JP2012006077A - Laser patterning device and laser patterning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser patterning device and a method which can narrow a scribe width and narrow a scribe pitch.SOLUTION: The laser patterning device comprises an optical head 5 mounted with a plurality of laser machining optical systems 4 for laser beam irradiation and an optical head relative movement mechanism 6 that relatively moves the optical head 5 in an orthogonal biaxial direction relative to a substrate 1. An autofocus mechanism 7 is provided in each of the laser machining optical systems 4. A focusing function control means 32 is provided that turns on the focusing function of the autofocus mechanism 7 at a machining start position of the substrate 1 and turns off the focusing function at a machining end position. The laser patterning device is used in patterning, for example, in electrodes in integrated thin-film solar batteries.

Description

  The present invention relates to a patterning apparatus and a patterning method for patterning a thin film formed on a substrate using a laser, and more particularly to patterning electrodes and the like of an integrated thin film solar cell using a translucent substrate. The present invention relates to a laser patterning apparatus and a laser patterning method suitable for the above.

  Conventionally, when an integrated solar cell in which a plurality of unit cells are integrated on a substrate is manufactured, it is necessary to divide the thin film laminated on the substrate into strips corresponding to each unit cell. Patterning for forming a groove (hereinafter referred to as scribe) is performed. As this patterning method, there is a laser patterning method that forms a scribe by irradiating a part of a thin film by irradiating a laser beam, and a laser patterning apparatus (laser) shown in Patent Document 1 using this method. Processing apparatus) is known.

  In the laser processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, in order to improve the scribing performance, a Gaussian distribution (distribution in which the power at the center of the laser spot is increased), which is a basic power distribution of the laser beam, is flattened by using an optical fiber. And uniform processing can be performed within the surface irradiated with the laser. This makes use of the fact that the optical fiber has characteristics that flatten the light intensity distribution in the beam radial direction in the process of propagating the laser light in the core. Further, by forming a field stop in the optical path of the laser optical system and making the shape of the laser beam rectangular, as shown in FIG. 12, processing can be performed with as little overlap of laser light as possible. The overlapping portion of the laser light is irradiated with the laser light twice, so that processing fluctuation is likely to occur. The above measures are taken as a means of reducing this area.

JP-A-62-244592

Recently, in order to improve the power generation efficiency of the solar cell, it has been required to narrow the scribe width shown in FIG. 13 or to narrow the scribe pitch. This is because the scribed portion does not contribute to the power generation of the solar cell, so that the power generation efficiency of the solar cell can be improved by reducing this area as much as possible and increasing the effective area of the solar cell panel.
In order to reduce the scribe width, it is necessary to perform processing while condensing the laser beam as thin as possible and reducing the variation of the beam diameter on the processing surface as much as possible. For this purpose, it is necessary to always process the laser optical system while keeping the distance from the substrate surface constant. However, the thickness of the substrate varies, and the height of the substrate surface varies. In order to follow this and keep the distance constant, it is necessary to always perform processing with focusing. However, the apparatus of Patent Document 1 is not equipped with an autofocus mechanism. Therefore, there is a limit in reducing the scribe width.

An object of the present invention is to provide a laser patterning apparatus and a laser patterning method that can narrow a scribe width and a scribe pitch.
Specifically, as a countermeasure against the limitation of narrowing, which has been a problem with conventional devices, it is equipped with an autofocus mechanism, and furthermore, by devising the operation method of this autofocus mechanism, relatively inexpensive autofocus It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser patterning apparatus and a laser patterning method capable of narrowing and narrowing the scribe width as described above.
Another object is to contribute to improvement in power generation efficiency of the solar cell panel by narrowing the scribe width and narrowing the scribe pitch.

A laser patterning device according to the present invention is a laser patterning device that cuts a thin film formed on a substrate 1 into a strip shape using a laser beam.
The substrate fixing stage 3 on which the substrate 1 is placed, the optical head 5 provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 each irradiating a laser processing beam, and the substrate fixing stage 3 and the optical head 5 are relatively moved. An optical head relative movement mechanism 6 that moves in the orthogonal biaxial directions (X, Y) on the processing surface of the substrate 1 and a path through which the optical head 5 is moved relative to the substrate 1 by the optical head relative movement mechanism 6. And a processing control means 31 for controlling the processing start position S and the processing end position E of the substrate 1 for starting and stopping the irradiation of the laser beam by the optical head 5 on this path, respectively.
The optical head 5 includes an autofocus mechanism 7 that adjusts the distance between the laser processing optical system 4 and the processing surface of the substrate 1 to the focal length of the laser processing optical system 4. There is provided a focus function control means 32 for turning on the focus function, which is an automatic focusing function of the autofocus mechanism 7, at the processing start position S of the substrate 1 and turning it off at the processing end position E of the substrate 1. It is characterized by that.
However, when it is necessary to completely scribe to the edge of the substrate 1, the irradiation start position of the processing laser beam may be before the processing start position S. Further, the irradiation end position of the processing laser light may be after the processing end position E. Also in this case, the focus function is turned on at the machining start position S and turned off at the machining end position E.

  According to this configuration, since each laser processing optical system 4 is equipped with the autofocus mechanism 7, the scribing process is performed with the distance between the surface of the substrate 1 to be processed and the processing lens 4a kept constant. Is possible. Therefore, the fluctuation of the laser spot at the time of scribing can be suppressed to be small, so that the scribe width can be narrowed, whereby the scribe pitch can be narrowed. When performing scribe processing, it is necessary to perform processing at a constant speed, and there is no substrate 1 to be processed under the laser processing optical system 4 during the acceleration period up to the constant speed. Cannot be used. However, as described above, the focus function control means 32 is provided to turn on the focus function of the autofocus mechanism 7 at the processing start position S of the substrate 1 and to turn it off at the processing end position E of the substrate 1. An appropriate focus function can be realized even when machining is started at a constant speed by accelerating from a position away from the center.

