JP2001321977A - Hybrid machining device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hybrid machining device 1 which is compact and manufactured at a low cost, and has a high processing performance. SOLUTION: The machining position 2A of a work 2 is irradiated with a laser beam L which is oscillated by a laser oscillator 7, converged by a conversion lens 12, and transmitted through the aperture 5A of a nozzle 5. Simultaneously, water, supplied into the chamber 19 of the nozzle 5 as a pressurizing fluid, is ejected upon the machining position 2A through the aperture 5A. The laser oscillator 7 is composed of a high output semiconductor laser oscillator. The inner face of the nozzle 5 is composed of a conical face 16A on the upper side and a cylindrical face 16B of a small diameter located on the lower side of the nozzle. The cylindrical face 16B enables the diameter of the aperture 5A at the lower end being 150 μm or smaller, thus the diameter of the focal point of the laser beam L introduced into the water 6 which is ejected from the aperture 5A is converged to 150 μm or smaller.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hybrid processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a hybrid processing apparatus that performs a required laser processing by simultaneously irradiating a workpiece with a pressurized liquid and irradiating a laser beam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hybrid processing apparatus having the following configuration is known. That is,
A laser oscillator that oscillates a laser beam, and a condenser lens that collects the laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator,
A nozzle for injecting the pressure liquid toward the workpiece from the opening at the tip, and a pressure liquid supply means for supplying the pressure liquid to the internal space of the nozzle, wherein the laser beam focused by the condenser lens is 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an apparatus in which light is guided into the inside of a pressure liquid ejected from a nozzle and then irradiated onto a workpiece to perform a required processing on the workpiece (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-1621). Gazette). In the processing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned conventional publication, a workpiece is cut by a laser beam, and at the same time, the cut portion is cooled by a pressurized liquid, and processing debris is removed. In such a conventional hybrid processing apparatus, carbonization of a workpiece during processing can be prevented. Therefore, the conventional hybrid processing apparatus is often used for processing a semiconductor wafer or a thin sheet of synthetic resin.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional hybrid processing apparatus, since the YAG laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator, the following drawbacks have been pointed out. That is, since the YAG laser oscillator is large and expensive, the conventional hybrid processing apparatus described above has the disadvantage that the entire apparatus becomes large and the manufacturing cost increases. On the other hand, there has been conventionally proposed a laser processing machine in which the inner surface of a conical nozzle is coated with a reflecting member that reflects a laser beam (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-80317). Therefore, those skilled in the art can easily adopt the conical nozzle disclosed in the latter publication as the nozzle disclosed in the former publication. However, the following problem occurs even with such a collection structure. That is, in the case of a nozzle whose inner surface is simply conical, there is a disadvantage that the pressurized liquid injected from the lower end opening of the conical nozzle diffuses. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid processing apparatus which is smaller in size and lower in manufacturing cost than the above-described conventional apparatus, and in which the pressure liquid ejected from the nozzle is not scattered.

[0004]

That is, the present invention provides a laser oscillator for oscillating a laser beam, a condensing lens for condensing a laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator, and a work piece through an opening at the tip. A nozzle for injecting the pressure liquid toward the nozzle, and a pressure liquid supply unit for supplying the pressure liquid to the internal space of the nozzle, wherein the laser beam focused by the condenser lens is ejected from the nozzle by the pressure liquid. In a hybrid processing apparatus in which light is guided inside to irradiate a workpiece, and a required processing is performed on the workpiece, a semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator, and the inner surface of the nozzle is set to a front end. A conical surface whose side is reduced in diameter, and a small-diameter cylindrical surface continuously extending from the small-diameter portion of the conical surface to the opening.

According to such a configuration, since a semiconductor laser is used as a laser oscillator, the power supply efficiency is improved as compared with a conventional device using a YAG laser oscillator, so that the entire apparatus can be downsized and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Can be reduced. In addition, since a small-diameter cylindrical surface is provided at a position adjacent to the opening on the inner surface of the nozzle, it is possible to prevent the pressure liquid ejected from the opening toward the workpiece through the cylindrical surface from diffusing. Therefore, it is possible to provide a hybrid processing apparatus which is small in size, has a low manufacturing cost, and has a processing capability equivalent to that of a YAG laser.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a hybrid machining apparatus according to the present invention. This hybrid processing device 1
Is a conventionally known processing table 3 that supports the thin plate-shaped workpiece 2 and is movable in the X direction on the horizontal plane, and Y is disposed above the processing table 3 and is orthogonal to the X direction on the horizontal plane. And a processing head 4 movable in the direction. As the workpiece 2 to be processed by the hybrid processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a semiconductor wafer or an epoxy resin plate having a small thickness is suitable. In the present embodiment, water 6 as a pressurized liquid is jetted from a nozzle 5 provided in the processing head 4 to a processing position 2A of the workpiece 2 and, at the same time, a laser beam L oscillated from a laser oscillator 7 is guided into the water 6. Processing position 2 of workpiece 2 after transmitting light
A is irradiated. In this state, the thin plate-shaped workpiece 2 is cut into a required shape by relatively moving the processing table 3 and the processing head 4 in the XY directions on the horizontal plane.

