CO2 laser-induced weakening in chemically strengthened glass: Improvement in processability and its visualization by Raman mapping

Chemically strengthened glass has become essential in our daily lives and the demand is rapidly increasing in a variety of fields. However, the conventional cutting process is not applicable because of its tough layer with the compressive stress. To achieve higher-throughput production of the glass, we report spatially selective weakening of the compression layer by CO₂ laser scanning and provide its visualization by Raman mapping. We demonstrate cutting the scanned glass without shattering using a typical scribing wheel. Finally, we discuss the improvement in processability from the viewpoint of microscopic structures by means of thermal analysis and Raman spectroscopy.