In the present invention, the auto focus mechanism 7 is provided with a position detection sensor 25 for detecting a focus position which is a position in the focus direction of the laser processing optical system 4, and the position detection sensor 25 is provided in the focus function control means 32. And a focus position for holding the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 at a position stored in the detected focus position storage means 36 in the off state of the focus function. A holding control means 37 is preferably provided.
By providing the detected focus position storage means 36 and the focus position holding control means 37, a function for storing and holding the position is added to the autofocus mechanism 7, so that when the autofocus mechanism is turned on at the processing start position S, The focus difference can be minimized. Thereby, it is not necessary to use a high-performance autofocus mechanism, and high-quality scribe processing can be realized with an inexpensive apparatus configuration.

In the present invention, the focus function control means 32 stores a focus position command position that is a position in the focus direction of the laser processing optical system 4 positioned at the processing start position S, and the laser processing optical system 4. Until the processing start position S is reached, a pre-start focus position control means 38 may be provided which holds the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 as the stored command position.
In the case of this configuration, when the focus function is turned on at the processing start position S of the substrate 1, the focus function can be started from a state where the laser processing optical system 4 is located at the command position. The focus difference when the autofocus function is turned on at the position S can be minimized.

When the pre-start focus position control means 38 is provided with the position detection sensor 25, the detected focus position storage means 36, and the focus position holding control means 37, for example, the following configuration is adopted.
That is, the pre-start focus position control means 38 gives the machining control means 31 the optical head 5 before the relative movement of the optical head 5 for actual machining with respect to the optical head relative movement mechanism 6. Is moved from the home position deviated from the end of the substrate 1 to the processing start position S on the substrate 1, and after this movement, a pre-processing measurement cycle consisting of returning to the home position is executed, and the pre-processing measurement cycle is optical. The focus position detected by the position detection sensor 25 when the head 5 reaches the machining start position S is stored in the detected focus position storage means 36, and the detected focus position storage means 37 is controlled by the focus position holding control means 37. The focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the position stored in 36. In the case of this configuration, the focus position detected by the position detection sensor 25 when the optical head 5 comes to the processing start position S in the measurement cycle before processing becomes the command position of the focus position. “The optical head 5 has come to the machining start position S” means that the laser machining optical system 4 has come to the machining start position S.
In this way, the control for minimizing the focus difference when the autofocus function is turned on at the machining start position S can be specifically realized.

  Note that the pre-start focus position control means 38 does not necessarily perform the pre-processing measurement cycle. For example, the command position of the focus position may be input from an appropriate input unit without using the position detection sensor 25, or may be a value determined appropriately. Further, the pre-start focus position control means 38 may execute a cycle for detecting the calibration stage 29 when a calibration stage 29 described later is provided.

In this invention, when the focus function is turned off to the focus function control means 32 at the processing end position E, the focus position which is the position in the focus direction of the laser processing optical system 4 at the time of switching to the off state. And an end focus position holding control means 39 for turning off the focus function in a state where the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the stored focus position.
For example, when processing a plurality of scribe lines, a method of shortening the relative movement time of the optical head 5 that does not directly contribute to the processing is adopted by alternately changing the scribe processing direction in order to reduce the processing time. . In such a case, since the distance from the processing end position E to the next processing start position S is small, the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E is held. If the next machining is started, the focus difference when the autofocus function is turned on at the machining start position S can be reduced.
In addition, the above “at the time of switching to OFF” is not limited to the moment of switching to OFF, but includes the period from immediately before to immediately after the moment of switching.

When the position detection sensor 25, the detected focus position storage unit 36, and the focus position holding control unit 37 are provided, the end-time focus position holding control unit 39 has, for example, the following configuration.
That is, when the focus position holding control means 39 at the end turns off the focus function at the processing end position E, the position detection sensor 25 detects the focus position at the time of switching to the OFF, and the detected focus position. The focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the position stored in the detected focus position storage means 36 by the focus position holding control means 37.
In this way, the control for holding the focus position when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E can be specifically realized.

The end focus position holding control unit 39 does not necessarily use the position detection sensor 25, the detected focus position storage unit 36, and the like. For example, when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E, Simply, the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 may be fixed.

In the present invention, focus mechanism installation position variable means 28 is provided that allows the mounting position of the autofocus mechanism 7 to be changed before and after the laser processing optical system 4 in the arrangement direction of the laser processing optical system 4. May be.
When the autofocus mechanism 7 is provided so as to be adjacent to each laser processing optical system 4 in the same direction, the autofocus mechanism 7 of the laser processing optical system 4 at the end of the arrangement may be detached from the substrate 1. In such a case, the autofocus mechanism 7 is prevented from being detached from the substrate by exchanging the mounting position before and after the array by the focus mechanism installation position varying means 28.

In the present invention, the autofocus mechanism 7 is provided with a focus sensor 23 for detecting a focus distance from the laser processing optical system 4 to the processing surface of the substrate side by side with respect to the laser processing optical system 4. Sensor position adjusting means 27 that can adjust the alignment distance between the focus sensor 23 and the laser processing optical system 4 may be provided.
If the sensor position adjusting means 27 is provided, the scribe line La can be adjusted so that the optical axis of the focus sensor of the autofocus mechanism 7 does not overlap.

In the present invention, the autofocus mechanism 7 may be provided on the front side in the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4.
Further, in the present invention, the autofocus mechanism 7 can automatically change the installation position between the front side and the rear side in the scribing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4. Variable means 28B may be provided.
The focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means 28B, for example, installs the autofocus mechanism 7 so as to be rotatable around the optical axis O1 of the laser processing optical system 4, and is rotated 180 ° forward and backward by a drive source 28Ba such as a motor. The position change control unit 28Bb for controlling the drive direction of the drive source 28Ba is provided. For example, the position change control unit 28Bb recognizes the scribe processing direction Laa from the command of the moving direction in the movement control means 33 that controls the optical head relative movement mechanism 6 in the processing control means 31, and controls the drive source 28Ba. This control is performed during scribing so that the autofocus mechanism 7 is disposed in front of the scribing direction Laa and the laser processing optical system 4 is disposed behind the autofocus mechanism 7.
When the autofocus mechanism 7 is positioned in front of the laser processing optical system 4 in the scribe processing direction Laa, the focus sensor 23 of the autofocus mechanism 7 can detect the scribe processing line La. For this reason, since the detection position of the adjacent scribe processing line La and the focus sensor 23 does not overlap as in the case where the autofocus mechanism 7 is installed in parallel with the optical system 4 for laser processing, the existing sensor There is no need to adjust the position so as not to overlap the scribe line La.
Since the autofocus mechanism 7 is disposed in front of the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4, it is possible to detect a change in the position in the focus direction in advance, and the autofocus mechanism 7 can follow the operation. The responsiveness can be given a certain amount.

