JP2008114059A - Laser beam processing device, and laser beam processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam processing device, capable of correctly converging a laser beam flux for processing to a processing position of a subject, increasing precision of laser beam processing even when applied to the subject that may move while processing such as a living body tissue or a cell, which is usable for modifying functions of the living body and the cell. <P>SOLUTION: The laser beam processing device is for radiating a laser beam flux for processing to a tissue, an organ, or a cell of a living body, or other living body related matter. It is provided with a laser beam processing optical system 4 to converge the laser beam flux 1 for processing, a deflection optical system 9 to deflect a light path of the laser beam flux 1 for processing, shape information obtaining means 21 and 23 to obtain shape information of the subject 3, an image display means 32 to display an image based on the shape information, and a control circuit part 20. The control circuit part 20 controls the action of the deflection optical system 9 and the output of the laser beam flux 1 for processing based on processing position information, and controls processing position by the laser beam processing optical system 4 so as to modify metabolic functions of the subject. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method for performing laser processing (cutting, drilling, or modification) using a laser processing optical system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, a processing apparatus using a scanning probe microscope has been proposed as an apparatus that performs fine processing on an object to be processed. This processing apparatus is a scanning probe microscope to which a processing function is added. While updating and displaying a measurement image by XY raster measurement, XY coordinates to be processed are overwritten on the image, and XY raster scanning should be processed. When the XY coordinate is reached, the processing operation and measurement are continuously performed at the point, and then the raster scanning measurement is continued, so that the measurement and observation of the processed sample surface can be performed in real time.

  On the other hand, conventionally, laser processing using a laser processing optical system has been proposed. This laser processing optical system uses, for example, an emitted light beam from a femtosecond titanium sapphire laser or the like as a processing laser beam, and condenses and irradiates the processing laser beam on an object to be processed through an objective lens, Laser processing is performed on the object to be processed. By such laser processing, it is possible to perform extremely fine drilling or the like on the processing object.

  The object to be processed in such laser processing is not limited to a glass plate or the like, and processing (cutting, perforation, or modification) can be performed on a living tissue or a cell. Laser processing using a femtosecond laser enables non-thermal processing, and because it is highly transparent, it can be used for internal processing of workpieces. In addition, damage around the processing site is small and processing accuracy is low. Therefore, it is suitable for processing biological tissues and cells.

JP-A-8-220107

  By the way, in order to accurately perform the laser processing as described above, it is necessary to accurately match the focal point of the processing laser beam with a predetermined processing position on the processing target.

  However, in laser processing using a laser processing optical system, it is difficult to accurately match the focal point of the processing laser beam with the processing position on the processing object, which improves the accuracy of laser processing. It is difficult.

  And the confocal optical system used as a laser processing optical system has not been proposed to be applied to a moving processing target. In particular, when processing a living tissue, a cell, or the like, it is difficult to accurately perform processing on a predetermined portion because a processing target may move during processing. Further, conventional laser processing apparatuses using femtosecond lasers are limited to applications for processing non-biological materials.

  A “laser dissection device” has been proposed as a laser processing device for biological samples, but it has not been proposed to be used for functional modification of living bodies and cells.

  Therefore, the present invention is proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and the focal point of the laser beam for processing can be accurately matched to the processing position in the processing object, Even when applied to a processing target that moves so that the processing target moves during processing, laser processing accuracy can be improved, and laser processing that can be used for functional modification of living bodies and cells An apparatus and a laser processing method are to be provided.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one of the following configurations.

[Configuration 1]
The processing laser beam is condensed and irradiated to the tissue, organ, or living body of the tissue, organ, or cell to be processed, and the biological related substance, and the irradiation position of the processing laser beam is set on the surface or inside of the processing target Is a laser processing apparatus that processes a portion of the processing object irradiated with the processing laser beam by focusing the processing laser beam from the processing laser light source via an objective lens. A laser processing optical system for processing the processing target by irradiating the target, a deflection optical system for deflecting the optical path of the processing laser beam, and a processing target perpendicular to the optical axis of the objective lens Moving operation means for moving in a flat plane, focus adjusting means for adjusting the relative distance between the objective lens and the object to be processed, and at least the processing laser beam on the object to be irradiated Shape information acquisition means for acquiring shape information of a region to be processed, image display means for displaying an image based on the shape information obtained by the shape information acquisition means, and processing position information corresponding to the image displayed by the image display means An input means for input, and a control circuit unit for controlling the operation of the moving conversion means, the focus adjusting means, the deflection optical system, and the output of the processing laser beam, and the control circuit section is configured to process the input to the input means Based on the position information, the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the laser beam for processing are controlled, the processing position by the laser processing optical system is controlled, and the metabolic function of the processing object is altered. It is.

