JP2006239813A - Small multiaxis composite working machine and working method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small multiaxis composite working machine capable of manufacturing a microchip having a micro channel, etc. <P>SOLUTION: This small multiaxis composite working machine 10 has multiaxis XYZBC axes furnished with a rotary working table 12 placed on an X-Y axis stage and a tool stage 13 to move in accordance with the Z axis, to revolve around a tool head end and free to make the tool head end contact with a workpiece 29 at an optional angle and can manufacture the microchip having the micro channel, etc. by a unit of itself as it can selectively install a polishing mechanism to polish optional points by giving alternating current high voltage to functional fluid, a cutting work mechanism to carry out end milling and a nano forming mechanism to carry out fine plastic work on the tool stage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine capable of manufacturing a microchip having a micro flow path on a substrate used as a microchemical chip or a biochip, in particular, for micro mold processing.

Today, the technical development of micro chemical chips and biochips in which fine channels are formed on a substrate such as glass or plastic is drawing attention. Such microchips are currently used for research purposes and are produced individually or in small quantities. However, in the future realization of tailor-made medicine, it is demanded to reduce the price by mass production.
In particular, if a microchip can be manufactured using a fine mold having a three-dimensional structure of about 0.1 μm to 100 μm, it can greatly contribute to high-efficiency production and cost reduction of the chip.

  However, conventional microchips are used for research purposes, and many of them are produced individually or in small quantities, so many of them are tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen, reaching practical levels for clinical use. It wasn't.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine capable of performing a fine polishing process, a cutting process, and a nanoforming process, which is a microplastic process, in a single machine. Is.

  In order to achieve the above object, the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine of the present invention moves along the rotary work table mounted on the XY axis stage and the Z axis, and rotates around the tool tip to rotate the tool. A compact multi-axis multi-tasking machine having a multi-axis XYZBC axis having a tool stage capable of abutting the tip at an arbitrary angle with a workpiece, and applying an AC high voltage to the functional fluid to the tool fluid. A polishing mechanism that polishes a portion, a cutting mechanism that can perform end milling, and a nanoforming mechanism that performs microplastic processing can be selectively mounted in one unit.

  In the present invention, the tool stage includes an arcuate arc frame, a tool mounting plate that is movably mounted along the arc frame, and a fixing unit that fixes the tool mounting plate to the arc frame. It is structured.

  In the present invention, the tool stage supports both the tools.

  Further, in the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism has a load cell for measuring an indentation load or a displacement meter for measuring an indentation depth, and the indentation depth can be controlled with a resolution of 1 μm or less, and continuously in the region of the processed surface. It is characterized in that it can be repeatedly pressed while changing the place.

  In the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism is characterized in that various patterns of indentation patterns can be created by freely changing the indentation trace interval and the indentation load depending on the location.

  In the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism can be equipped with a knife edge, a point tool, a structure tool, and other tools.

  In the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism is characterized in that a central portion is formed in a convex shape in order to make the indentation depth uniform.

  Further, in the fine surface shape processing method of the present invention, the rotary work table mounted on the XY axis stage and the Z axis are moved, and the tool tip is rotated around the tool tip at an arbitrary angle. Using a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine with a multi-axis XYZBC axis equipped with a tool stage capable of abutting against the workpiece, mounting a nano-forming mechanism on the tool stage, measuring the indentation load with a load cell, or indentation depth The thickness is measured with a displacement meter, the indentation depth is controlled with a resolution of 1 μm or less, and the indentation is repeatedly performed while changing the location continuously in the region of the machining surface.

  In the processing method of the present invention, the indentation trace interval and the indentation load of the nanoforming mechanism are changed depending on the location.

  In the processing method of the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism is a knife edge, a point tool, a structure tool, or other tools.

  In the processing method of the present invention, the central portion of the structure tool is formed in a convex shape.

  Since this invention consists of an above-described structure, there can exist an effect which is demonstrated below.

  In the present invention, a rotary work table mounted on an XY axis stage, a tool stage that moves according to the Z axis, rotates around the tool tip, and abuts the tool tip at an arbitrary angle; A polishing mechanism that polishes an arbitrary portion by applying an AC high voltage to the tool stage to the functional fluid, a cutting mechanism that can perform end milling, and a nanoforming mechanism that performs microplastic processing. Since it can be mounted, polishing with functional fluid, cutting by end milling, and nanoforming can be performed with a single unit.