In the above-described configuration, the mounting position of the autofocus mechanism 7 can be automatically changed before and after the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4 by the focus mechanism installation position automatic variable unit 28B. An autofocus mechanism 7 may be provided both before and after the processing optical system 4.
In this case, of the laser processing optical system 4 with respect to the scribe processing direction Laa among the autofocus mechanisms 7 and 7 installed both before and after the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4. Selective use means 28C for selecting and using the autofocus mechanism 7 installed in the front may be provided.

In the present invention, the autofocus mechanism 7 includes a position detection sensor 25 that detects a focus position that is a position in the focus direction of the laser processing optical system 4, and a calibration stage 29 that is detected by the position detection sensor 25. The height of the calibration stage 29 may be substantially the same as the height of the processing surface of the substrate 1 at the processing start position S.
When the calibration stage 29 is provided, the position detection sensor 25 detects the calibration stage 29 before processing, and the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the detected focus position, thereby the processing start position. The focus difference when the autofocus function is turned on in S can be minimized.

  In the present invention, the substrate 1 on which the thin film is formed may be a solar cell panel. In the solar cell panel, it is required to narrow the scribe width in order to improve the power generation efficiency of the solar cell. Therefore, the effect of narrowing the scribe width and narrowing the scribe pitch in the present invention is effectively exhibited.

  The laser patterning method of the present invention is a method of dividing a thin film formed on the substrate 1 into strips using the laser patterning apparatus having any one of the above-described configurations of the present invention. According to this processing method, the scribe width can be narrowed and the scribe pitch can be narrowed as described above for the laser patterning apparatus of the present invention.

Another laser patterning method of the present invention is a laser patterning method in which a thin film formed on a substrate 1 is formed into a strip shape and is cut using a laser beam.
The substrate fixing stage 3 on which the substrate 1 is placed, the optical head 5 provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 each irradiating a laser processing beam, and the substrate fixing stage 3 and the optical head 5 are relatively moved. Using a laser patterning device provided with an optical head relative movement mechanism 6 that moves in two orthogonal directions on the processing surface of the substrate 1,
The optical head 5 includes an autofocus mechanism 7 that adjusts the distance between the laser processing optical system 4 and the processing surface of the substrate 1 to the focal length of the laser processing optical system 4. The automatic focusing function of the autofocus mechanism 7 is turned on at the processing start position S of the substrate 1 and turned off at the processing end position E of the substrate 1. According to this method, the scribe width can be narrowed and the scribe pitch can be narrowed as described above for the laser patterning apparatus of the present invention.

  The laser patterning apparatus according to the present invention is a laser patterning apparatus that divides a thin film formed on a substrate into a strip shape using a laser beam, and irradiates a substrate fixing stage on which the substrate is placed and a laser processing beam, respectively. An optical head provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems arranged side by side, an optical head relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the substrate fixing stage and the optical head in two orthogonal directions on the processing surface of the substrate, and the optical A path for moving the optical head relative to the substrate by the head relative movement mechanism, and a processing start position and a processing end position of the substrate for starting and stopping the irradiation of laser light by the optical head on the path are controlled. And a processing control means for performing the laser processing on the laser processing optical system. An autofocus mechanism that adjusts the distance between the system and the processing surface of the substrate to the focal length of the laser processing optical system, and the focus function, which is an autofocus function of the autofocus mechanism, has a processing start position of the substrate Since there is a focus function control means that is turned on at the substrate processing end position and turned off at the substrate processing end position, the distance between the surface of the substrate to be processed and the laser processing optical system is always kept constant by mounting the autofocus mechanism. The scribing process can be performed in this state. Therefore, the fluctuation of the laser spot at the time of scribing can be suppressed to be small, and the scribe width can be narrowed, whereby the scribe pitch can be narrowed. In addition, during the acceleration period up to the constant speed, there is no substrate to be processed under the laser processing optical system, but as described above, the focusing function of the autofocus mechanism is turned on at the processing start position of the substrate. Since it is turned off at the processing end position of the substrate, the focus function can be realized.

  In the laser patterning method of the present invention, as described with respect to the laser patterning apparatus of the present invention, the fluctuation of the laser spot at the time of scribing can be suppressed, and the scribe width can be narrowed. It is also possible to reduce the pitch. In addition, the focus function of the autofocus mechanism is turned on at the processing start position of the substrate and turned off at the processing end position of the substrate. Therefore, when processing is started at a constant speed by accelerating from a position away from the substrate. However, an appropriate focus function can be realized.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the conceptual structure of the laser patterning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) (B) is a perspective view which respectively shows the state at the time of board | substrate carrying-in and a process about an example of the laser patterning apparatus main body of the laser patterning apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between a board | substrate and an optical head. (A) is a perspective view showing an example of an optical system for laser processing and an autofocus mechanism, and (B) is a perspective view showing an example in which the mounting location of the autofocus mechanism is changed. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a moving speed and a scribe process range. It is explanatory drawing of an initial focus difference. It is explanatory drawing of the measurement cycle before a process. It is explanatory drawing of processing operation. It is explanatory drawing of the optical offset of a processing lens and a focus lens. It is explanatory drawing of the calibration stage of a focus. (A) (B) is a perspective view which shows the state at the time of board | substrate carrying in and the state at the time of a process, respectively about the other example of the laser patterning apparatus main body of the laser patterning apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a laser irradiation pitch and a scribe processing line. It is a partial expanded sectional view of a solar cell panel. (A) is a perspective view showing another example of an optical system for laser processing and an autofocus mechanism, (B) is a perspective view showing an example in which the installation position of the autofocus mechanism is changed, and (C) is the same figure (A) 8) is an explanatory diagram in which a focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means is added to FIG. 14A and 14B show the relationship between the optical head and the substrate using the example of FIG. 14, wherein FIG. 14A is a perspective view when scribe processing is performed from the substrate right back direction in the drawing, and FIG. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the further another example of the optical system for laser processing, and an auto-focus mechanism.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This laser patterning device is a device that cuts a thin film formed on a substrate 1 into a strip shape by processing a scribe using laser light, and includes a patterning device body 2 that is a mechanical part, It is comprised with the process control apparatus 30 which controls the patterning apparatus main body 2. FIG.