The processing head 4 of this embodiment is fitted to a plate-like support member 8 which can be moved in the Y direction and can be moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown), and a lower portion of a through hole 8A of the support member 8. A nozzle 5 attached thereto, an annular holder 11 attached to the upper surface of the support member 8 at the position of the through hole 8A,
A laser oscillator 7 held by the inner peripheral portion of the holder 11 and directed into the through hole 8A and the nozzle 5 is provided. Thus, in the present embodiment, a high-output semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator 7,
The laser beam L oscillated from the laser oscillator 7 is condensed by the condenser lens 12 in the nozzle 5 and then passes through the lower end opening 5A of the nozzle 5 to irradiate the workpiece 2. ing. A cooling passage (not shown) through which cooling water can flow is formed in the housing of the laser oscillator 7. A supply pipe 13 for supplying cooling water is connected to one end of the cooling passage, and another end of the cooling passage is connected to the other end of the cooling passage. A recovery pipe 14 for recovering the cooling water is connected. The supply pipe 13
Is connected to a pump (not shown), and the operation of the pump and the laser oscillator 7 is controlled by a control device (not shown). When the laser oscillator 7 is operated by the control device, the pump is also operated.
Cooling water is supplied to the housing of the laser oscillator 7 through the supply pipe 13. At the same time, the heat of the housing of the laser oscillator 7 is also transmitted to the cylindrical holder 11. That is, the laser oscillator 7 is cooled by the cooling water from the holder 11 and the supply pipe 13. The cooling water supplied to the housing of the laser oscillator 7 is collected through a collection pipe 14 into a collection tank (not shown). As can be understood from the above description, in this embodiment, since the semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator 7, the laser oscillator 7 itself can be reduced in size, and as a result, the laser oscillator 7 It is configured as a part. Further, in this embodiment, by using a semiconductor laser oscillator as the laser oscillator 7, the power supply efficiency is improved as compared with the case where a conventional YAG laser oscillator is used.

Next, the nozzle 5 of the present embodiment comprises a ring-shaped lens holder 15 holding a condenser lens 12 therein,
A cylindrical main body 16 is integrally attached to the lower surface of the lens holder 15. The above lens holder 1
5 is fitted into the through hole 8A of the support member 8 from below, whereby the lens holder 15 and the main body 16 are supported vertically downward, and the light of the laser beam L emitted from the laser oscillator 7 is emitted. The axis is aligned with the axis of the nozzle 5. An annular groove 15A is formed in the inner peripheral portion of the lens holder 15.
Are formed in the annular groove 15A.
Are fitted around. An annular seal member 17 is provided on the lower surface of the annular groove 15A, and the seal member 17 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the condenser lens 12. Thus, airtightness and liquid tightness between the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the condenser lens 12 and the annular groove 15A are maintained. The inner space of the main body 16 below the condenser lens 12 forms a chamber 19 in which the water 6 as the pressure liquid is temporarily stored.

