JP2007511367A - How to create a matte finish with controlled density on the silicon surface to reduce glare - Google Patents

Abstract

In a system (100) and method for creating a matte finish on a surface such as a silicon surgical blade, the system includes a computer (2), a laser and lens assembly (8), and a laser according to received instructions. And an xy coordinate controller (6) for controlling the position of. The method includes creating a design or pattern (200) that is removed by a laser onto a surgical blade. A data set is then created from a file representing the design or pattern, and the data set instructions are sent to the xy coordinate controller (6), the laser and lens assembly (8). The xy coordinate controller (6) moves the laser (8) to the position where the depressions (212, 214) are to be formed, the laser strikes the surgical blade and has a predetermined diameter, depth and spacing. A hole or depression is baked into the surgical blade. The process then repeats rapidly until the design or pattern is made on the surgical blade (10).

Description

  This application has priority over US provisional application (No. 60/501400) in accordance with US Patent Act §119 (e), particularly filed on September 10, 2003, which is the entire content of which is incorporated herein. Claim rights. In addition, this application is a non-provisional application (No. 10/383573, filed on Mar. 10, 2003) which is the entire contents constituting a part of this specification (“System and Method for Manufacturing Surgical Blade” Is a continuation-in-part application.

  The present invention relates to the manufacture and use of surgical blades. The present invention also relates to a system and method for creating a matte finish on a surface, such as the surface of a silicon surgical blade, to reduce glare.

  The manufacture of silicon surgical blades is a relatively new innovation in the field of medical technology. The above provisional applications and non-provisional patent applications disclose methods for manufacturing these blades. When manufactured using the method described in the above application or other methods, the silicon surface of the blade will typically be highly reflective. This reflection is an inherent property in silicon or other crystalline materials used in manufacturing surgical blades and other devices. In the case of a surgical blade, if the blade is used under a microscope with a light source, this is distracting for the surgeon.

  Accordingly, there is a need to provide a system and method that reduces or eliminates most or all of the glare produced by light reflection from surgical blades manufactured according to the methods described in the above application as well as other methods. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for making a matte finish on a surgical blade, preferably a blade made of silicon and / or other crystalline material.

  The method of the present invention creates a data set for controlling the system to create a matte finish according to a predetermined pattern or design, and transfers the data set to the position controller and laser to create a predetermined pattern or design. And illuminating the surface of the surgical blade with laser light of known wavelength, pulse repetition rate, surface speed and laser power.

  Variables in wavelength, pulse repetition rate, surface velocity and laser power are selected to create a hole or depression in the surgical blade, thereby creating a matte finish.

  The various objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  Several embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or nearly identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even if they are illustrated in different figures. In the following description, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations are omitted for the sake of brevity.

  As mentioned above, the surface of a silicon surgical blade, particularly blades made according to the method described in the above application, will usually be highly reflective. This distracts the surgeon when the blade is used with a light source under a microscope. Thus, the blade surface can be provided with a matte finish that dissipates scattered or incident light (e.g., exiting a high intensity lamp used during surgery) and is not glossy as opposed to shiny looks like. The matte finish is made by emitting light to the blade surface from a suitable laser and removing areas on the blade surface depending on the particular pattern and density. The removed area is preferably made circular because it is generally in the form of emitted laser light. The size of the circular removed portion is preferably in the range of 25-50 microns in diameter. On the other hand, the dimensions depend on the manufacturer and the type of laser used. The depth of the circular removed region is preferably in the range of 10-25 microns. These features will be described in more detail below.

  In practice, a graphic file can be created that arbitrarily places holes or depressions to achieve the desired effect on the density and optionality of the particular removed area for the pattern. Alternatively, the pattern need not be arbitrary. This graphic file can be created manually or automatically by a program in a computer. Additional features that may be implemented are the serial number on the blade surface, the manufacturer's logo, or the name of the surgeon or hospital.

  During the process of creating a matte finish, the reflective surface of crystalline silicon (Si) is exposed to laser light. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, laser light having other wavelengths may be used, but the laser light will have a wavelength of 355 nm. Examples of such lasers include excimer lasers and YAG lasers. The laser light is emitted at a high frequency (or pulse repetition rate), and is set to 5 kHz or about 5 kHz in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Other pulse repetition rates below 5 kHz and above 5 kHz can also be used. For example, some lasers can use frequencies of 10 kHz, 11 kHz, 25 kHz, 30 kHz, or 100 kHz. In this specification, the disclosed embodiments of the invention include lasers that oscillate at any desired frequency. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the speed at which the laser light continuously moves on the surface of the surgical blade (surface speed) is set to 1000 mm / sec or about 1000 mm / sec.