  The substrate 1 is a material that becomes a light-transmitting solar cell, for example. As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of thin films to be the surface electrode 1 a, the photoelectric conversion layer 1 b, and the back electrode 1 c are stacked on the substrate 1. These thin films are divided by the formation of scribe a to form individual cells, whereby an integrated thin film solar cell is obtained. In the figure, the scribe a is processed at positions P1 to P3.

  In FIG. 1, a patterning apparatus main body 2 includes a substrate fixing stage 3 on which a substrate 1 is placed, an optical head 5 in which a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 each irradiating a laser processing beam are arranged, and the substrate fixing stage 3. And an optical head relative movement mechanism 6 that relatively moves the optical head 5 in the orthogonal biaxial directions (X and Y directions) on the processed surface of the substrate 1. Each laser processing optical system 4 is provided with an autofocus mechanism 7. Therefore, the same number of autofocus mechanisms 7 as the laser processing optical system 4 are provided.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the patterning apparatus body 2. In this example, the substrate fixing stage 3 is a Y-axis stage that can move in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction), and the substrate fixing stage 3 is installed on the rail 9 of the base 8 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). Has been. The substrate fixing stage 3 has a mechanism (not shown) for fixing the loaded substrate 1 and is driven back and forth in the front-rear direction by a Y-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism (not shown).
At the front part of the substrate fixing stage moving path by the rail 9, there are a substrate carry-in device 10 and a substrate carry-out device 11 comprising roller conveyors and the like for carrying the substrate 1 in and out of the substrate fixing stage 3 on the left and right sides, respectively. is set up.

A gate-shaped support frame 12 is installed across the passage path at the rear of the path through which the substrate fixing stage 3 on the base 8 passes, and along the rails 13 on the support frame 12, An X-axis stage 14 is installed so as to freely advance and retract in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) that is a direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the fixed stage 3. The X-axis stage 14 is advanced and retracted by an X-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism 15 installed on the support frame 12.
In the X-axis stage 14, a Z-axis stage 16 on which the optical head 5 is mounted is installed on a moving material in a vertical direction that is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis, and the Z-axis stage installed on the X-axis stage 14. It is advanced and retracted by an advance / retreat drive mechanism (not shown). The X-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism 15, the Y-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism, and the Z-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism each include a servo motor and a feed screw mechanism.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the patterning apparatus main body 2 moves the substrate fixing stage 3 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) with respect to the base 8, but for example, as shown in FIG. 3 may be fixed to the base 8. In this case, the gate-shaped support frame 12A becomes a Y-axis stage that can move back and forth on the rail 9A on the base 8, and is advanced and retracted by a Y-axis advance / retreat drive mechanism (not shown). Other configurations in the example of FIG. 11 are the same as those in the example of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the optical head 5 is provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 each irradiating a laser processing beam, as described above, and the alignment direction is the alignment direction of the scribes to be processed. Direction (X-axis direction), and simultaneously, a plurality of scribes can be processed. A laser oscillator 17 for generating a laser beam may be provided for each laser processing optical system 4, and the laser beam generated by one laser oscillator 17 is divided into a plurality of pieces for each laser processing. It may be distributed to the optical system 4. In any case, the laser oscillator 17 and the light guide means such as the reflection mirror 48 (FIG. 1) for guiding the laser beam from the laser oscillator 17 to the laser processing optical system 4 become a part of the optical head 5.

  In FIG. 4, the autofocus mechanism 7 and the laser processing optical system 4 will be described. The laser processing optical system 4 includes a processing lens 4a such as an objective lens and a beam expander 4b which is an optical component for guiding a laser beam to the processing lens 4a. The processing lens is connected to the beam expander 4b. The focal length of the laser processing optical system 4 can be adjusted by moving 4a in the perspective direction. In the specification and drawings, the lens and the case incorporating the lens are referred to as a processing lens 4a.

  The auto-focus mechanism 7 moves the processing lens 4a in the perspective direction with respect to the beam expander 4b, and detects the position of the processing target surface in the focus direction and moves with respect to the lens movement mechanism 7a. It consists of focus automation means 7b for giving a signal as a command.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the focusing lens 18 arranged next to the processing lens 4 a is mounted on the lifting body 19 together with the processing lens 4 a, and the lifting body 19 is lifted and lowered on the optical system base 20 via the linear guide 21. Supports freely. The raising / lowering drive of the raising / lowering body 19 is performed by the linear motion actuator 22 which consists of a voice coil motor etc. which were installed in the optical system base 20. FIG. The linear guide 21 and the linear actuator 22 constitute the lens moving mechanism 7a. The optical system base 20 is a base provided in each optical system 4 for laser processing, and is attached to a member (not shown) serving as a frame of the optical head 5.

  Above the focus lens 18, a focus sensor 23 for detecting a focus distance to the processing target surface via the focus lens 18 is installed on the optical system base 20. For the focus detection by the focus sensor 23, for example, a method of detecting by a four-division photodiode using an extremely general astigmatism method is adopted. The focus automation means 7b is constituted by the focus sensor 23, the focus lens 18, and the signal transmission system 24 that outputs an operation command to the linear motion actuator 22 by the output signal of the focus sensor 23. The signal transmission system 24 may have a function of processing the output signal, or may simply transmit the signal. In response to the output signal of the focus sensor 23, the focus automation means 7b drives the linear motion actuator 22 so that the processing lens 4a and the focusing lens 18 are perpendicular to the upper surface which is the processing surface of the substrate 1. Control is performed so that the focus of the processing lens 4a is always focused by moving in the axial direction.