  In the present invention, the tool stage includes an arcuate arc frame, a tool mounting plate that is mounted to be movable along the arc frame, and a fixing unit that fixes the tool mounting plate to the arc frame. Therefore, the tool mounting plate and the end mill attached to the tool mounting plate can be freely tilted along the arc frame. By inclining the end mill, it is possible to avoid machining at the peripheral speed zero point at the tip and prevent deterioration due to machining surface roughness.

  In the present invention, since the tool stage supports both the tools, the rigidity is increased and the resonance frequency is raised. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the vibration that affects the processing accuracy.

  In the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism performs fine plastic working on the glass surface using a knife edge tool, and the critical indentation depth is 620 nm or less, so that the knife edge can be formed without causing cracks. Fine plastic working can be performed with a tool.

  In the present invention, the nanoforming mechanism performs microplastic processing on the glass surface using a structure tool, and its critical indentation depth is 173 nm or less. Fine plastic working can be performed.

  A rotary work table mounted on an XY axis stage, and a tool stage that moves according to the Z axis and rotates around the tool tip so that the tool tip can contact the workpiece at an arbitrary angle; Since a polishing mechanism, a cutting mechanism, and a nanoforming mechanism can be selectively mounted on the tool stage, the object of performing polishing, cutting, and plastic working with a single unit can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating an embodiment. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an example of a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a ball end mill is mounted on the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine of the present invention, and FIG. It is a side view which shows the example which set the cutting mechanism to this invention small multi-axis complex machine. Here, the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine 10 moves in accordance with the rotary work table 12 mounted on the XY axis stage 11 and the Z axis, and rotates around the tool tip to make the tool tip an arbitrary angle. And a tool stage 13 capable of coming into contact with the workpiece.

  The XY axis stage 11 is installed on the surface plate 14 and is driven and controlled by servo mechanisms 15 and 16. The rotary work table 12 is rotatably disposed on the XY axis stage 11. Further, the tool stage 13 is provided with a polishing mechanism 17 that applies an alternating high voltage to the functional fluid to polish an arbitrary portion, a cutting mechanism 18 that can perform end milling, and a nanoforming mechanism 19 that performs microplastic processing. Can be selectively installed with a single unit.

  A gate-shaped Z-axis pedestal 20 is erected on the surface plate 14, and a Z-axis stage 21 is arranged at the center of the transverse beam 20 a of the Z-axis pedestal 20 so as to be driven by a servo mechanism 22. Further, the Z-axis stage 21 has an arcuate arc frame 23, a tool attachment plate 24 that is movably attached along the arc frame 23, and fixing means for fixing the tool attachment plate 24 to the arc frame 23. A tool stage 13 consisting of 25 is attached. The arc frame 23 is provided with a groove 23a for moving the tool mounting plate 24 in an arc shape and a scale 23b. The groove 23a is configured to coincide with a tool attached to the tool attachment plate 24, for example, an arc centered on the tip of a ball end mill that is a cutting mechanism. The fixing means 25 fixes the tool mounting plate 24 moved along the arc frame 23 at a predetermined position. The tool mounting plate 24 is provided with a polishing mechanism 25 that applies an alternating high voltage to the functional fluid to polish an arbitrary portion, a cutting mechanism 18 that can perform end milling, and a nanoforming mechanism 19 that performs microplastic processing. Can be selectively attached. The servo mechanisms 15, 16, and 22 are controlled by a machining operation control mechanism (not shown).

<Cutting mechanism>
In the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine 10 configured as described above, a case will be described in which a ball end mill 28, which is one of the cutting mechanisms, is attached to the tool mounting plate 24 and a microchip master is processed by micro cutting. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball end mill 28 attached to the tool attachment plate 24 is inclined at a predetermined angle. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the workpiece 29 and the tool cutting edge 30 at this time. When the master is processed by machining, the microstructure must be controlled by a micro order, so that the processed surface needs a surface roughness of sub-micro or less. 4 and 5 show the processing mechanism by the ball end mill two-dimensionally. As shown here, the finished surface of the groove 31 to be formed is created by the biting part A and the detachment part B of the cutting edge having a small cutting thickness, and the rest is removed as a chip by subsequent cutting.
Machining with a ball end mill is a three-dimensional extension of this principle. When the height of the cutting edge is lowered, the radius of the arc shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is reduced, and the finished surface is not affected by the size of the axial cut. All will be created by micro-incision. As a result, the cutting force in the region for creating the finished surface is small, and a good machined surface can be obtained. In addition, since the center radius of the ball end mill has a small rotation radius of the cutting edge, the cutting speed is also reduced and workability is lowered. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tool edge 30 of the ball end mill must be tilted to perform machining while maintaining a certain cutting speed even at the bottom.
<Spindle tilt experiment results>
A good finished surface was obtained by inclining the axis (spindle) of the ball end mill 28, which is a feature of this apparatus. As processing samples, pre-hardened steel, steel materials for molds such as SKD11 and SKD61, and glass materials were used. Among these, the following good results were obtained especially for the pre-hardened steel.
1) When the inclination of the spindle was 0 degree, the surface roughness after processing was Ra 1.22 μm.
2) When the inclination of the spindle was 45 degrees, the surface roughness after processing was Ra 0.39 μm.