  Each pulse of laser light creates a hole or depression in the silicon surface. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the holes or depressions have a diameter in the range of 25-50 μm. The diameter, shape and depth in the hole or depression depends on several factors. Usually, the laser emits in a substantially circular beam. The diameter and shape of the hole or dent is determined by the shape of the propagated laser light and the single or multiple lenses (condensing assembly) used to apply the laser light to the silicon surface. The concentrating assembly can focus the laser light with a smaller diameter than if propagated (ie, focus the output of the laser light to a smaller area; this will be described later). Or, conversely, the laser light can be dispersed (its output diverges over a larger area). Further, the condensing assembly allows the laser light to pass through without any practical effect on the diameter of the laser light.

  Furthermore, the condensing assembly can guide the laser light at an angle rather than perpendicular to the surface of the object. This can create an elliptical hole or depression whose length depends on the angle of the laser beam with respect to the surface of the object. Finally, the duty cycle can affect the shape of the hole or depression in the surface of the object. The duty cycle is the ratio of the total time that the laser vibrates (frequency) (ie, the time when the laser is on (on time) to the period (T). The duty cycle is generally expressed as a ratio of the period. A duty cycle of 1% means that the laser will be on for 1% of its duration, and if the laser oscillates intermittently with a duty cycle of 0.01% at a frequency of 10 kHz, Turned on for 0.01 microsecond (μs), whose duty cycle can affect the shape of the hole or depression as the laser light continuously moves across the surface of the object. The duty cycle of the laser used in making a hole or depression on the object is generally very small (e.g. 1%, 0.0001%, etc.) so that the hole or depression will be substantially circular.As an example, the current industrial laser AVIA 355 uses the specifications that make up part of this specification. The specification shows that the pulse width is less than 30 nanoseconds (nsec) at a pulse repetition frequency of 60 kHz, and a pulse width of 30 nanoseconds at a pulse repetition frequency of 60 kHz. The duty cycle is 0.00018% This example is in no way limiting as other duty cycles and pulse repetition frequencies are within the scope of the present invention.

  The depth of the depression can be controlled by the peak laser power, the laser and the frequency of the focusing assembly. The peak laser power is controlled by the input to the laser resonator. To some extent, this relationship is linear and increasing the power relative to the input signal to the laser resonator will cause a corresponding increase in the output of the laser. Higher laser power will result in deeper holes or depressions. Second, different laser frequencies, or wavelengths, will have different “burn” characteristics for different materials. In general, lower frequency lasers have greater power and higher frequency lasers have lower power. Third, as described above, the concentrating assembly can affect the depth of the hole or depression. The laser light that must be diverged consumes less power per square millimeter because of the condensing assembly. Conversely, laser light that must be concentrated will have greater power per square millimeter due to the focusing assembly. Higher power concentrations will create deeper holes or depressions for a given wavelength and output electrical intensity. In addition, the laser can be controlled to repeatedly hit the same location to increase the depth of the hole or depression. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the recess is 25 μm, or about 25 μm.

  The spacing and size of the holes or depressions determines the density of the depressions. Its density determines the ability of the silicon surface to reflect light. A low density dimple pattern will reflect more light. Therefore, a more specular surface, a higher density pattern, will reflect less light and result in a darker surface.

  FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 for directing laser light to a surgical blade made of silicon or a crystalline material other than silicon. In FIG. 1, a computer 2 supplies control signals to an xy coordinate controller 6, a laser and lens assembly (laser assembly) 8 via a control / data line 4. The computer 2 can be connected to a network (not shown) which is an internet, LAN, WAN, or any other type of wired / wireless network for receiving instructions to control the system 100. These network connections are omitted for ease of understanding. The xy coordinate controller 6 receives position control information from the computer 2 and thereby moves the laser assembly 8 accordingly.