  A position detection sensor 25 such as a linear scale is mounted on the linear guide 21 so that the position of the moving member in the linear guide 21 can be detected. Thereby, the focus position which is the raising / lowering position of the processing lens 4a is detected. The signal transmission system 24 of the focus automation unit 7b has a function of turning off the transmission of the output signal of the focus sensor 23 and turning off the autofocus function by an external signal, and the linear motion actuator 22 In the state where the autofocus function is turned off, the drive can be controlled from an input system different from the signal transmission system 24. At this time, using the detection value of the position detection sensor 25, the processing lens 4a can be moved to an arbitrary focus position and held within a detectable range of the position detection sensor 25.

  The autofocus mechanism 7 including the focus sensor 23 and the focus lens 18 is mounted on the left side of the drawing with respect to the laser processing optical system 4 in FIG. 4A, but as shown in FIG. On the right side of the drawing with respect to the processing optical system 4, there is provided an autofocus mechanism installation position variable means 28 that enables the attachment position to be changed. The auto-focus mechanism installation position varying means 28 includes, for example, fixtures that are provided on both side surfaces of the beam expander 4b and the processing lens 4a and detachably attach the focus sensor 23 and the focusing lens 18, respectively. This change in the mounting position is provided for the following reason. That is, when the autofocus mechanism 7 is mounted on the left side as shown in FIG. 4A, when a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 are arranged as shown in FIG. In the leftmost autofocus mechanism 7, the focus sensor may come off the substrate 1 during the scribing process on the left end side of the substrate 1. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B, the autofocus mechanism 7 at the left end of the array is prevented from being detached from the substrate 1 by attaching the autofocus mechanism 7 to the right side of the processing lens 4a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the optical axis O1 of the laser processing optical system 4 and the optical axis O2 of the focus sensor 23 (optical axis O2 of the focus lens 18) are offset. The sensor position adjusting means 27 can be adjusted so that the optical axis O2 of the focus sensor 23 does not overlap the processing line. This is because if the scribe line La and the optical axis O2 of the focus sensor 23 overlap, the focus may be shifted due to a step that has already been scribed. The sensor position adjusting means 27 is configured such that, for example, the laser processing optical system 4 and the focus sensor 23 are attached to two members 27a and 27b that are connected to each other by a screw member so that the distance can be adjusted.

  FIG. 14 shows another example of the arrangement relationship between the laser processing optical system 4 and the autofocus mechanism 7. In this example, the autofocus mechanism 7 is mounted on the laser processing optical system 4 in the same direction as the direction of the scribe processing line La. The scribe processing line La is a line for processing the scribe a (FIGS. 1 and 15), and the processing progress method is referred to as a scribe processing direction Laa. The autofocus mechanism 7 is mounted on the front side of the laser processing optical system 4 with respect to the scribe processing direction Laa. FIG. 14A shows a case where the scribe processing direction Laa is from the right back direction to the left front direction of the drawing, and FIG. 14B shows the scribe processing direction Laa from the left front side of FIG. The case in the right rear direction is shown.

  In this example, the autofocus mechanism 7 can automatically change the installation position switching of FIGS. 14A and 14B by the autofocus mechanism installation position automatic variable means 28B, and the scribe processing direction Laa can be changed. The installation position can be changed automatically before changing. That is, the focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means 28B that automatically changes the installation position of the autofocus mechanism 7 with respect to the laser processing optical system 4 on the front side and the rear side in the scribe processing direction Laa is provided. Yes. The focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means 28B, for example, installs the autofocus mechanism 7 so as to be rotatable around the optical axis O1 of the laser processing optical system 4, and is rotated 180 ° forward and backward by a drive source 28Ba such as a motor. The position change control unit 28Bb that controls the drive direction of the drive source 28Ba is provided. In the example shown in the drawing, a swivel base 28Bc is provided on a lifting body 19 provided with a focusing lens 18 of the laser processing optical system 4 so as to be rotatable around the optical axis O1 of the laser processing optical system 4. The autofocus mechanism 7 is mounted, and the swivel base 28Bc is rotated forward and backward by the drive source 28Ba. The position change control unit 28Bb is provided in, for example, the focus function control unit 32 of the processing control device 30, and scribes from a movement direction command by the movement control unit 33 of the processing control unit 31 that controls the optical head relative movement mechanism 6. The machining direction Laa is recognized, and the drive source 28Ba is controlled. This control is performed during scribing so that the autofocus mechanism 7 is disposed in front of the scribing direction Laa and the laser processing optical system 4 is disposed behind the autofocus mechanism 7. In FIG. 14, the processing control device 30 is the same as the example of FIG. 1 except for the matters described in particular, but is illustrated in a simplified manner.

  FIG. 15A shows an example in the case of scribing with the arrangement relationship between the laser processing optical system 4 and the autofocus mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 14A, and FIG. The example in the case of scribing according to the arrangement relationship shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 shows still another example of the positional relationship between the laser processing optical system 4 and the autofocus mechanism 7. In this example, the autofocus mechanism 7 is installed both before and after the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4. Of the autofocus mechanisms 7 and 7 installed both before and after the scribe processing direction Laa with respect to the laser processing optical system 4, the laser processing optical system 4 is installed in front of the scribe processing direction Laa. The selection / use means 28C for selecting and using the autofocus mechanism 7 is provided. The selection and use means 28C is provided in the focus function control means 32 of the machining control means 30, for example, and recognizes and uses the scribe machining direction Laa from the movement direction command by the movement control means 33 that controls the optical head relative movement mechanism 6. Control to select the autofocus mechanism 7 to be performed is performed. In FIG. 16, the processing control device 30 is the same as the example of FIG. 1 except for the matters specifically described, but is simplified and illustrated.
When scribing is performed using the mechanism having this configuration, the autofocus mechanism 7 positioned in front of the laser processing optical system 4 is selected and used with respect to the scribing direction Laa when the scribing direction Laa is switched. Thus, it is possible to cope with both scribe processing directions Laa as described above.