[Configuration 2]
In the laser processing apparatus having the configuration 1, when the entire size of the processing object is larger than the region observed by the shape information acquisition unit and the image display unit during processing, the processing object is observed. The processing position information is input while moving the region to be processed, and the control circuit unit controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam based on the input processing position information, and the laser processing optical system The machining position is controlled.

[Configuration 3]
In the laser processing apparatus having the configuration 1, when processing regions to be processed are scattered in the processing object, each processing region is moved while moving the region observed by the shape information acquisition unit and the image display unit. The processing position information is input, and the control circuit unit performs batch processing based on each input processing position information, controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam, and uses the laser processing optical system. The machining position is controlled.

[Configuration 4]
In the laser processing apparatus having any one of Configurations 1 to 3, the processing laser beam is a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW. It is characterized by.

[Configuration 5]
The processing laser beam is condensed and irradiated to the tissue, organ, or living body of the tissue, organ, or cell to be processed, and the biological related substance, and the irradiation position of the processing laser beam is set on the surface or inside of the processing target. A laser processing method for processing a portion of the processing object irradiated with the processing laser beam by scanning at least in a region of the processing object irradiated with the processing laser beam. Control means that is acquired by the acquisition means, displays an image based on the shape information by the image display means, inputs processing position information by the input means corresponding to the image displayed by the image display means, and operates based on the processing position information Is used to adjust the position of the workpiece in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the machining laser and adjust the relative distance between the focusing position of the machining laser and the workpiece. Condensing and irradiate the processing laser beam on the object and deflecting the optical path of the processing laser beam to control the output of the processing laser beam to control the processing position by the processing laser beam, thereby processing It is characterized by altering the metabolic function of the object.

[Configuration 6]
In the laser processing method having the configuration 5, when the entire size of the processing object is larger than the area where the shape information is acquired by the shape information acquisition means, the area where the shape information is acquired for the processing object The machining position information is inputted while moving the workpiece, and the machining position by the machining laser beam is controlled by controlling the optical path and output of the machining laser beam based on the inputted machining position information. .

[Configuration 7]
In the laser processing method having the configuration 5, in the case where the processing regions to be processed are scattered in the processing object, each processing region is moved while moving the region in which the shape information is acquired by the shape information acquisition unit. The processing position information is input, batch processing is performed based on each input processing position information, the optical path and output of the processing laser beam are controlled, and the processing position by the laser processing optical system is controlled. It is.

[Configuration 8]
In the laser processing method having any one of configurations 5 to 7, a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW is used as the processing laser beam. It is characterized by.

  The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention has [Configuration 1], so that the control circuit unit controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam based on the processing position information input to the input means. Then, by controlling the processing position by the laser processing optical system and altering the metabolic function of the tissue, organ, or cell that is the processing target and the biological related substance, the processing position in the processing target is tertiary Originally, it can be controlled in real time, and it is possible to perform accurate machining even for machining positions inside the workpiece and even when the workpiece is moving Can do.

  The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention has [Configuration 2], so that when the overall size of the processing object is larger than the region observed by the shape information acquisition unit and the image display unit during processing, the control is performed. The circuit unit controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam based on the processing position information input while moving the region observed with respect to the processing target, and uses the laser processing optical system. Since the processing position is controlled, it is possible to perform processing on a region larger than the region observed by the image display means.

  Since the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention has [Configuration 3], the control circuit unit moves the region observed with respect to the processing object when the processing regions of the processing object are scattered. The batch processing is performed based on each processing position information inputted while controlling the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam, and the processing position by the laser processing optical system is controlled. Each of the plurality of processing regions can be processed.

  The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention has [Configuration 4], so that the processing laser beam is a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW. Therefore, non-thermal processing is possible, and because it has excellent permeability, internal processing of the workpiece is possible, and further, there is a characteristic that damage around the processing location is small and processing accuracy is high. It is also suitable for processing biological tissues and cells.