  In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is software in the computer 2 programmed to create a matte finish pattern on the object 10. The program will take into account the type of material from which the object 10 is made, the frequency of the laser light, the pattern imparted to the object 10 and will create a data set that is sent to the xy coordinate controller 6 and the laser assembly 8. This data set changes pulse repetition rate (PRR), surface velocity (SV), position control information, duty cycle corresponding to that PRR, maximum and average laser power, focus / direction in the lens assembly part of laser assembly 8. Including instructions to do so. The position control information is created from a matte finish pattern designed by the operator (or input from another graphic program). The program takes the data of the pattern created by the operator and puts the data into a series of instructions that the xy coordinate controller 6 processes to control where the laser makes a hole or depression in the surface of the object. Convert. As the operator controls the density of the pattern (within the laser limits) and the pattern itself, the program breaks it down into those variables according to the specifications of the laser and xy controller, moves the laser, how much is on and off And a command indicating where to make a hole or depression in the surface of the object.

  The “density” of the area removed in a circle refers to the ratio of the total surface area covered by the area removed in a circle. A “removed part density” of about 5% gives the blade a very matt finish from its normally smooth, specular appearance. However, sharing all removed parts in the same area does not affect the specular effect in the blade's harmony. Thus, the circular removed portion preferably extends over the surface of the blade in a random or predetermined manner.

Once the data set has been created, the operator continues (manually or automatically) and shines laser light on the surface of the object 10. The data is transferred to the xy coordinate controller 6 and the laser assembly 8, and the xy coordinate controller 6 moves the laser assembly 8 according to program variables. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the laser is directed to create a hole or depression at a certain starting position. FIG. 2 shows the matte finish pattern resulting from the application of laser light to the surgical blade with carefully selected variables. The xy coordinate controller 6 continuously moves the laser assembly 8 along the direction of the arrow 206. The laser is turned on for a period t ₁ (on period) to create a hole or dimple 212A, and then for a period t ₂ (off period), the laser is moved to the next desired position ( Since it moves into the hole or depression 212B), it is turned off. This pattern repeats according to the programmed data set until the first row (or column) of holes or depressions is created. The laser then moves along the direction of arrow 208 (to the right in this example) and starts again at the hole or depression 214A. In various embodiments of the present invention, the laser may begin to create a hole or depression at location 214B. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the hole or indentation is generally a circular pattern, unless the program commands the lens assembly to change the laser light.

  Typically, a gantry laser can be used to create a matte finish on the blade. Also, a galvo-head laser machine can be used. The former is slow but very accurate and the latter is fast and not as accurate as its gantry. A galvo head laser machine is a preferred tool because overall accuracy is not essential and manufacturing speed directly affects price. The galvo head laser machine can move thousands of millimeters per second, resulting in a total removal of about 5 seconds of etching time for a typical surgical blade.

  After the first row of holes or depressions has been created by the laser beam, the program stops the laser when the xy coordinate controller 6 moves the laser assembly 9 to the beginning of a new row (or column). The process is then repeated until the desired pattern is complete. As shown in FIG. 2, there is a portion (portion 210) where no holes or depressions are made. A pattern is applied to the matte finish object 10 with almost infinite possibilities. For example, the surgeon can name his or her name on a silicon surgical blade, or the hospital can order a blade with the name of the hospital. The program that creates the data sets for the xy coordinate controller 6 and the laser assembly 8 is preferably intuitive so that the designer can create patterns or capture patterns from other graphic arts programs. Has a user interface.

  In practice, the graphic file can be created so that the depressions are arbitrarily positioned to achieve a random desired effect on the density and pattern of the particular removed portion. This graphic file can be created manually or automatically by a program in the computer. Another form that may be implemented is the production number and manufacturer logo notation. The serial number and logo can be made or placed by holes or indentations or by holes or indented parts. For example, in FIG. 2, portion 210 is an area without holes or depressions.

Table 1 shows the relationship between pulse repetition rate, laser surface speed and the next spacing of holes or depressions in surgical blades made of silicon or other crystalline materials, and FIG. The matte finish pattern resulting from applying laser light to the surgical blade is shown. As described above, the pulse repetition rate (PRR) is the speed (frequency) at which the laser intermittently fluctuates. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the period is represented by T. The on period and the off period of the laser 8 are equal to t ₁ and t ₂ , respectively. If the initial PRR is equal to 10 kHz, then T (period) is equal to 0.100 ms. During the on period t ₁ , the laser is turned on at a position determined by the xy coordinate controller 6 and a hole or depression is formed in the matte finish object 10. During period t _2, the off period, the laser is turned off, the first surface speed, continues to move to the next position to be holes or recesses are formed at a rate equal to SV-1. The distance between the centers of each hole or indentation, “interval”, is the product of period T and SV−1: interval = (SV−1) × (T). As an example, SV-1 is 1000 mm / s, T is 0.1 ms, and then the distance between the holes or depressions is 1000 mm / s × 0.1 ms (equal to 100 μm). FIG. 2 shows a matte finish using these variables. The spacing between each hole or depression in the first column is about 100 μm, as indicated by arrow 204. The diameter of the hole or depression is determined by the power, frequency (wavelength), and laser focal length (use of the lens in the laser and lens assembly 8). The spacing between adjacent columns indicated by arrows 202 is about 150 μm in this non-limiting example. In FIG. 2, the matte finish pattern made by the operator includes a portion 210 without a hole or depression.