<Nanoforming mechanism>
FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example in which the nanoforming mechanism 19 is set in the small multi-axis complex machine 10 of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the nanoforming mechanism 19 is attached to the tool attachment plate 24.
The nanoforming mechanism 19 includes a knife edge tool, a point tool, a structure tool, and the like, and these tools can be used properly.
The knife edge tool is a wedge-shaped tool with a sharp tip and a tip angle of 180 degrees or less. The point tool is a sharp pyramid or conical tool with a tip having a tip angle of θ degrees or less (θ is determined so as not to conflict with a Vickers indenter, a Belkovic indenter, a Rockwell indenter, etc.).
The structure tool 70 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, and the tool surface 71 is circular. A projection 72 is cut out on the tool surface 71 using FIB (focused ion beam device: SMI2200, manufactured by SII). The protrusion 72 has a rectangular column shape with a height and width of about 1 μm and a height of 0.2 μm, or a column shape with a diameter of about 1 μm.

The nanoforming mechanism 19 of the present invention has the following configuration.
1) It has a load cell that measures the indentation load or a displacement meter that measures the indentation depth.
2) The indentation depth can be controlled with a resolution of 1 μm or less.
3) There is a function of repeatedly performing indentation processing while continuously changing the location within the region of the processing surface.
4) Create various patterns of indentation by changing the interval between indentations and the indentation load according to the location.
5) Use knife edge tools, point tools, structure tools, and other tools properly.
6) A structure tool having a convex center part in order to make the indentation depth uniform.
This is due to the following reason.
Usually, the surface of the material is not completely flat and has waviness, so that the height of the material surface varies depending on the location. Therefore, in order to accurately control the indentation depth from the material surface, it is necessary to control the indentation depth by measuring the indentation load or indentation depth on-time during the indentation stroke.
Also, in order to perform ductile mode processing of hard and brittle materials, the indentation depth must be less than or equal to the critical indentation depth. The critical indentation depth of many brittle materials such as glass, quartz and silicon is 1 μm or less. Therefore, a function capable of controlling the indentation depth of 1 μm or less is necessary.
In addition, since the present apparatus is intended to process the entire region of the material surface and control the fine shape of the surface, it is meaningless to perform indentation processing on only one point. Therefore, it is necessary to have a function of repeatedly performing indentation processing while automatically moving the XY stage to create a predetermined indentation trace pattern. This is because without this function, it becomes the same as a nanoindentation tester.
Various fine patterns can be created with a single tool by changing the indentation interval, indentation depth, and material orientation (processing direction) in the XY plane depending on the location. Further, the function of the surface can be changed by changing the interval, the indentation depth, and the processing mark direction. By changing the fine pattern depending on the location on one surface, the surface function can be changed depending on the location.

  When the work tool is pushed into a hard material with the structure tool 70 that has been machined from a material having a constant machining surface height, that is, the top surface is flat, the push depth at the central portion is shallow and the push depth at the peripheral portion is deep. Therefore, in order to make the indentation depth constant, the center of the tool surface is raised, that is, by making it convex, the indentation depth is made uniform.

Table 1 shows an indentation load P (N) and an indentation mark depth d (nm) when a knife edge type tool is pressed against the soda glass surface to form an indentation mark. A white circle is an example of ductile mode processing, and a black circle is an example in which a crack has occurred. As a result of the experiment, cracks increase as the depth of the processing mark exceeds 600 nm, and the critical indentation depth is considered to be about 620 nm. When a structure type tool is used, as shown in Table 2, the critical indentation depth is considered to be about 173 nm.

  From the above experimental example, it was possible to perform nanoforming on the soda glass surface. Similarly, the nanoforming process could be performed on the plastic substrate.

