This article presents a novel approach for evaluating laser scribing quality through cross-section profiles generated from a three-dimensional optical profiler. Existing methods for assessing scribing quality only consider the width and depth of a scribe profile. The proposed method uses a cubic spline model for cross-section profiles. Two quality characteristics are proposed to assess scribing accuracy and consistency. Accuracy is measured by the ratio of the actual laser-scribed area to the target area (RA), which reflects the deviation from the desired profile. The mean square error (MSE) is a measure of how close each scribed cross-section under the same scribing conditions is to the fitted cubic spline model. Over 1370 cross-section profiles were generated under 171 scribing conditions. Two response surface polynomial models for RA and MSE were built with 18 scribing conditions with acceptable scribing depth and RA values. Both RA and MSE were considered simultaneously via contour plots. A scatter plot of RA and MSE was then used for Pareto optimization. It was found that the cross-sectional profile of a laser scribe could be accurately represented by a cubic spline model. A multivariate nonlinear regression model for RA and MSE identified pulse energy and repetition rate as the two dominant laser parameters. A Pareto optimization analysis further established a Pareto front, where the best compromised solution could be found.
Keywords: aluminum thin film on silicon; laser scribing; mean square error (MSE); target area ratio (RA).