ingot through the gap of the already cut portion, wherein the laser beam is split into multiple beams of laser light that cut multiple slices simultaneously, and wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride.
The method of claim 12, further comprising scanning the laser beam across a surface of the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spacing of the beams determines a thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam perpendicular to the scanning direction is less than 50 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein the alkali solution is KOH or Na OH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the laser beam is generated by an ultraviolet gas laser. Page 3 of 11
canceled
canceled
Embodiments described in the patent, grouped by the materials and process steps they use.
3 materials1 process step
A laser slicing tool is designed to slice 4-inch-diameter GaN or GaN-based solid solution ingots. The ingot is placed in a bath of 3.0 M KOH solution. An XeCl excimer laser (308 nm wavelength, 600 mJ/pulse average output) is used. After an 80% efficiency beam homogenizer, the beam is split via UV optical fibers into 250 lines separated by 400 microns (targeting 380 micron wafer thickness with 20 micron slicing margin). A plano-convex lens array focuses beams onto a plano-concave lens array; focused beam diameter on the crystal is 10 microns. With ~60% optical power loss, the power density on the ingot is 1.2 kJ/cm2 per pulse at 600 Hz repetition rate. The beam splitting and scanning device rocks at 30 degrees/second over ±15 degrees to cover a 4-inch diameter ingot at 30 cm distance.
Layer stacks claimed or described, ordered top of device to substrate.
laser crystal ingot slicing tool
No layer stack recorded.
Materials described outside the worked examples.
aluminum nitride solid solution with GaN
AlxGa(1-x)N
indium nitride solid solution with GaN
InxGa(1-x)N
alkali solution
Performance values and ranges asserted in the specification or claims.
| Property | Value | Material |
|---|---|---|
Thickness | 5–10 mm | — |
Thickness | ≤ 1 µm |
Related documents with shared materials, methods, properties, or citations.
Patent
Atlas literature
Patent
US 9,452,495Patent drawings and their descriptions. Click a drawing to enlarge it.
FIG. 1 is one construction of slicing tool. 30 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 2 Attorney Docket No.: SIXPO I-011US 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 …
FIG. 2 is one construction of slicing tool. 10 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 Primary laser beam 202A Split laser beam …
FIG. 3 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 25 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
FIG. 4 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 5 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
Claims define the patent's legal scope. Independent claims stand alone; dependent claims (nested) narrow them. Click a claim to expand its dependents.
1. A tool to slice ingots of crystals comprising: (a) a reservoir to supply an alkali solution on a cutting front of an ingot, wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride; (b) a laser configured to shine a laser beam on the cutting front; wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than a band gap of the ingot and a sufficiently small divergence angle to cut through the ingot by illuminating the cutting front as the cutting front progresses through the ingot; and (c) a beam splitter to generate multiple beams of laser light configured to produce multiple cutting fronts in the ingot simultaneously, wherein a spacing of the beams determines the thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The tool of claim 1 wherein the ingot is immersed in the alkali solution.
The tool of claim 1, further comprising a scanner for scanning the laser beam across a surface or the cutting front of the ingot.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a spot size that enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the reservoir contains KOH or Na OH.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser is an ultraviolet gas laser.
canceled
canceled
canceled
A method of slicing an ingot of group III nitride crystals comprising, (a) immersing the ingot in an alkali solution (b) shining a laser beam to a cutting front of the ingot wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than the band gap of the ingot ingots and a small enough divergence angle to reach the cutting front of the ingot through the gap of the already cut portion, wherein the laser beam is split into multiple beams of laser light that cut multiple slices simultaneously, and wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride.
The method of claim 12, further comprising scanning the laser beam across a surface of the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spacing of the beams determines a thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam perpendicular to the scanning direction is less than 50 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein the alkali solution is KOH or Na OH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the laser beam is generated by an ultraviolet gas laser. Page 3 of 11
canceled
canceled
Embodiments described in the patent, grouped by the materials and process steps they use.
3 materials1 process step
A laser slicing tool is designed to slice 4-inch-diameter GaN or GaN-based solid solution ingots. The ingot is placed in a bath of 3.0 M KOH solution. An XeCl excimer laser (308 nm wavelength, 600 mJ/pulse average output) is used. After an 80% efficiency beam homogenizer, the beam is split via UV optical fibers into 250 lines separated by 400 microns (targeting 380 micron wafer thickness with 20 micron slicing margin). A plano-convex lens array focuses beams onto a plano-concave lens array; focused beam diameter on the crystal is 10 microns. With ~60% optical power loss, the power density on the ingot is 1.2 kJ/cm2 per pulse at 600 Hz repetition rate. The beam splitting and scanning device rocks at 30 degrees/second over ±15 degrees to cover a 4-inch diameter ingot at 30 cm distance.