<Polishing mechanism with functional fluid>
FIG. 11 is a side view showing an example in which a polishing mechanism 17 using a functional fluid is set in the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine 10 of the present invention. Here, the polishing mechanism 17 is attached to the tool attachment plate 24, and a voltage is applied to the electrode 17 a and a functional fluid is supplied to the surface of the workpiece 29. The workpiece 29 is reciprocated at a predetermined cycle by the XY axis stage 11. The electrode 17a may be rotated to be a rotating electrode.

  The existing loose abrasive polishing technique is widely used because an excellent finished surface can be obtained. However, the abrasive grains are easily dissipated from the polishing region by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the polishing platen, and the supply is delayed, resulting in a decrease in polishing efficiency. Therefore, in the functional fluid polishing mechanism of the present invention, by using a functional fluid in which abrasive grains are dispersed, the movement exhibited by the abrasive grains is actively utilized and applied to the control of the arrangement of the abrasive grains. The abrasive grains used here have an operation principle that an intrinsic electric permittivity causes a polarization action by applying an electric field, leading to the expression of Coulomb force, and attraction force.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a multilayer rotating electrode of the functional fluid polishing mechanism, and FIG. 13 is an assumption diagram of the arrangement of abrasive grains in the multilayer rotating electrode. Here, in the multilayer rotating electrode 100, a plurality of conductor layers 101 are concentrically arranged with an insulating layer 102 interposed therebetween. A carbon brush 103 is used to supply the electric field. Furthermore, the fluid to be used for in-situ observation of the polished surface is dimethyl silicone oil (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), diamond with an average particle size of 5 μm is weighed with an electronic balance, and is uniformly dispersed using an ultrasonic dispersing machine It was. As a fluid used for polishing, cerium oxide having an average particle diameter of 3 μm is weighed in dimethyl silicone oil with an electronic balance and carefully mixed, and then uniformly dispersed. The applied electric field generates voltage, frequency, and waveform using a synthesizer. This basic signal is connected to a high voltage amplifier and boosted and supplied between electrodes filled with a functional fluid. The distance between the electrodes is kept at 1 mm, and the signal confirmation of the electric field is observed through a digital oscilloscope (Agilent 54645A) using a high voltage probe. The application condition of the electric field is that the frequency and the electric field strength are 0.5 to 10 Hz and 2.0 to 3.0 kV / mm, respectively. For in-situ observation under the rotating electrode surface, an ITO transparent electrode is adopted as the other electrode so that the behavior of the abrasive grains on the surface where the workpiece and the rotating electrode polishing surface are in contact can be observed. In addition, it is possible to use a slide glass for the workpiece. This is because a uniform abrasive grain arrangement is realized as shown in FIG. 13 and good polishing characteristics are obtained.
The number of rotations of the electrode is fixed at 50 times / minute, and after the fluid is dropped, the rotation electrode is driven, and then an electric field is applied. The abrasive grains are confirmed by in-situ observation of the movement between the electrodes. Also, polishing evaluation experiments are performed.

<Experimental result>
From the above experimental results, it is possible to accumulate abrasive grains at locations where processing pressure is applied. Further, the accumulation distribution of the abrasive grains is the same as the electric field strength distribution. In addition, the abrasive grains finely move by applying a low-frequency AC electric field, and the agglomeration action can be suppressed by the collision of the abrasive grains. Furthermore, by applying an electric field, Coulomb force acts, and abrasive grains scattered from the polishing region by centrifugal force can be prevented. Therefore, improvement in polishing efficiency can be expected.
<Polishing result>
In the polishing result using the multilayer rotating electrode of the present invention, the polishing process proceeds while the abrasive grains of the functional fluid are held between the electrodes of the multilayer rotating electrode 100. Therefore, an effective and good finishing result was obtained. With respect to the surface roughness, a surface of 13.5 nmRa before polishing to 7.5 nmRa after polishing was obtained with a polishing time of 3 minutes. As a result, it was confirmed that by applying an electric field to the functional fluid using a multilayer rotating electrode, the abrasive grains, which are dispersed particles on the polishing surface, provide an environment in which movement is possible to prevent aggregation between the electrodes. . By introducing the multi-layer rotating electrode 100, it has become possible to obtain excellent surface finish characteristics even for a workpiece that has a thickness that has been difficult with the present polishing method and is an insulating material. Further, by introducing the multilayer rotating electrode 100, the distribution of the abrasive grains was made uniform, and the surface roughness was improved from 13.5 nm to 7.5 nm in 3 minutes.