  It is possible to make holes or depressions in other materials in addition to silicon with a suitable laser. These other materials include all kinds of metals, glasses, stones, plastics, wood, ceramics, and almost any other kind of material used. All that is needed is a laser frequency control variable, laser power (average and maximum), duty cycle, correct application in surface speed, and a system that properly performs that control variable.

  The invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in a specific form that is not the exemplary embodiment described above. This can be done without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting in any way. The scope of the invention is given by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are intended to be included.

1 shows a system for applying laser light to a surgical blade made of a crystalline material such as silicon. A matte finish pattern produced by applying laser light to a surgical blade with carefully selected variables.

Claims (47)

In a system to reduce glare and create a matte finish pattern on the surface of an object,
An xy coordinate controller adapted to process a matte finish pattern command;
A laser assembly that outputs laser light and is moved in response to the processed matte finish pattern command to produce the matte finish pattern on the surface of the object;
Including system.   The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer that interacts with a series of command codes and a user to create and send a matte finish pattern command to create a matte finish pattern on the surface of the object.   The instruction code is a series of computer instructions designed to work with an operator to create a matte finish pattern in the computer and translate the pattern into instructions and data readable by the xy coordinate controller. The system of claim 2 comprising:   The system of claim 1, wherein the laser assembly is selected from the group consisting of a gantry laser and a galvo head laser. 2. The laser assembly includes a laser adapted to output laser light having a wavelength of about 355 nanometers, a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and a duty cycle of about 18 × 10 ⁻⁵ %. The described system.   The system of claim 5, wherein the laser is selected from the group consisting of an excimer laser and a YAG laser.   The system of claim 6, wherein the laser is adapted to create a substantially circular depression in the surface of the silicon having a depth of about 25 microns and a diameter ranging from about 25 microns to 50 microns.   The laser assembly focuses the output laser light so that the laser light has a smaller diameter than the original output, or diverges the output laser so that the laser light has a larger diameter than the original output, or The system of claim 1 including a laser light focusing assembly that is substantially insensitive to the output laser.   The xy coordinate controller and the laser assembly move the laser at a surface velocity of about 1000 mm / sec, output laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and are substantially circular at intervals of about 200 microns. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to create a depression.   The xy coordinate controller and the laser assembly move the laser at a surface velocity of about 2000 mm / sec, output laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and are substantially circular at intervals of about 400 microns. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to create a depression.   The xy coordinate controller and the laser assembly move the laser at a surface velocity of about 1000 mm / sec, output laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and are substantially circular at intervals of about 100 microns. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to create a depression.   The xy coordinate controller and the laser assembly move the laser at a surface speed of about 2000 mm / sec, output laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and are substantially circular at intervals of about 200 microns. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to create a depression.   The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a silicon surgical blade.   The system of claim 1, wherein the object is made of silicon.   The system of claim 1, wherein the object is made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, plastic, metal, wood, and stone. In a method to reduce glare and create a matte finish pattern on the surface of an object,
Move the laser assembly in the xy coordinate controller according to a series of matte finish pattern commands,
Outputting a laser beam from a laser in the laser assembly in response to the matte finish pattern command to create the matte finish pattern on the surface of the object. Create a series of instruction codes in a computer to create a matte finish pattern instruction to create a matte finish pattern on the surface of an object,
Sending an instruction code from the computer;
The method of claim 16, wherein the matte finish pattern command is received at the xy coordinate controller. The process of creating a series of instruction codes in a computer involves linking a series of computer instructions with an operator to create a matte finish pattern on the computer,
The method of claim 17, comprising translating the pattern into instructions and data readable by the xy coordinate controller.   The method of claim 16, wherein the laser assembly is selected from the group consisting of a gantry laser and a galvo head laser. The step of outputting laser light from the laser in the laser assembly outputs laser light having a wavelength of about 355 nanometers, a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and a duty cycle of about 18 × 10 ⁻⁵ %. The method of claim 16 comprising:   The method of claim 16, wherein the laser is selected from the group consisting of an excimer laser and a YAG laser.   The step of outputting laser light from the laser in the laser assembly includes creating a substantially circular depression in the silicon surface at a depth of about 25 microns and a diameter ranging from about 25 microns to 50 microns. The method of claim 16. The step of outputting laser light from the laser in the laser assembly,