  The autofocus mechanism 7 described above is merely an example, and the focusing sensor 23 may be another system that does not use the astigmatism method. Further, the direct acting actuator 22 may not be a voice coil motor but may be another type. Furthermore, the system for detecting the position of the linear guide 21 may be a system other than the Lini scale.

  In FIG. 1, a processing control device 30 is means for controlling the entire laser patterning device main body 2, and has a function as a numerical control device and a function as a programmable controller. The processing control device 30 includes a next processing control means 31 and a focus function control means 32 by a computer such as a personal computer and a processing program (not shown) executed by the computer. The processing control unit 31 includes a movement control unit 33 and a laser output control unit 34.

  The movement control means 33 outputs to the drive sources 6 a, 6 b, 6 c of the drive mechanism of each axis of the optical head relative movement mechanism 6 in accordance with the command of the machining program, and moves the optical head 5 relative to the substrate 1. A means to control the path and speed. The path for moving the optical head 5 relative to the substrate 1 is a path on the scribe for moving the optical head 5 along each scribe a formed on the substrate 1 and the path for moving the optical head 5 between the paths on the scribe. And a scribe-to-scribe route. The movement control means 33 detects the position of a member that is moved by a position detector (not shown) provided in the drive sources 6a, 6b, 6c of each axis or the drive sources 6a, 6b, 6c of each axis. It has a function of detecting the relative position of the optical head 5 in each axial direction based on a detection value of a position detector (not shown) and performing feedback control based on the detection value of each position detector. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the movement control means 33 has a scribe processing range for processing one scribe as a speed control pattern, or a distance having a slight margin before and after the scribe processing range. Is a constant speed range, and trapezoidal control is performed in which the acceleration (deceleration) is constant in the acceleration / deceleration ranges on both sides.

  The laser output control means 34 is means for controlling on / off of the laser oscillator 17. The laser output control means 34 stores a processing start position S at which the laser oscillator 17 is turned on and a processing end position E at which the laser oscillator 17 is turned off at the relative position between the optical head 5 and the substrate 1. . These processing start position S and processing end position E are the positions of one end and the other end of each scribe a processed on the substrate 1, and are determined by the processing program or the like. The fact that the optical head 5 is located at the machining start position S and the machining end position E is recognized by the output of the position detector used for control by the movement control means 32.

The focus function control means 32 is a means for controlling the autofocus mechanism 7. The focus function control means 32 includes a focus function on / off means 35, a detected focus position storage means 36, and a focus position control means 37. Further, the pre-start focus position control means. 38 and a focus position holding control means 39 at the end.
The focus function on / off means 35 has a function of turning on the focus function, which is an automatic focusing function of the autofocus mechanism 7, at the machining start position S of the substrate 1 and turning it off at the machining end position E. The fact that the optical head 5 is located at the machining start position S and the machining end position E is recognized by the output of the position detector used for control by the movement control means 33.

The detected focus position storage means 36 is a means for storing a detection value of the position detection sensor 25 provided in the autofocus mechanism 7 of each laser processing optical system 4.
The focus position holding control means 37 is means for holding the focus position of each corresponding laser processing optical system 4 at the position stored in the detected focus position storage means 36, and the linear motion actuator 22 for performing the focusing operation. The focus position is maintained by maintaining the state in a stopped state. The focus position holding control means 37 is enabled when the focus function is turned off by the focus function on / off means 35.

  The pre-start focus position control means 38 is a means for starting the focus function from the state in which the laser processing optical system 4 is at the command position when the focus function is turned on at the processing start position S of the substrate 1. That is, the pre-start focus position control means 38 stores the command position of the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 that is positioned at the processing start position S, and until the laser processing optical system 4 reaches the processing start position S, Means for holding this position with the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 as the stored command position.

  Specifically, the pre-start focus position control means 38 is described later with reference to FIG. 7 before the relative movement of the optical head 5 for actual processing with respect to the optical head relative movement mechanism 6. In this manner, the optical head 5 is moved from the home position deviated from the end of the substrate 1 to the processing start position S on the substrate 1, and a pre-processing measurement cycle including an operation of returning to the home position after this movement is executed. In addition, the focus position detected by the position detection sensor 25 when the optical head 5 comes to the processing start position S in the measurement cycle before processing is stored in the detected focus position storage means 36 as the command position, and the focus The position holding control means 37 holds the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 at the position stored in the detected focus position storage means 36.

  Note that the pre-start focus position control unit 38 does not necessarily perform the pre-processing measurement cycle. For example, the command position of the focus position may be input from an appropriate input unit without using the position detection sensor 25, or may be a value determined appropriately. Further, the pre-start focus position control means 38 may execute a cycle for detecting the calibration stage 29 when a calibration stage 29 described later is provided.

  When the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E, the end-time focus position holding control means 39 stores the focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 at the time of switching to the off state, and the stored focus The focus function on / off means 35 turns off the focus function after the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the position.

  Specifically, the ending focus position holding control means 39 has the following configuration. That is, when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E, the focus position at the time of switching to the off state is detected by the position detection sensor 25, and the detected focus position storage means 36 is used. The focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 is held at the position stored in the detected focus position storage means 36.

  Note that the end-time focus position holding control means 39 does not necessarily need to use the position detection sensor 25 or the detected focus position storage means 36. For example, when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position E, The focus position of the laser processing optical system 4 may be fixed.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In this example, the case where the substrate 1 is a solar cell panel will be described. In an apparatus for scribing a solar cell, it is necessary to process 100 or more scribes a in the same substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Therefore, a plurality of laser processing optical systems 4 are mounted so that a plurality of them can be processed simultaneously. In order to keep the focal length of each of the laser processing optical systems 4 constant with the surface of the substrate 1, the autofocus mechanism 7 described above with reference to FIG.