Layer stacks claimed or described, ordered top of device to substrate.
laser crystal ingot slicing tool
No layer stack recorded.
Materials described outside the worked examples.
aluminum nitride solid solution with GaN
AlxGa(1-x)N
indium nitride solid solution with GaN
InxGa(1-x)N
alkali solution
Performance values and ranges asserted in the specification or claims.
| Property | Value | Material |
|---|---|---|
Thickness | 5–10 mm | — |
Thickness | ≤ 1 µm |
Related documents with shared materials, methods, properties, or citations.
Patent
Atlas literature
Patent
US 9,452,495Patent drawings and their descriptions. Click a drawing to enlarge it.
FIG. 1 is one construction of slicing tool. 30 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 2 Attorney Docket No.: SIXPO I-011US 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 …
FIG. 2 is one construction of slicing tool. 10 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 Primary laser beam 202A Split laser beam …
FIG. 3 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 25 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
FIG. 4 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 5 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
Claims define the patent's legal scope. Independent claims stand alone; dependent claims (nested) narrow them. Click a claim to expand its dependents.
1. A tool to slice ingots of crystals comprising: (a) a reservoir to supply an alkali solution on a cutting front of an ingot, wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride; (b) a laser configured to shine a laser beam on the cutting front; wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than a band gap of the ingot and a sufficiently small divergence angle to cut through the ingot by illuminating the cutting front as the cutting front progresses through the ingot; and (c) a beam splitter to generate multiple beams of laser light configured to produce multiple cutting fronts in the ingot simultaneously, wherein a spacing of the beams determines the thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The tool of claim 1 wherein the ingot is immersed in the alkali solution.
The tool of claim 1, further comprising a scanner for scanning the laser beam across a surface or the cutting front of the ingot.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a spot size that enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the reservoir contains KOH or Na OH.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser is an ultraviolet gas laser.
canceled
canceled
canceled
A method of slicing an ingot of group III nitride crystals comprising, (a) immersing the ingot in an alkali solution (b) shining a laser beam to a cutting front of the ingot wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than the band gap of the ingot ingots and a small enough divergence angle to reach the cutting front of the ingot through the gap of the already cut portion, wherein the laser beam is split into multiple beams of laser light that cut multiple slices simultaneously, and wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride.
The method of claim 12, further comprising scanning the laser beam across a surface of the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spacing of the beams determines a thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam perpendicular to the scanning direction is less than 50 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein the alkali solution is KOH or Na OH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the laser beam is generated by an ultraviolet gas laser. Page 3 of 11
canceled
canceled
Embodiments described in the patent, grouped by the materials and process steps they use.
3 materials1 process step
A laser slicing tool is designed to slice 4-inch-diameter GaN or GaN-based solid solution ingots. The ingot is placed in a bath of 3.0 M KOH solution. An XeCl excimer laser (308 nm wavelength, 600 mJ/pulse average output) is used. After an 80% efficiency beam homogenizer, the beam is split via UV optical fibers into 250 lines separated by 400 microns (targeting 380 micron wafer thickness with 20 micron slicing margin). A plano-convex lens array focuses beams onto a plano-concave lens array; focused beam diameter on the crystal is 10 microns. With ~60% optical power loss, the power density on the ingot is 1.2 kJ/cm2 per pulse at 600 Hz repetition rate. The beam splitting and scanning device rocks at 30 degrees/second over ±15 degrees to cover a 4-inch diameter ingot at 30 cm distance.
Layer stacks claimed or described, ordered top of device to substrate.
laser crystal ingot slicing tool
No layer stack recorded.
Materials described outside the worked examples.
aluminum nitride solid solution with GaN
AlxGa(1-x)N
indium nitride solid solution with GaN
InxGa(1-x)N
alkali solution
Performance values and ranges asserted in the specification or claims.
| Property | Value | Material |
|---|---|---|
Thickness | 5–10 mm | — |
Thickness | ≤ 1 µm |
Related documents with shared materials, methods, properties, or citations.
Patent
Atlas literature
Patent
US 9,452,495Patent drawings and their descriptions. Click a drawing to enlarge it.
