Dicing is a critical step in the manufacturing process for the application of sapphire. In this work, the dependence of sapphire dicing on crystal orientation using picosecond Bessel laser beam drilling combined with mechanical cleavage was studied. By using the above method, linear cleaving with on debris and zero tapers was realized for the A1, A2, C1, C2, and M1 orientations, except for the M2 orientation. The experimental results indicated that characteristics of Bessel beam-drilled microholes, fracture loads, and fracture sections of sapphire sheets were strongly dependent on crystal orientation. No cracks were generated around the micro holes when laser scanned along the A2 and M2 orientations, and the corresponding average fracture loads were large, 12.18 N and 13.57 N, respectively. While along the A1, C1, C2, and M1 orientations, laser-induced cracks extended along the laser scanning direction, resulting in a significant reduction in fracture load. Furthermore, the fracture surfaces were relatively uniform for A1, C1, and C2 orientations but uneven for A2 and M1 orientations, with a surface roughness of about 1120 nm. In addition, curvilinear dicing without debris or taper was achieved to demonstrate the feasibility of Bessel beams.
Keywords: crystal orientation; mechanical cleavage; picosecond laser Bessel beam; sapphire dicing.