JP2011062726A - Laser irradiation apparatus, laser beam machining apparatus and method of manufacturing flat panel display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser irradiation apparatus which controls irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range of a laser beam, and to provide a laser beam machining apparatus and a method of manufacturing a flat panel display. <P>SOLUTION: The laser irradiation apparatus includes: a laser beam source 4; a direction control part 9 for controlling the direction of the laser beam introduced from the laser beam source; a scanning part 10 for performing a linear conversion in a pseudo manner on the surface to be irradiated by scanning the laser beam which is introduced through the direction control part; a scanning control part 13 which changes the form of scanning by making the direction control part 9 and the scanning part 10 cooperate; and an irradiation intensity control part 6 for controlling the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range by controlling the laser beam to a prescribed position in the scanning range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser irradiation apparatus, a laser processing apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a flat panel display.

  In flat panel displays such as organic EL (Electroluminescence) displays, liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, surface conduction electron-emitting device displays (SED), and field emission display (FED), the electronic devices and circuits stored inside are sealed in an airtight manner. It has stopped.

  For example, in a flat panel display, two glass substrates are opposed to each other in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the peripheral edges of the two glass substrates are sealed so that the electrodes and fluorescence formed inside the glass substrates are sealed. The body layer and the like are hermetically sealed.

  In such hermetic sealing, resin sealing with an ultraviolet curable resin or the like is performed, but moisture in the air may pass through the sealing portion. Therefore, sealing using a frit with higher air-tight reliability is performed for those that are liable to be deteriorated by moisture or the like (for example, an organic EL display).

Here, in sealing using a frit, a technique is known in which a sealing portion made of a frit is irradiated with a laser beam and melt-bonded. In this case, if a laser beam having a beam diameter equal to or larger than the width of the sealing portion is irradiated, the peripheral portion of the sealing portion is also irradiated with the laser beam, which has a thermal effect on the electronic elements and circuits to be sealed. There is a risk that. Therefore, a technique for performing local heating by scanning a laser beam having a small beam diameter is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).
However, if the laser beam is scanned, the scanning direction is reversed at both ends of the scanning range, so that a stop state occurs, and the temperature at both ends may become too high.

In addition, a technique is disclosed in which a peripheral portion of a sealing portion is covered with a mask so that only the sealing portion is irradiated with laser light (see Patent Document 2).
However, if the mask is provided with a transmission portion having the same shape as the sealing portion formed in a frame shape, a different mask is required for each type of irradiation target (see FIG. 6 of Patent Document 2).
Further, if the mask is provided with a linear transmission portion having a width dimension substantially equal to the width dimension of the sealing portion, the mask is adapted to the traveling direction when moving while irradiating the corner portion of the sealing portion. Must be rotated (see FIG. 5, paragraph [0023] in Patent Document 2).

Further, even when the mask disclosed in Patent Document 2 is used for scanning with laser light, it is not possible to suppress an increase in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both end portions of the laser light irradiation range.
For this reason, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range becomes non-uniform, and there is a possibility that bonding failure may occur or excessive thermal stress may occur. In addition, the distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser beam irradiation range cannot be made desired.

JP 2000-251711 A Special table 2008-532207 gazette

  The present invention provides a laser irradiation apparatus, a laser processing apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a flat panel display capable of controlling an irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in an irradiation range of laser light.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, irradiation is performed by scanning a laser light source, a direction control unit that controls the direction of laser light introduced from the laser light source, and the laser light introduced through the direction control unit. A scanning control unit that changes a scanning form by cooperating a scanning unit that performs pseudo linear focusing on a surface, the direction control unit, and the scanning unit; and a predetermined range in a scanning range. There is provided a laser irradiation apparatus comprising: an irradiation intensity control unit that controls an irradiation intensity distribution in an irradiation range by controlling a laser beam with respect to a position.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the laser irradiation device described above, a placement portion for placing the object to be processed, and the relative positions of the laser irradiation device and the placement portion described above are set. There is provided a laser processing apparatus comprising a moving unit to be changed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the sealing portion formed between the pair of substrates is irradiated with laser light to hermetically seal the space formed between the pair of substrates. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display having a stopping process, in the sealing process, when scanning the laser light following the sealing portion, by controlling the laser light for a predetermined position in the scanning range, There is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display characterized by controlling an irradiation intensity distribution in an irradiation range.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method of the laser irradiation apparatus which can control irradiation intensity | strength (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range of a laser beam, a laser processing apparatus, and a flat panel display is provided.

It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the laser irradiation apparatus and laser processing apparatus which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the sealing part provided in the surface of the glass substrate. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating laser beam irradiation to a sealing part. It is a schematic graph for demonstrating irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution at the time of scanning a laser beam. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the irradiation intensity control part which concerns on other embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the relationship between the shape of the scanning range with respect to the shape of an irradiation part, and the position of the edge part of a scanning range. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the magnitude | size and shape of a permeation | transmission part. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the magnitude | size and shape of a permeation | transmission part. It is a schematic diagram for exemplifying the size and corner portion shape of a transmission part having a substantially rhombus shape. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the laser irradiation apparatus and laser processing apparatus which concern on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the irradiation intensity control part provided with the permeation | transmission suppression part which has a transmittance | permeability distribution that the transmittance | permeability changes gradually. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the irradiation intensity control part provided with the permeation | transmission part from which an area changes gradually. It is a schematic diagram for illustrating the laser irradiation apparatus and laser processing apparatus which concern on 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view for illustrating a laser irradiation apparatus and a laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Note that arrows XYZ in FIG. 1 represent three directions orthogonal to each other, XY represents a horizontal direction, and Z represents a vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 is provided with a laser irradiation device 2, a placement unit 3, and a moving unit 12.
The laser irradiation device 2 is provided so as to face the mounting surface 3 a of the mounting unit 3, and emits laser light toward the sealing unit 101 of the workpiece 100 that is mounted and held on the mounting surface 3 a. Can be irradiated.
The laser irradiation device 2 is provided with a laser light source 4, an irradiation unit 5, and an irradiation intensity control unit 6.