  The laser processing method according to the present invention comprises [Configuration 5], and the control means controls the optical path and output of the processing laser beam based on the input processing position information, thereby processing the laser beam. Since the metabolic function of the living body and related substances of tissues, organs, or cells that become the processing target is modified by controlling the processing position by the processing target, the processing position in the processing target is three-dimensionally and in real time. Therefore, accurate machining can be performed even with respect to the machining position inside the workpiece and even when the workpiece is moving.

  The laser processing method according to the present invention has [Configuration 6], and in the case where the entire size of the processing object is larger than the region where the shape information is acquired by the shape information acquisition means at the time of processing, Based on the processing position information input while moving the region where the shape information is acquired with respect to the object, the optical path and output of the processing laser beam are controlled to control the processing position by the processing laser beam. It is possible to perform processing on a region larger than the region from which shape information is acquired.

  The laser processing method according to the present invention has [Configuration 7] to move the region where the shape information is acquired with respect to the processing target when the processing target is scattered in the processing target. However, batch processing is performed based on each processing position information inputted while controlling the optical path and output of the processing laser beam, and the processing position by the processing laser beam is controlled. Each can be processed.

  The laser processing method according to the present invention has [Configuration 8], so that the processing laser beam is a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW. Therefore, non-thermal processing is possible, and because it has excellent permeability, internal processing of the workpiece is possible, and further, there is a characteristic that damage around the processing location is small and processing accuracy is high. It is also suitable for processing biological tissues and cells.

  That is, according to the present invention, the focal point of the processing laser beam can be accurately matched to the processing position in the processing target, and the movement of the processing target such as a living tissue or cell moves during processing. Even when applied to a certain processing object, the accuracy of laser processing can be improved, and a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method that can be used for functional modification of living bodies and cells can be provided. .

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of Laser Processing Apparatus According to the Present Invention]
The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention collects and irradiates a processing laser beam on a processing object, and scans the irradiation position of the processing laser beam on the surface or inside of the processing object. An apparatus for processing a portion of a processing object irradiated with a processing laser beam. The laser processing method according to the present invention is a processing method executed by using the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention can be suitably used particularly when a living body of a tissue, an organ, or a cell and a biological substance are used as a processing target, and alters the metabolic function of the processing target. Suitable for processing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention collects a processing laser beam 1 through an objective lens 2 and irradiates the processing object 3 to process the processing object 3. A laser processing optical system 4 is provided.

  This laser processing optical system 4 uses a light beam emitted from a processing laser light source 5 as a processing laser beam 1, and condenses and irradiates the processing laser beam 1 on a processing object 3 via an objective lens 2. Then, laser processing is performed on the workpiece 3. The processing laser light source 5 is desirably a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW. As the processing laser light source 5, for example, a femtosecond titanium sapphire laser can be used. As the femtosecond titanium sapphire laser, for example, one having an oscillation wavelength of 800 nm, a frequency of 1 kHz, a pulse width of 150 fs (femtosecond), and an output of 0.8 mJ / pulse can be used.

  The processing laser beam 1 is sent through a mirror 7 in the first optical unit 6, a branching half mirror 8, and a galvano mirror unit 9 serving as a deflection optical system, to a second optical unit 10 in which an objective lens 2 is incorporated. Is incident on.

  The galvanometer mirror unit 9 includes a first deflection mirror that deflects the light beam in the X-axis direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the processing laser light beam 1, and the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the optical axis and X-axis of the processing laser light beam 1. And a second deflecting mirror that deflects the light beam, and has a function of deflecting the optical path of the processing laser light beam 1 in two axis (XY axis) directions. Each deflecting mirror of the galvanometer mirror unit 9 is controlled by a control computer 20 described later serving as a control circuit unit. In this galvanometer mirror unit 9, the processing laser beam 1 that has passed through each deflecting mirror is emitted toward the second optical unit 10 via the relay lenses 11 and 12.

  In the second optical unit 10, the processing laser beam 1 is reflected by the half mirror 13, passes through the fluorescent filter 14, and enters the objective lens 2. The processing laser beam 1 incident on the objective lens 2 is focused on the processing object 3 and irradiated.