An upper portion of the main body 16 is formed with a lateral liquid passage 18 penetrating from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface, and an outer end of the liquid passage 18 is connected to a conduit 21 through a conduit 21. Connected to the high-pressure pump 22. This high pressure pump 2
2, the operation of the high-pressure pump 22 is controlled by a control device (not shown). Then, the water stored in a water tank (not shown) is sucked by the high-pressure pump 22 to increase the pressure, and then supplied to the chamber 19 of the main body 16 via the conduit 21 and the liquid passage 18. When the chamber 19 is filled with water, water 6 as a pressurized liquid is jetted to the processing position 2A of the workpiece 2 through the opening 5A at the lower end of the main body 16. In this embodiment,
The high pressure pump 22 controls the chamber 19 of the nozzle 5.
The water pressure supplied to the inside can be adjusted according to the material and the thickness of the workpiece 2. In the state where the water 6 as the pressurized liquid is jetted from the opening 5A of the nozzle 5 in this manner, the laser oscillator 7 is operated by the control device. Then, the laser beam L from the laser oscillator 7 is guided into the water 6 in the chamber 19 of the nozzle 5 and the water 6 jetted from the opening 5A, passes through them, and passes through the inside of the workpiece 2. Processing position 2A
Is to be irradiated. As already mentioned above,
In this state, the processing head 4 and the processing table 3 are relatively moved in the XY directions in a horizontal plane, and the workpiece 2 is moved.
Is laser cut into a required shape. The processing position 2A is cooled by the water 6 sprayed from the opening 5A of the nozzle 5, and at the same time, the processing debris generated at the processing position 2A is removed by the water 6 sprayed from the opening 5A of the nozzle 5. ing. In this embodiment, water 6 is used as the pressure liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the liquid has a low absorptance to the laser beam L, the pressure in place of the water 6 is used. Can be used as a liquid.

Further, in this embodiment, the main body 1 of the nozzle 5 is provided.
The inner surface of No. 6 is improved as follows. In other words, the inner surface of the main body 16 is a conical surface 16A whose diameter is reduced at the lower end (tip) side, and the substantially lower end continuous from the conical surface 16A and the region on the upper side close to the conical surface have an inner diameter. The cylindrical surfaces 16B are the same. The conical surface 1
6A is composed of an accurate conical surface having a straight axial cross section. Note that the conical surface 16A corresponds to FIG.
As in the second embodiment, the cross section may be an arc-shaped conical surface slightly swelling toward the axial center. Cylindrical surface 1
6B has an opening 5A at its lower end, and has a cylindrical surface 16B.
The inner diameter of the main body 16 is set to be the smallest. The entire surface of the conical surface 16A and the cylindrical surface 16B, that is, the entire inner surface of the main body 16 constituting the chamber 19 is covered with a conventionally known reflector that reflects the laser beam L. Thereby, the condenser lens 12
The laser beam L transmitted through the main body 16 has a conical surface 16A.
In addition, the light is reflected by the cylindrical surface 16B, so that the light is more easily converged. Further, the nozzle 5 of the present embodiment
Is such that a small-diameter cylindrical surface 16B is formed at a position of a tip portion (upper side adjacent to the opening) continuously from the conical surface 16A, so that only the conical surface 16A is formed inside the main body portion 16. In comparison with the above, it is possible to prevent the water 6 as the pressure liquid sprayed from the opening 5A of the nozzle 5 from diffusing. Therefore, if the inner diameter of the cylindrical surface 16B is reduced, the cutting width when cutting the workpiece 2 can be reduced. Therefore, a plurality of nozzles 5 having different inner diameters of the cylindrical surface 16B are prepared, and a suitable nozzle 5 can be selected and used according to the plate thickness or the material of the workpiece 2.
In this manner, the diameter of the focal point of the laser beam L guided to the inside of the water 6 ejected from the opening 5A and passed through the inside can be reduced. In other words, the laser beam L oscillated from the semiconductor laser oscillator generally converges the focus diameter only to a minimum of about 0.8 to 1 mm even when condensed by the condenser lens 12.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, when cutting a semiconductor wafer having a thickness of about 50 μm as the workpiece 2, the diameter of the opening 5 A of the nozzle 5 (the inner diameter of the cylindrical surface 16 B)
Can be set to 150 μm or less. In that case, the diameter of the water 6 injected from the opening 5A is also 150 μm.
By guiding the laser beam L into the water 6, the diameter of the focal point of the laser beam L can be reduced to 150 μm or less, which cannot be obtained by a conventional semiconductor laser oscillator. Further, since the jetted pressure liquid can be prevented from diffusing, the distance between the nozzle 5 and the workpiece 2 during processing can be increased, and a parallel processing surface can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since a high-output semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator 7, compared with a conventional hybrid processing apparatus using a YAG laser oscillator as the laser oscillator, The size of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Moreover, since the small-diameter cylindrical surface 16B is formed at the lower end of the inner surface of the main body 16, the water 6 sprayed from the opening 5A of the nozzle 5 can be prevented from diffusing. Therefore, despite the use of a semiconductor laser oscillator that makes it difficult to converge the focal diameter of the laser beam L to the order of 100 μm, the focal diameter of the laser beam L is reduced to about the same level as when using a conventional YAG laser oscillator. can do. Therefore, it is possible to provide a hybrid processing apparatus that is small in size, has low manufacturing cost, and has a processing capability equivalent to that of a YAG laser oscillator. In addition, when the hybrid processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is viewed as a water jet processing apparatus, no abrasive is required, and water having a pressure (about 5 to 50 MPa) lower than that of a conventional general water jet processing apparatus is used. be able to. Therefore, the running cost and equipment cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional general one.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, only one laser oscillator is provided. In the second embodiment, two laser oscillators are provided to increase the output of the laser beam L. That is, in the second embodiment, the holder 11 is formed in a box shape, and the opening of the holder 11 is put on the upper surface of the support member 8 and connected integrally, thereby closing the through hole 8A. are doing. The first laser oscillator 7 is provided on the upper surface of the holder 11.
Are mounted vertically downward, and the second laser oscillator 7 ′ is mounted on the side surface of the holder 11 in a horizontal direction. A high-output semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the first laser oscillator 7 and the second laser oscillator 7 '. In addition, these laser oscillators 7 and 7 ′ are provided with conventionally known beam collecting condenser lenses 25 and 25. Furthermore, both of these laser oscillators 7, 7 '
A housing (not shown) is provided with a cooling passage (not shown) in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
The cooling water is supplied from the collecting pipe 14 while collecting the cooling water. Further, the prism 26 is supported inside the holder 11 by supporting means (not shown). Therefore, both laser oscillators 7, 7 '
When the laser beam L is oscillated, the laser beam L is first condensed by the collecting condenser lenses 25, 25 and then guided to the prism 26. After the laser beam L is converged into one by the prism 26, It is guided to the condenser lens 12 in the nozzle 5 located on the lower side. Further, in the second embodiment, the conical surface 16A of the nozzle 5 is an arc-shaped conical surface whose axial cross section slightly swells toward the axis. Incidentally, the conical surface 16A in the second embodiment may be a complete conical surface having a straight cross section similarly to the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted. Even with the hybrid machining apparatus 1 of the second embodiment having such a configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the workpiece 2 is preferably a semiconductor wafer having a small thickness or a thin sheet of epoxy resin. However, the workpiece 2 may be any material that does not transmit light. Good. That is, a required cutting process can be performed by the hybrid processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment also on a composite material in which metals, ceramics, synthetic resins, and different materials are laminated. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the cylindrical surface 16B is provided at the lower end of the main body 16, and the cylindrical portion provided with the cylindrical surface 16B is integrated with the portion provided with the upper conical surface 16A. Has formed.
However, the cylindrical portion provided with the cylindrical surface 16B and the portion formed with the conical surface 16A above the cylindrical portion may be formed separately, and they may be integrally connected by screws. With such a configuration, the laser beam L
When the conical surface 16A is damaged by the
The portion provided with the conical surface 16B and the lower cylindrical surface 16B may be separated from each other, and the portion provided with the new conical surface 16A may be replaced with the damaged portion.

