SPIE Journal Paper | 6 September 2022
KEYWORDS: Pulsed laser operation, Optical engineering, Computer simulations, Electroluminescence, Metals, Optical simulations, Laser ablation, Heat flux, Calibration, Temperature metrology
The increasing pixel density in displays demands high quality in the production of fine metal masks (FMMs). The production process of FMMs boils down to structuring tiny holes in thin metal sheets or foils. The manufacturing requirements of FMMs are high precision in terms of the hole geometry to let enough light escape from each diode and high productivity to produce the required amount. To achieve both objectives, high power ultrashort pulse (USP) lasers can be utilized. Because USP lasers fall short of the productivity requirements, they are combined with multibeam scanners. During production, the multibeam scanners deposit a lot of heat in the metal foil, which can ultimately yield temperature-induced distortions. To understand and finally avoid such distortions, a process simulation is sought. In a preceding study, the structuring of a single hole (the microscale) was investigated, but due to the large differences in the time and spatial scales involved, it was not feasible to simulate the production of the whole part (the macroscale). Within this treatise, a multiscale approach that takes into account the necessary information from the microscale to describe temperature-induced distortions on the macroscale is described. This approach targets laser ablation processes with pulse durations ranging from picoseconds up to nanoseconds provided the ablation is not melt-driven. First, a representative volume element (RVE) is generated from the results of the microscale model. Then, this RVE is utilized in the thermo-elastic structural mechanics simulation on the macroscale. The multiscale model is validated numerically against a hole-resolved computation, which shows good agreement. Naturally, the simulation is highly dependent on the microscale model, which in turn depends on the material properties. To handle material changes well, an experimental calibration has to be performed. This calibration is not part of this treatise, but it will be described in a future publication. In addition to the calibration process, the validation with experiments will be conducted in future research. Additionally, the authors envision the automation of the whole process, resulting in a first-time-right approach for the development of FMMs. Finally, the procedure might be extended to the requirements of other filtration purposes.