  The objective lens 2 can be moved in the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction) by a piezo element serving as a focus adjusting means. The objective lens 2 is configured such that the relative distance from the workpiece 3 is adjusted by a piezo element. The processing object 3 is supported on a mounting table of an XY stage 15 serving as a moving operation means for moving the processing object 3 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the objective lens 2. The processing object 3 may be fixed on the mounting table of the XY stage 15 by a suction holding mechanism (vacuum chuck). The XYZ stage 15 is controlled via an interface by a control computer 20 serving as a control circuit unit.

  By such irradiation of the processing laser beam 1, extremely fine drilling can be performed on the processing object 3. The processing object 3 is, for example, a living tissue, a cell, or the like in addition to a glass plate or the like.

  In the second optical unit 10, illumination light from transmitted illumination (for example, a mercury lamp) 16 is incident on the workpiece 3 from the back side of the XY stage 15 via the mirror 17, and this workpiece is processed. Illuminate the object 3. In this case, fluorescence observation is also possible by passing through the fluorescent filter 14. Also, illumination light from reflected illumination (for example, a halogen lamp) 18 is incident on the workpiece 3 coaxially with the processing laser beam 1 via the half mirror 19 to illuminate the workpiece 3.

  And this laser processing apparatus is provided with the shape information acquisition means which acquires the shape information of the area | region where the laser beam 1 for a process in the processing target object 3 is irradiated at least. In this laser processing apparatus, processing is performed via a confocal optical system 21 disposed coaxially with the laser processing optical system 4 and an imaging optical system 22 disposed coaxially with the laser processing optical system 4 as shape information acquisition means. And a solid-state image sensor (CCD) 23 for imaging the object 3.

  The confocal optical system 21 condenses the measurement laser beam 25 from the measurement laser light source 24 on the workpiece 3 via the galvanometer mirror unit 9 and the objective lens 2, and the workpiece of the measurement laser beam 25 is processed. 3, the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece 3 is obtained as shape information by forming an image of the light beam reflected or scattered by 3 and detecting the imaged light with the detector 26 serving as a reflected light amount measuring means. To do.

  As the measurement laser light source 24 that emits the measurement laser beam 25, for example, a helium-neon (He-Ne) laser having an oscillation wavelength of 543 nm can be used. The measurement laser beam 25 emitted from the measurement laser light source 24 is incident on the condenser lens 28 via the half mirror 27, and is condensed in the pinhole of the pinhole mask 29 by the condenser lens 28. The The measurement laser beam 25 that has passed through the pinhole passes through the relay lens 30, passes through the branching half mirror 8, and enters the galvanomirror unit 9. The measurement laser beam 25 is transmitted through the branching half mirror 8, thereby joining the optical path of the processing laser beam 1 and being coaxial. In other words, the measurement laser beam 25 transmitted through the branching half mirror 8 is incident on the second optical unit 10 through the galvanometer mirror unit 9 and incident on the objective lens 2 in the same manner as the processing laser beam 1. . The measurement laser beam 25 incident on the objective lens 2 is focused on the workpiece 3 and reflected or scattered depending on the surface of the workpiece 3 or the internal state.

  The measurement laser beam 25 reflected or scattered by the workpiece 3 returns to the branching half mirror 8 through the objective lens 2 and the galvanometer mirror unit 9. The measurement laser beam 25 passes through the branching half mirror 8 and is condensed in the pinhole of the pinhole mask 29 by the relay lens 30. The measurement laser beam 25 that has passed through the pinhole passes through the condenser lens 28, passes through the half mirror 27, and is received by the detector 26. In the confocal optical system 11, the pinhole mask 29 is disposed at a position conjugate with the focus of the measurement laser beam 25 by the objective lens 2.

  The solid-state imaging device 23 images the processing object 3 through the imaging lens 22, the half mirror 13, and the objective lens 2, and acquires two-dimensional shape data of the processing object 3 as shape information. The optical path on which the solid-state imaging device 23 takes an image joins the optical path of the processing laser beam 1 from the half mirror 13 to the objective lens 2 and is coaxial.

  And this laser processing apparatus has the monitor 32 used as the image display means which displays an image based on the shape information obtained by the confocal optical system 21 or the solid-state image sensor 23. FIG. The monitor 32 is a monitor attached to the control computer 20. The laser processing apparatus also includes a mouse 33 serving as an input means for inputting processing position information corresponding to an image displayed on the monitor 32. The mouse 33 is an input device attached to the control computer 20. As the input means, a light pen or other input device may be used instead of the mouse 33.