  In the scribe process, as shown in FIG. 12, in order to process the overlapping part of the laser irradiation range L as much as possible and reduce the fluctuation of the overlapping part, the substrate 1 is laser-processed as shown in FIG. As relative movement with respect to the processing optical system 4, it is necessary to perform processing while moving at a constant speed. In order to further shorten the scribe processing time, in recent years, it has been required to process the substrate 1 at an extremely high speed of 2000 mm / s.

  The autofocus mechanism 7 detects the position of the surface of the substrate 1 to be focused and moves the entire laser processing optical system 4 or the processing lens 4a so that the distance from the substrate surface is always kept constant. To work. However, as described above, in order to perform laser processing at a constant speed of 2000 mm / s, a running distance (acceleration distance) is required. As shown in FIG. 5, the laser processing beam cannot be applied to the substrate surface during the run. Accordingly, the autofocus mechanism 7 can be operated only when the substrate 1 reaches 2000 mm / s and the laser processing optical system 4 reaches the end of the substrate. In this case, in the conventional control for simply turning on and off the focus function, when the initial focus difference is large when the laser processing optical system 4 reaches the end of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. In order to follow and instantly focus, a very high performance autofocus mechanism is required. If the focusing performance is poor, it takes time to achieve focusing, and the follow-up distance shown in FIG. 6 becomes long. During this follow-up distance, processing is performed in an out-of-focus state, and the scribe width cannot be reduced.

  In this embodiment, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the position detection sensor 25 for detecting the position of the processing lens 4a is provided in the drive mechanism of the autofocus mechanism 7, and the focus position holding control means 37 is provided for detection. The processing lens 4a can be held at the position. The focus position holding control means 37 is provided, and an autofocus operation method is devised, and even a very inexpensive autofocus mechanism 7 realizes in-focus processing from the end of the substrate 1.

In the laser patterning apparatus of this embodiment, focusing is performed in advance at the substrate end position so that the focus difference of the laser processing optical system 4 becomes small at the end of the substrate 1 that is the processing start position S, and the focus position is set. It can be kept in a held state.
A focusing method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A shows the home position of the optical head 5 of the patterning apparatus, and acceleration is started from this position so that the speed is constant at the end of the substrate 1. FIG. 7B shows a substrate scribing position where actual scribe processing is performed from this position. In this embodiment, under the control of the pre-start focus position control means 38 in FIG. 1, the optical head 5 is moved in advance so that the laser processing optical system 4 is positioned at the substrate end position, and the focus is adjusted once. The position of the processing lens 4a serving as the focus position is stored in the detected focus position storage means 36, and the stored focus position is held by the focus position holding control means 37. Thereafter, the home position is returned again as shown in FIG.

  At the time of actual scribing, acceleration starts from the home position in FIG. 8A and reaches the processing speed in front of the substrate edge. Then, when the substrate end position (position A) in FIG. 8B is reached, the autofocus mechanism 7 is turned on. Since the autofocus mechanism 7 is held in advance in a state where the focus is in focus at the substrate end position as described above, there is almost no focus shift, and high-quality processing can be performed from the time when the focus is turned on.

  Next, the focus function is turned off when the other substrate end (position B), which is the processing end, is reached by the control of the focus position holding control means 39 at the end of FIG. The focus position of the autofocus mechanism 7 at the time of switching to the off state is stored in the detected focus position storage means 36 and is held by the focus position holding control means 37 at the focused focus position. And it decelerates and reaches the position of FIG. 8D, and one scribing process is completed.

  As described above, the scribe processing requires reciprocal processing for shortening the processing time because it is necessary to perform several hundreds of processing on the substrate 1 at a certain scribe pitch. Therefore, this time, acceleration starts from the position shown in FIG. 8D, and machining starts from the B position. In this case, when the laser optical system reaches the B position, the autofocus is turned on for processing. As described above, the autofocus mechanism 7 stores the state in which the autofocus function is turned off at the B position and holds the position, so that it moves in the short direction of the substrate by the scribe pitch. The moving distance is several mm, and there is no large focus difference, and processing in a state of being in focus immediately is possible.

  FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, a calibration stage 29 to be detected by the focus sensor 23 is provided at a position away from the end of the substrate 1, and the surface height of the calibration stage 29 is set. This is substantially the same as the height of the processing start position S at the substrate end.

In the case of this embodiment, focusing is performed by the calibration stage 29, the focus position is maintained, and the automatic focusing function of the autofocus mechanism 7 is turned on when the optical head 5 reaches the substrate end. According to this, it is possible to reduce the focus difference when the autofocus is turned on at the substrate end (position A in FIG. 8) during the scribing process, as in the method shown in FIG. In this case, it is not necessary to perform focusing by moving the laser optical system to the substrate end as in the method of FIG. Therefore, the processing cycle is improved.
In the case of this embodiment, the pre-start focus position control unit 38 in FIG. 1 performs focusing with the calibration stage 29, and the detected value of the focus position is stored in the detected focus position storage unit 36, which is stored. The focus position holding control means 37 is controlled to hold the focus position at the position. Other configurations and effects in the embodiment of FIG. 10 are the same as those of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

  According to these embodiments, as described above, by using the function of storing and holding the position of the autofocus mechanism 7, the initial focus is adjusted at the substrate end, and the focus position is stored and held when autofocus is turned off at the processing end. By turning on / off the auto focus at the machining start position S and the machining end position E, high-quality machining in an automatically focused state is realized over the entire area of the substrate. This makes it possible to keep the laser beam diameter uniform on the surface of the substrate 1 and to narrow the scribe width. By making the width narrower, the scribe pitch can be made narrower.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate 2 ... Laser patterning apparatus main body 3 ... Substrate fixing stage 4 ... Laser processing optical system 4a ... Processing lens 5 ... Optical head 6 ... Optical head relative movement mechanism 7 ... Auto focus mechanism 23 ... Focus sensor 25 ... Position detection Sensor 27 ... Sensor position adjustment means 28 ... Focus mechanism installation position variable means 28B ... Focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means 28C ... Selection use means 29 ... Calibration stage 30 ... Processing control device 31 ... Processing control means 32 ... Focus function control means 36 ... detected focus position storage means 37 ... focus position holding control means 38 ... pre-start focus position control means 39 ... end focus position holding control means a ... scribe La ... scribe processing line Laa ... scribe processing direction E ... processing end position S ... processing start position

