Facilitating formation of a via in a substrate

A method of facilitating formation of a via in an inorganic substrate, the method comprising:

• applying a double-sided opening process to the inorganic substrate, the inorganic substrate comprising a damage track having a first end in a first surface of the inorganic substrate and a second end in a second surface of the inorganic substrate, the second surface on an opposite side of the inorganic substrate than the first surface of the inorganic substrate, the double-sided opening process enlarging at least a first dimension of the first end of the damage track to form a first opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate, the first dimension of the first end of the damage track measured within a plane of the first surface of the inorganic substrate, and the double-sided opening process enlarging at least a first dimension of the second end of the damage track to form a first opening in the second surface of the inorganic substrate, the first dimension of the second end of the damage track measured within a plane of the second surface of the inorganic substrate, a pathway extending between the first opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate and the first opening in the second surface of the inorganic substrate, the pathway including a longitudinal axis perpendicular to (a) an extension direction of the first surface of the inorganic substrate, (b) an extension direction of the second surface of the inorganic substrate, or both (a) and (b), the pathway including varying diameters of lateral cross-sections taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pathway, the pathway including a waist coinciding with a lateral cross-section of the pathway taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis at a point of minimum diameter of the varying diameters of the pathway;
• and
• applying a single-sided opening process to the first surface of the inorganic substrate, after completion of the double-sided opening process, the single-sided opening process enlarging at least a first dimension of the first opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate to form a second opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate, the single-sided opening enlargement process moving the waist of the pathway closer to the second surface of the inorganic substrate as compared to a location of the waist after completion of the double-sided opening process but before applying the single-sided opening process, the moving of the waist forming a resultant pathway, the single-sided opening process causing a via formed in the inorganic substrate to comprise the second opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate, a resultant second opening in the second surface of the inorganic substrate, and the resultant pathway, the resultant pathway extending from the second opening in the first surface of the inorganic substrate to the resultant second opening in the second surface of the inorganic substrate.