  In this laser processing apparatus, the control computer 20 operates the XY stage 15, the piezo element for moving the objective lens 2 and the galvanometer mirror unit 9 based on the processing position information input by the mouse 33, and the processing laser beam. 1 is controlled to control the processing position by the laser processing optical system 4.

  That is, the control computer 20 stores the processing position information input by the mouse 33 corresponding to the three-dimensional shape data obtained by the confocal optical system 21, and sequentially performs laser processing based on the stored processing position information. I do. Note that the wavelength difference between the measurement laser beam 25 and the processing laser beam 1 is known in advance, and the difference in focal length of the objective lens 2 at each wavelength can also be known in advance. If the in-focus position is known, the in-focus position for the processing laser beam 1 can be determined based on this position. The in-focus position thus determined can be determined with an accuracy of an error of about 10 nm or less.

  Further, since the error between the in-focus position of the processing laser beam 1 and the in-focus position of the measurement laser beam 25 is about 10 nm or less, the error between the processing position information and the actual processing position is about 10 nm or less. can do.

  The control computer 20 performs laser processing in real time based on the processing position information input by the mouse 33 corresponding to the two-dimensional shape data (observation image) obtained by the solid-state imaging device 23.

[Operation (1) of Laser Processing Apparatus According to the Present Invention]
(1) About alignment of apparatus In order to perform laser processing using this laser processing apparatus, first, alignment of the apparatus is performed. This alignment is performed according to the following procedure.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an alignment procedure in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, in step st1, the optical units 6 and 10 and the galvanometer mirror unit 9 are arranged.

  Next, in step st <b> 2, the confocal optical system 21 is adjusted, and the measurement laser beam 25 from the measurement laser light source 24 is guided to the galvanometer mirror unit 9.

  In step st <b> 3, the processing laser beam 1 from the processing laser light source 5 is introduced into the first optical unit 6.

  In step st4, the processing laser light source 5 is adjusted to guide the processing laser beam 1 to the galvanometer mirror unit 9. At this time, the measurement laser beam 25 and the processing laser beam 1 are made coaxial.

  In step st5, the galvanometer mirror inside the galvanometer mirror unit 9 is adjusted, and the measurement laser beam 25 and the processing laser beam 1 are guided to the second optical unit 10.

  In step st6, the second optical unit 10 is adjusted so that the entrance pupil of the objective lens 2 coincides with the focal position of the exit end lens of the galvanometer mirror unit 9.

  In step st7, the second optical unit 10 is adjusted so that the measurement laser beam 25 and the processing laser beam 1 are irradiated perpendicularly to the object 3 to be processed.

  In the next step st8, the condensing position of the measurement laser beam 25 is matched with the condensing position of the processing laser beam 1.

  That is, first, the workpiece 3 having a flat surface is placed on the XY stage 15. Next, the processing laser beam 1 with sufficiently attenuated energy is irradiated onto the processing object 3 so that the processing object 3 is processed only at the condensing part of the processing laser beam 1, and from this result The focusing position of the processing laser beam 1 and the surface position of the workpiece 3 are precisely matched. Then, the position of the lens constituting the confocal optical system 21 is moved back and forth while irradiating the workpiece 3 with the measurement laser beam 25. When the lens is moved in this way, the condensing position of the measurement laser beam 25 also moves back and forth. From the principle of confocal, when the converging position of the measurement laser beam 25 coincides with the surface position of the workpiece 3, the signal intensity obtained by the detector 26 is maximized. That is, by obtaining the lens position where the signal intensity obtained by the detector 26 is maximized, the condensing position of the measurement laser beam 25 coincides with the surface position of the workpiece 3. By this adjustment operation, the converging positions of the processing laser beam 1 and the measurement laser beam 25 coincide.

  In this way, when the converging positions of the measurement laser beam 25 and the processing laser beam 1 are matched, laser processing based on the three-dimensional data of the processing object 3 acquired by the confocal optical system 21 becomes possible.