Claims (16)

In a laser patterning device that cuts a thin film formed on a substrate into a strip shape using laser light,
A substrate fixing stage on which the substrate is placed, an optical head provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems each irradiating a laser processing beam, and the substrate fixing stage and the optical head are relatively positioned on the processing surface of the substrate. An optical head relative movement mechanism that moves in the directions of two orthogonal axes, a path for moving the optical head relative to the substrate by the optical head relative movement mechanism, and the start of laser light irradiation by the optical head on this path And a processing control means for controlling the processing start position and the processing end position of the substrate that respectively perform stop,
The optical head has an autofocus mechanism in each of the laser processing optical systems, and adjusts the distance between the laser processing optical system and the processing surface of the substrate to the focal length of the laser processing optical system. A laser patterning apparatus comprising: a focus function control unit that turns on a focus function, which is an automatic focusing function of a focus mechanism, at a processing start position of the substrate and turns it off at a processing end position of the substrate.   2. The position detection sensor for detecting a focus position, which is a position in the focus direction of the laser processing optical system, is provided in the autofocus mechanism, and the output of the position detection sensor is stored in the focus function control means. And a focus position holding control means for holding the focus position of the laser processing optical system at a position stored in the detected focus position storage means when the focus function is in an off state. Laser patterning device.   3. The laser processing optical system according to claim 1, wherein a command position of a focus position that is a position in a focus direction of the laser processing optical system to be positioned at the processing start position is stored in the focus function control unit. Before the system reaches the processing start position, a pre-start focus position control means is provided for holding this position with the focus position of the laser processing optical system as the stored command position, and at the processing start position of the substrate A laser patterning device configured to start a focus function from a state in which the laser processing optical system is at the command position when the focus function is turned on. 4. The detected focus position storage according to claim 3, wherein a position detection sensor for detecting the focus position of the laser processing optical system is provided in the autofocus mechanism, and an output of the position detection sensor is stored in the focus function control means. And a focus position holding control means for holding the focus position of the laser processing optical system at a position stored in the detected focus position storage means when the focus function is off.
The pre-start focus position control means moves the optical head away from the end of the substrate before the relative movement of the optical head for actual processing with respect to the optical head relative movement mechanism. When the pre-processing measurement cycle consisting of moving from the home position to the processing start position on the substrate and returning to the home position after this movement is executed, and when the optical head comes to the processing start position in this pre-processing measurement cycle The focus position detected by the position detection sensor is stored in the detected focus position storage means, and the focus of the laser processing optical system is stored in the position stored in the detected focus position storage means by the focus position holding control means. Laser patterning device that holds the position.   The focus direction of the laser processing optical system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the focus function is turned off to the focus function control means when the focus function is turned off at the processing end position, the laser processing optical system is turned off. A laser patterning apparatus provided with a focus position holding control means at the end for storing the focus position, which is the position, and turning off the focus function with the laser processing optical system held at the stored focus position. 6. The detected focus position storage according to claim 5, wherein a position detection sensor for detecting the focus position of the laser processing optical system is provided in the autofocus mechanism, and an output of the position detection sensor is stored in the focus function control means. And a focus position holding control means for holding the focus position of the laser processing optical system at a position stored in the detected focus position storage means in the off state of the focus function,
When the focus function is turned off at the processing end position, the focus position holding control unit at the end detects the focus position immediately before the off by the position detection sensor and stores the focus position in the detected focus position storage unit. A laser patterning apparatus that holds the focus position of the optical system for laser processing at a position stored in the detected focus position storage means by a position holding control means.   The focus mechanism installation according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the autofocus mechanism can be changed in position before and after the laser processing optical system alignment direction with respect to the laser processing optical system. A laser patterning apparatus provided with a position varying means.   8. The laser processing optical system according to claim 1, wherein a focus sensor for detecting a focus distance from the laser processing optical system to a processing surface of the substrate is provided in the laser processing optical system. A laser patterning apparatus provided with sensor position adjusting means provided side by side and capable of adjusting an alignment distance between the focus sensor and the laser processing optical system.   7. The laser patterning device according to claim 1, wherein the autofocus mechanism is provided on a front side in a scribing direction with respect to the laser processing optical system. 8.   The automatic focusing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the autofocus mechanism can be automatically changed to a front side and a rear side in a scribing direction with respect to the laser processing optical system. A laser patterning device provided with a focus mechanism installation position automatic variable means.   7. The laser patterning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the autofocus mechanism is installed both before and after the scribe processing direction with respect to the optical system for laser processing.   12. The laser processing optical system according to claim 11, wherein the laser processing optical system is installed in front of the laser processing optical system with respect to the scribe processing direction, among autofocus mechanisms installed both before and after the scribe processing direction. A laser patterning apparatus provided with a selective use means for selecting and using the autofocus mechanism.   13. The auto focus mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection sensor that detects a focus position that is a position in a focus direction of the laser processing optical system. A laser patterning apparatus provided with a calibration stage to be detected, wherein the height of the calibration stage is substantially the same as the height at the processing start position of the processing surface of the substrate.   14. The laser patterning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate on which the thin film is formed is a solar cell panel.   A laser patterning method for dividing a thin film formed on a substrate into strips by using the laser patterning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14. In a laser patterning method in which a thin film formed on a substrate is formed into a strip shape and cut using a laser beam,
A substrate fixing stage on which the substrate is placed, an optical head provided with a plurality of laser processing optical systems each irradiating a laser processing beam, and the substrate fixing stage and the optical head are relatively positioned on the processing surface of the substrate. Using a laser patterning device provided with an optical head relative movement mechanism that moves in two orthogonal axes,
The optical head has an autofocus mechanism that adjusts the distance between the laser processing optical system and the processing surface of the substrate to the focal length of the laser processing optical system in each laser processing optical system, A laser patterning method, wherein the automatic focusing function of the autofocus mechanism is turned on at the substrate processing start position and turned off at the substrate processing end position.

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