Patent ID: 8110777

Claim:
A method of dividing a plane-parallel plate made of a brittle material into a plurality of individual plates having a specified edge length comprising: introducing thermally induced stresses by means of a laser beam in said plane-parallel plate thereby producing scored lines in a lattice-like pattern in said plane-parallel plate, said lattice-like pattern being formed by first producing scored lines along a first working direction starting from an initial defect to be created in the material of said plane-parallel plate thereby dividing said plane-parallel plate into a plurality of plate strips ( 4 ), and by subsequently producing scored lines along a second working direction which forms a working angle with said first working direction after said plate strips have been moved a certain distance apart from one another, thereby allowing division of said individual plate strips into individual plates, wherein said plane-parallel plate or said plate strips and individual plates are held on a clamping table by means of a vacuum, and wherein said plane-parallel plate is bonded to a framed stretch film, said framed stretch film being stretched at least in a direction perpendicular to the first working direction while said vacuum holding said plane-parallel plate is removed in order to create space intervals between said plate strips.