  In step st <b> 9, the focal position (imaging subject interface) of the imaging lens 22 is matched with the condensing position of the processing laser beam 1. In other words, the mounting angles of the solid-state imaging device 23 and the imaging lens 22 are matched, the focal position (imaging field) is adjusted, and the converging position of the processing laser beam 1 and the focal position of the imaging lens 22 are matched. .

  First, the workpiece 3 having a flat surface is placed on the XY stage 15. Next, the condensing position of the processing laser beam 1 and the position of the surface of the processing object 3 are matched. Then, the focus of the observation image is adjusted on the monitor 32 while adjusting the focus adjustment mechanism of the adapter to which the solid-state image sensor 23 and the imaging lens 22 are attached. Next, the XY galvanometer mirror is moved while irradiating the workpiece 3 with the measurement laser beam 25. At this time, it is confirmed that the movement locus of the condensing point of the measurement laser beam 25 is horizontal or vertical in the observation image. When the moving locus of the condensing point is oblique, the attachment angle of the solid-state image sensor 23 is adjusted. By this adjustment operation, the condensing position of the processing laser beam 1 coincides with the focal position of the imaging lens 22, and the observation image by the solid-state imaging element 23 is correctly displayed.

  Thus, by associating the observation image by the solid-state imaging device 23 with the position of the galvano mirror (X axis and Y axis), it becomes possible to perform laser processing in real time based on the observation image.

  In step st10, the observation image obtained by the solid-state imaging device 23 is associated with the position of the ganoba mirror. That is, the position of the galvanometer mirror with respect to each pixel in the observation image is associated.

  First, the workpiece 3 having a flat surface is placed on the XY stage 15. Next, the imaging lens 22 is focused, and the processing laser beam 25 is irradiated onto the workpiece 3. Then, the XY galvanometer mirror is moved so that the condensing part of the measurement laser beam 25 appears in the observation image by the solid-state imaging device 23. Here, the pixel position of the condensing part of the measurement laser beam 25 and the position of the XY axis galvanometer mirror at this time are registered in association with each other. Further, the XY-axis galvanometer mirror is moved so that the measurement laser beam 25 is condensed at another arbitrary position, and the pixel position of the condensing unit at this time and the position of the XY-axis galvanometer mirror are registered in correspondence with each other. . With this adjustment operation, the position of each galvanometer mirror is associated with each pixel of the solid-state imaging device 23.

(2) When performing laser processing using a confocal optical system FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  When laser processing is performed using the confocal optical system 21, the processing object 3 is set on the XY stage 15 in step st11 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. At this time, the position of the workpiece 3 is adjusted using a manipulator, and the XY stage 15 is operated to place the workpiece 3 in an area where laser machining is possible.

  Next, proceeding to step st12, the confocal optical system 21 acquires three-dimensional shape data. That is, the converging point of the measurement laser beam 25 by the confocal optical system 21 is scanned with respect to the workpiece 3, and the signal intensity obtained by the detector 26 is recorded by the control computer 20. By scanning the condensing point of the measurement laser beam 25 not only on the surface of the workpiece 3 but also inside the workpiece 3, the three-dimensional shape data of the workpiece 3 is acquired. Can do. This scanning is performed by controlling a piezo element that moves the galvanometer mirror unit 9 and the objective lens 2.

  In step st13, machining data is created. That is, based on the three-dimensional shape data stored in the control computer 20, a location where laser processing is to be performed is specified (processing position information is input). As shown in FIG. 4, the processing location can be specified by imaging the three-dimensional shape data and displaying it on the monitor 32, and using the mouse 33 on the three-dimensional shape data thus imaged. . For example, by plotting the mouse 33 so as to surround the predetermined area 34, the plotted area 34 can be designated as a processing area.

  The processing location can also be specified by inputting numerical values using a keyboard or the like based on the three-dimensional shape data.

  In step st14, processing conditions are specified. That is, various conditions in laser processing such as processing depth (focus position), scanning speed, number of processing, processing energy, etc. are specified. This designation is performed by input to the control computer 20.

  In step st 15, the control computer 20 controls the operation of the XY stage 15, the piezo element that moves the objective lens 2 and the galvano mirror unit 9, and the output of the processing laser beam 1. Processing.

  At this time, since the three-dimensional shape data obtained by the confocal optical system 21 and the in-focus position of the processing laser beam 1 coincide with each other with an accuracy of about 10 nm or less, as described above, the three-dimensional By designating the machining location based on the shape data, the desired location can be accurately machined.