FIG. 1 is one construction of slicing tool. 30 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 2 Attorney Docket No.: SIXPO I-011US 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 …
FIG. 2 is one construction of slicing tool. 10 100 Transparent bath 101 Alkali solution 200 Ultraviolet gas laser 201 Primary laser beam 202A Split laser beam …
FIG. 3 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 25 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
FIG. 4 is top view of one construction of laser splitting and scanning device. 201 Primary laser beam 202 Split laser beam 5 300 Laser splitting and scanning …
Claims define the patent's legal scope. Independent claims stand alone; dependent claims (nested) narrow them. Click a claim to expand its dependents.
1. A tool to slice ingots of crystals comprising: (a) a reservoir to supply an alkali solution on a cutting front of an ingot, wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride; (b) a laser configured to shine a laser beam on the cutting front; wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than a band gap of the ingot and a sufficiently small divergence angle to cut through the ingot by illuminating the cutting front as the cutting front progresses through the ingot; and (c) a beam splitter to generate multiple beams of laser light configured to produce multiple cutting fronts in the ingot simultaneously, wherein a spacing of the beams determines the thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The tool of claim 1 wherein the ingot is immersed in the alkali solution.
The tool of claim 1, further comprising a scanner for scanning the laser beam across a surface or the cutting front of the ingot.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser beam has a spot size that enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the reservoir contains KOH or Na OH.
The tool of claim 1, wherein the laser is an ultraviolet gas laser.
canceled
canceled
canceled
A method of slicing an ingot of group III nitride crystals comprising, (a) immersing the ingot in an alkali solution (b) shining a laser beam to a cutting front of the ingot wherein the laser beam has a photon energy higher than the band gap of the ingot ingots and a small enough divergence angle to reach the cutting front of the ingot through the gap of the already cut portion, wherein the laser beam is split into multiple beams of laser light that cut multiple slices simultaneously, and wherein the ingot is gallium nitride or its solid solution with aluminum nitride or indium nitride.
The method of claim 12, further comprising scanning the laser beam across a surface of the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spacing of the beams determines a thickness of a wafer cut from the ingot.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam enables a slicing margin of less than 100 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein a spot size of the laser beam perpendicular to the scanning direction is less than 50 microns.
The method of claim 12, wherein the alkali solution is KOH or Na OH.
The method of claim 12, wherein the laser beam is generated by an ultraviolet gas laser. Page 3 of 11
canceled
canceled
Embodiments described in the patent, grouped by the materials and process steps they use.
3 materials1 process step
A laser slicing tool is designed to slice 4-inch-diameter GaN or GaN-based solid solution ingots. The ingot is placed in a bath of 3.0 M KOH solution. An XeCl excimer laser (308 nm wavelength, 600 mJ/pulse average output) is used. After an 80% efficiency beam homogenizer, the beam is split via UV optical fibers into 250 lines separated by 400 microns (targeting 380 micron wafer thickness with 20 micron slicing margin). A plano-convex lens array focuses beams onto a plano-concave lens array; focused beam diameter on the crystal is 10 microns. With ~60% optical power loss, the power density on the ingot is 1.2 kJ/cm2 per pulse at 600 Hz repetition rate. The beam splitting and scanning device rocks at 30 degrees/second over ±15 degrees to cover a 4-inch diameter ingot at 30 cm distance.
Layer stacks claimed or described, ordered top of device to substrate.
laser crystal ingot slicing tool
No layer stack recorded.
Materials described outside the worked examples.
aluminum nitride solid solution with GaN
AlxGa(1-x)N
indium nitride solid solution with GaN
InxGa(1-x)N
alkali solution
Performance values and ranges asserted in the specification or claims.
| Property | Value | Material |
|---|---|---|
Thickness | 5–10 mm | — |
Thickness | ≤ 1 µm |
Related documents with shared materials, methods, properties, or citations.
sodium hydroxide
NaOH
| — |
Thickness | ≤ 50 µm | — |
GALLIUM NITRIDE BASED LASER DAZZLING METHOD
sodium hydroxide
NaOH
| — |
Thickness | ≤ 50 µm | — |
GALLIUM NITRIDE BASED LASER DAZZLING METHOD
sodium hydroxide
NaOH
| — |
Thickness | ≤ 50 µm | — |
GALLIUM NITRIDE BASED LASER DAZZLING METHOD
sodium hydroxide
NaOH
| — |
Thickness | ≤ 50 µm | — |
GALLIUM NITRIDE BASED LASER DAZZLING METHOD