The output laser beam is focused so as to be a laser beam having a diameter smaller than the initial output, or the output laser is diverged so as to be a laser beam having a diameter larger than the initial output, or the output laser is 17. The method of claim 16, comprising making substantially no change. The step of moving the laser assembly and outputting the laser light from the laser in the laser assembly,
17. The method of claim 16, comprising moving the laser at a surface speed of about 1000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 200 microns. . The step of moving the laser assembly and outputting the laser light from the laser in the laser assembly,
17. The method of claim 16, comprising moving the laser at a surface velocity of about 2000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 400 microns. . The step of moving the laser assembly and outputting the laser light from the laser in the laser assembly,
17. The method of claim 16, comprising moving the laser at a surface speed of about 1000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 100 microns. . The step of moving the laser assembly and outputting the laser light from the laser in the laser assembly,
17. The method of claim 16, comprising moving the laser at a surface speed of about 2000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 200 microns. .   The method of claim 16, wherein the object is a silicon surgical blade.   The method of claim 16, wherein the object is made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, plastic, metal, wood, and stone.   A product made according to the method of claim 16.   A silicon surgical blade made according to the method of claim 16. For objects with a matte finish on the surface,
An object that includes a plurality of holes or depressions in the surface of the object that are sufficiently sized to diffuse or scatter light so that glare from the light is substantially reduced. In a method to reduce glare and create a matte finish pattern on the surface of an object,
Focusing the laser on the surface of the object to create a plurality of depressions of sufficient dimensions to scatter or scatter the light so that glare from the light is substantially reduced.   The step of focusing the laser on the surface of the object includes generating a plurality of instructions to control the laser, moving and manipulating the laser according to the plurality of instructions, and transmitting laser light from the laser according to the plurality of instructions. 34. The method of claim 33, comprising outputting to the surface of the object to create a matte finish pattern. Focusing the laser on the surface of the object to create a plurality of depressions includes a laser having a wavelength of about 355 nanometers, a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and a duty cycle of about 18 × 10 ⁻⁵ %. 34. The method of claim 33, comprising outputting light.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the laser is selected from the group consisting of an excimer laser and a YAG laser.   The step of outputting laser light from the laser includes creating a substantially circular depression in the surface of the object at a depth of about 25 microns and a diameter in the range of about 25 microns to 50 microns. The method described. The process of focusing the laser on the surface of the object so as to create multiple indentations
The output laser beam is focused so as to be a laser beam having a diameter smaller than the initial output, or the output laser is diverged so as to be a laser beam having a diameter larger than the initial output, or the output laser is 35. The method of claim 33, comprising substantially not changing. The step of moving and operating the laser to output laser light from the laser
35. The method of claim 34, comprising moving the laser at a surface velocity of about 1000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 200 microns. . The step of moving and operating the laser to output laser light from the laser
35. The method of claim 34, comprising moving the laser at a surface velocity of about 2000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 5 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 400 microns. . The step of moving and operating the laser to output laser light from the laser
35. The method of claim 34, comprising moving the laser at a surface velocity of about 1000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 100 microns. . The step of moving and operating the laser to output laser light from the laser
35. The method of claim 34, comprising moving the laser at a surface velocity of about 2000 mm / sec, outputting laser light with a pulse repetition rate of about 10 kHz, and creating substantially circular depressions at intervals of about 200 microns. .   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the object is a silicon surgical blade.   34. The method of claim 33, wherein the object is made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, ceramic, plastic, metal, wood, and stone.   34. A product made according to the method of claim 33.   34. A silicon surgical blade made according to the method of claim 33. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step of focusing the laser on the surface of the object to create a plurality of depressions includes creating a plurality of substantially circular depressions.

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