(3) When laser processing is performed using the solid-state imaging device When laser processing is performed using the solid-state imaging device 23, the processing object 3 is placed on the XY stage 15 in step st11 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. After the installation, the process proceeds to step st16.

  In step st <b> 16, two-dimensional shape data (observation image) is acquired by the solid-state imaging device 23. At this time, the workpiece 3 is illuminated by the transmitted illumination (for example, mercury lamp) 16 or the reflected illumination (for example, halogen lamp) 18.

  The two-dimensional shape data (observation image) acquired by the solid-state imaging device 23 is displayed as an image on the monitor 32 of the control computer 20.

  In step st17, laser processing is performed in real time while inputting the processing position. That is, based on the two-dimensional shape data (observation image) displayed by the control computer 20, a location where laser processing is to be performed is specified (processing position information is input). As shown in FIG. 4, the processing location can be specified by imaging the two-dimensional shape data and displaying it on the monitor 32, and using the mouse 33 on the two-dimensional shape data thus imaged. . For example, by plotting a predetermined portion with the mouse 33, the plotted portion can be designated as a processing position.

  At this time, the control computer 20 controls the operation of the XY stage 15, the piezo element that moves the objective lens 2 and the galvano mirror unit 9, and the output of the processing laser beam 1, and laser processing by the laser processing optical system 4 in real time. I do. The processing conditions such as processing depth (focus position) and processing energy are specified in advance. This designation is performed by input to the control computer 20.

  At this time, since the position of each galvanometer mirror is associated with each pixel of the solid-state imaging device 23 by the alignment described above, by specifying the processing location based on the two-dimensional shape data displayed on the monitor 32, A desired portion can be accurately processed.

[Operation (2) of Laser Processing Apparatus According to the Present Invention]
FIG. 5 is a front view showing an operation of designating a place where laser processing is to be performed when the size of the entire processing target to be processed is larger than the observation region during processing in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention. is there.

  In the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the size of the entire processing object to be processed (processing area 34 surrounding the processing object 101) is an observation area (camera image area) 102 during processing. Is larger than the processing area 101, the observation area 102 is moved with respect to the processing object 101, and the processing area 34 is surrounded by the mouse 33 and plotted on the monitor 32. Can be specified as And the process with respect to the designated process area | region 34 can be performed.

  FIG. 6 is a front view showing an operation for designating a place where laser processing is to be performed when the processing regions to be processed are scattered in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  FIG. 7 is a front view showing an operation of designating a processing area on a monitor when processing areas to be processed are scattered in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, when the processing areas 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d to be processed are scattered in the observation area 102 or over a wider area than the observation area 102 at the time of processing. As shown in FIG. 7, on the monitor 32, each processing area 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d is designated by the mouse 33 and batch processing is performed on each processing area 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. In addition, it is possible to sequentially perform the processing on each processing region 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. In this case, different processing can be performed for each of the processing regions 34a, 34b, 34c, and 34d.

  Further, in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention, when the processing object has a thickness, when performing the punching process on the processing object, the operation can be simplified as follows. .

  FIG. 8 is a front view showing an operation screen for punching in the laser machining apparatus according to the present invention.

  That is, when punching a thick workpiece, as shown in FIG. 8, a straight line 35 indicating the depth of punching is plotted on the monitor 32 using the mouse 33. Thus, the processing depth can be specified.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of a mouse used in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  In this case, the depth of the punching process can be specified by rotating the wheel 33a of the mouse 33 as shown in FIG. The mouse 33 can input an x-coordinate component by moving in the horizontal direction, and can input a y-coordinate component by moving in the vertical direction, and the z-coordinate component (depth) by rotating the wheel 33a. ) Can be input.