  Thus, in the present invention, the surface of the workpiece 29 can be uniformly polished by the polishing mechanism 17 using a functional fluid. According to the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine 10 of the present invention, the surface of the workpiece 29 is mirror-polished by the polishing mechanism 17 with a single device, and then the surface is finely processed by a cutting mechanism 18 such as a DNA chip mold. And using the mold, a highly sensitive DNA chip or the like can be formed on the surface of plastic or soda glass using the nanoforming mechanism 19.

  The present invention can also be applied to other modifications within the technical scope shown in the claims.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an example of a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a ball end mill is mounted on the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example in which a cutting mechanism is set in the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a cutting state by a ball end mill. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view seen from above showing a cutting state by a ball end mill. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example in which a nanoforming mechanism is set in the small multi-axis complex machine. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of a structure-type tool used for the nanoforming mechanism. FIG. 8 is a side view of the structure-type tool. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing another example of a structure-type tool used for the nanoforming mechanism. FIG. 10 is a side view of the structure type tool. FIG. 11 is a side view showing an example in which a functional fluid polishing mechanism is set in the small multi-axis multi-tasking machine. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a multilayer rotating electrode of the functional fluid polishing mechanism. FIG. 13 is an assumption diagram of the arrangement of abrasive grains in the multilayer rotating electrode.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Small multi-axis combined processing machine 11 XY-axis stage 12 Rotation work table 13 Tool stage 14 Surface plate 15 Servo mechanism 16 Servo mechanism 17 Polishing mechanism 18 Cutting mechanism 19 Nanoforming mechanism 20 Z-axis mount 21 Z-axis stage 22 Servo Mechanism 23 Arc frame 24 Tool mounting plate 25 Fixing means 28 Ball end mill 29 Work piece 30 Tool blade 31 Groove 70 Structure tool 71 Tool surface 72 Protrusion 100 Multilayer rotating electrode 101 Conductive layer 102 Insulating layer 103 Carbon brush

Claims (11)

A rotary work table mounted on an XY axis stage;
This is a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine having a multi-axis XYZBC axis, which has a tool stage that moves along the Z-axis and rotates around the tool tip so that the tool tip can come into contact with the workpiece at an arbitrary angle. And
A polishing mechanism that polishes an arbitrary portion by applying an AC high voltage to the tool stage to the functional fluid, a cutting mechanism that can perform end milling, and a nanoforming mechanism that performs microplastic processing can be selectively performed in one unit. A compact multi-axis multi-tasking machine that can be mounted. The tool stage includes an arcuate arc frame,
A tool mounting plate movably mounted along the arc frame;
2. The small multi-axis multi-tasking machine according to claim 1, further comprising fixing means for fixing the tool mounting plate to the arc frame.   The small multi-axis multi-tasking machine according to claim 1, wherein the tool stage supports both the tools. The nanoforming mechanism is
It has a load cell that measures indentation load or a displacement meter that measures indentation depth,
The indentation depth can be controlled with a resolution of 1 μm or less.
The small multi-axis multi-tasking machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the multi-axis multi-tasking machine can be repeatedly pressed while changing the location continuously within the region of the processing surface.   The multi-axis multi-axis composite machining according to claim 4, wherein the nano-forming mechanism is capable of creating various indentation patterns by freely changing the indentation mark interval and the indentation load depending on the location. Machine.   6. The small multi-axis multi-tasking machine according to claim 4, wherein the nanoforming mechanism can be mounted with a knife edge, a point tool, a structure tool, and other tools.   6. The small multi-axis multi-tasking machine according to claim 4, wherein the nanoforming mechanism has a central portion formed in a convex shape in order to make the indentation depth uniform. A rotary work table mounted on an XY axis stage, and a tool stage that moves along the Z axis and rotates around the tool tip so that the tool tip can come into contact with the workpiece at an arbitrary angle. Using a small multi-axis multi-tasking machine with multi-axis XYZBC axes,
A nanoforming mechanism is mounted on the tool stage,
Measure the indentation load with a load cell or measure the indentation depth with a displacement meter,
Control the indentation depth with a resolution of 1 μm or less,
A method for processing a fine surface shape, characterized by repeatedly performing indentation processing while changing the location continuously within the region of the processing surface.   9. The method for processing a fine surface shape according to claim 8, wherein the indentation trace interval and the indentation load of the nanoforming mechanism are changed depending on a place.   9. The fine surface shape processing method according to claim 8, wherein the nanoforming mechanism is a knife edge, a point tool, a structure tool, or other tools.   The method for processing a fine surface shape according to claim 10, wherein a central portion of the structure tool is formed in a convex shape.

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