[0014]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hybrid processing apparatus which is small in size, has a low manufacturing cost, and has a processing capability equivalent to that of a YAG laser.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hybrid processing apparatus 2 ... Workpiece 4 ... Processing head 5 ... Nozzle 6 ... Water (pressure liquid) 7 ... Laser oscillator 12 ... Condensing lens 16 ... Body part 16A ... Conical surface 16B ... Cylindrical surface 22 ... High pressure pump L … Laser beam

Claims (4)

[Claims] A laser oscillator for oscillating a laser beam;
A condenser lens for condensing a laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator, a nozzle for injecting a pressure liquid from an opening at a tip toward a workpiece, and a pressure liquid for supplying a pressure liquid to an internal space of the nozzle. Supply means for guiding the laser beam condensed by the condensing lens into the inside of the pressure liquid ejected from the nozzle, and then irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam to perform required processing on the workpiece. In the hybrid processing apparatus described above, a semiconductor laser oscillator is used as the laser oscillator, and the inner surface of the nozzle extends from the conical surface whose tip side is reduced in diameter and the small diameter portion of the conical surface to the opening. A hybrid processing apparatus comprising a small-diameter cylindrical surface. 2. An inner diameter of an opening of the nozzle is 150 μm.
The hybrid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid processing apparatus is configured as follows. 3. The hybrid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conical surface and the cylindrical surface of the nozzle are covered with a covering member made of a reflecting material that reflects a laser beam. 4. The hybrid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure liquid is water.