  FIG. 10 is a front view showing a window for designating the number of irradiation pulses in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  Further, in this laser processing apparatus, the number of pulses of the processing laser beam 1 to be irradiated is specified by causing the sub-window 32a to be displayed on the monitor 32 by right-clicking the mouse 33 as shown in FIG. This can be done by selecting (left-clicking) a numerical value indicating the number of pulses displayed in the sub window 32a.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the alignment procedure in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows operation which designates the location which should perform laser processing in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. In the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is a front view showing an operation of designating a place where laser processing is to be performed when the size of the entire processing target to be processed is larger than the observation region at the time of processing. FIG. 6 is a front view showing an operation for designating a place where laser processing is to be performed when the processing regions to be processed are scattered in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a front view showing an operation of designating a processing area on a monitor when processing areas to be processed are scattered in the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view which shows the operation screen of the punching process in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the mouse | mouth used in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the window which designates the number of irradiation pulses in the laser processing apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing laser beam 2 Objective lens 3 Processing object 4 Laser processing optical system 5 Processing laser light source 9 Galvano mirror unit 15 XYZ stage 20 Control computer 21 Confocal optical system 24 Laser beam for measurement 25 Laser beam for measurement 26 Detector 32 Monitor 33 Mouse

Claims (8)

A processing laser beam is condensed and irradiated on a tissue, an organ, or a living body of a cell and a biological related substance as a processing target, and the irradiation position of the processing laser beam is set on the surface of the processing target, or , A laser processing apparatus for processing a portion irradiated with the processing laser beam of the processing object by scanning inside,
A laser processing optical system for processing the processing object by condensing the processing laser beam from the processing laser light source via an objective lens and irradiating the processing object;
A deflection optical system for deflecting the optical path of the processing laser beam;
Moving operation means for moving the workpiece in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the objective lens;
A focus adjusting means for adjusting a relative distance between the objective lens and the workpiece;
Shape information acquisition means for acquiring shape information of at least the region irradiated with the processing laser beam in the processing object;
Image display means for displaying an image based on the shape information obtained by the shape information acquisition means;
Input means for inputting processing position information corresponding to the image displayed by the image display means;
A control circuit unit for controlling the operation of the movement conversion unit, the focus adjustment unit, the deflection optical system, and the output of the processing laser beam,
The control circuit section controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam based on the processing position information input to the input means to control the processing position by the laser processing optical system. A laser processing apparatus characterized by altering the metabolic function of the processing object. In the case where the overall size of the processing object is larger than the area observed by the shape information acquisition unit and the image display unit during processing,
With respect to the processing object, processing position information is input while moving the observed region,
The control circuit unit controls the processing position by the laser processing optical system by controlling the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam based on the input processing position information. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1. In the case where the processing object to be processed is scattered in the processing object,
While moving the region observed by the shape information acquisition unit and the image display unit, processing position information is input for each processing region,
The control circuit unit performs batch processing based on each input processing position information, controls the operation of the deflection optical system and the output of the processing laser beam, and controls the processing position by the laser processing optical system. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The processing laser beam is a femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW. The laser processing apparatus as described in. A processing laser beam is condensed and irradiated on a tissue, an organ, or a living body of a cell and a biological related substance as a processing target, and the irradiation position of the processing laser beam is set on the surface of the processing target, or , A laser processing method for processing a portion irradiated with the processing laser beam of the processing object by scanning inside,
The shape information acquisition unit obtains shape information of at least the region irradiated with the processing laser beam in the processing object,
An image based on the shape information is displayed by the image display means,
Corresponding to the image displayed by the image display means, the processing position information is input by the input means,
Using a control means that operates based on the processing position information, the position of the processing object in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the processing laser is adjusted, and the focusing position of the processing laser and the processing target are adjusted. Adjusting the relative distance to the workpiece, condensing and irradiating the machining laser beam on the workpiece, and deflecting the optical path of the machining laser beam to control the output of the machining laser beam Then, the processing position by the laser beam for processing is controlled to modify the metabolic function of the processing object. In the case where the overall size of the processing object is larger than the area where the shape information is acquired by the shape information acquisition means,
While moving the region where the shape information is acquired for the processing object, input processing position information,
6. The laser processing method according to claim 5, wherein the processing position by the processing laser beam is controlled by controlling an optical path and an output of the processing laser beam based on the input processing position information. In the case where the processing object to be processed is scattered in the processing object,
While moving the region where the shape information is acquired by the shape information acquisition means, input processing position information for each processing region,
6. The laser according to claim 5, wherein batch processing is performed based on each inputted processing position information, and a processing position by the laser processing optical system is controlled by controlling an optical path and an output of the processing laser beam. Processing method. The femtosecond laser having an oscillation pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 300 femtoseconds and a peak power of 1 GW to 100 GW is used as the processing laser beam. The laser processing method as described in.

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