For example, the laser light source 4 can emit semiconductor laser light, YAG laser light, and the like. However, it is not necessarily limited to these and can be changed as appropriate. In this case, it is preferable that laser light having a wavelength of about 700 nm to 1200 nm that can be easily absorbed by the frit described later can be emitted. As such a thing, what can radiate | emit semiconductor laser beams, such as a wavelength of 808 nm, 940 nm, 976 nm, Nd-YAG laser beam, etc. with a wavelength of 1064 nm, can be illustrated, for example.
A light receiving end 7 a of an optical fiber 7 is connected to the laser light source 4, and an emission end 7 b of the optical fiber 7 is connected to the irradiation unit 5. Therefore, the laser light emitted from the laser light source 4 can be transmitted and introduced to the irradiation unit 5 through the optical fiber 7.

The irradiation unit 5 includes a collimating lens 8, a direction control unit 9, a scanning unit 10, and an fθ lens 11.
The collimating lens 8 collimates the laser light introduced through the fiber 7. The collimating lens 8 is not necessarily required, and may be provided as appropriate. Further, the number and arrangement of the collimating lenses 8 are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and can be changed as appropriate.

The direction control unit 9 controls the direction of the laser light introduced from the laser light source 4 through the collimator lens 8.
The scanning unit 10 scans the laser beam introduced through the direction control unit 9 to perform pseudo linear condensing on the irradiation surface (on the sealing unit 101).
The direction control unit 9 and the scanning unit 10 can be, for example, galvanometer mirrors that swing the mirror at high speed by a driving unit (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a laser beam that can change the direction of the laser beam can be appropriately selected. For example, a polygon mirror rotation method (polygon mirror) may be used.
Further, a scanning control unit 13 is electrically connected to the driving unit provided in the direction control unit 9 and the driving unit provided in the scanning unit 10. The scanning control unit 13 can change the scanning mode by causing the mirror provided in the direction control unit 9 and the mirror provided in the scanning unit 10 to cooperate with each other. For example, “linear” scanning or “substantially L-shaped” scanning can be performed. That is, the scanning control unit 13 changes the scanning mode by causing the direction control unit 9 and the scanning unit 10 to cooperate.

The fθ lens 11 is a lens designed so that the scanning speed of the laser light that passes through the lens and enters the irradiation surface perpendicularly is always constant regardless of the incident position on the lens. Although the fθ lens 11 is not necessarily required, if the fθ lens 11 is provided, scanning at a constant speed can be easily performed.
The irradiation intensity control unit 6 controls the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range by controlling the laser beam at a predetermined position in the scanning range. That is, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 is provided with a transmission unit 6a that transmits laser light and a transmission suppression unit 6b that suppresses transmission of laser light to a predetermined position. And the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range can be controlled by controlling a part of the laser beam scanned by the transmission suppressing unit 6b. As will be described later, the predetermined position can be, for example, near both ends of the scanning range.
The transmission part 6a may be any as long as it can transmit laser light. For example, the transmission part 6a may be an opening or may be formed from a transparent body such as glass. The transmission suppressing portion 6b can be formed from a material that shields or attenuates the laser light.
Details of the irradiation intensity control unit 6 will be described later.

  The placement unit 3 has a placement surface 3 a on which the workpiece 100 is placed. The placement unit 3 is provided with a holding means (not shown) that holds the workpiece 100 placed on the placement surface 3a. As a holding means (not shown), for example, an electrostatic chuck or the like can be exemplified. In addition, means for holding the peripheral edges of the glass substrates 102 and 103 can be provided so that the mutual positions of the two glass substrates 102 and 103 facing each other are not shifted.

The moving unit 12 changes the relative position between the workpiece 100 placed and held on the placing unit 3 and the laser irradiation apparatus 2. The example illustrated in FIG. 1 is a so-called XY table in which the placement unit 3 and the moving unit 12 are integrated. That is, the moving unit 12 is provided with a first drive unit 12a that can reciprocate in the Y direction in the drawing, and a second drive that is provided on the upper surface of the first drive unit 12a and can reciprocate in the X direction in the drawing. Part 12b. The upper surface of the second drive unit 12b is the mounting surface 3a, thereby forming a so-called XY table in which the mounting unit 3 and the moving unit 12 are integrated.
In addition, although what moved the to-be-processed to-be-processed object 100 was illustrated as the moving part 12, the laser irradiation apparatus 2 side can also be moved. That is, it is only necessary to be able to change the relative positions of the workpiece 100 placed and held on the placement unit 3 and the laser irradiation apparatus 2.

Next, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 will be further illustrated.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view for illustrating a sealing portion provided on the surface of the glass substrate.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing part 101 which consists of frit is provided in the surface of one glass substrate (The glass substrate 102 in the case of what is illustrated in FIG. 2). The frit can be, for example, a glass powder containing an oxide powder or the like. Examples of the oxide powder include magnesium oxide (MgO), calcium oxide (CaO), barium oxide (BaO), lithium oxide (Li ₂ O), sodium oxide (Na ₂ O), and potassium oxide (K ₂ O). Can be illustrated. However, it is not necessarily limited to these and can be changed as appropriate.

  The sealing portion 101 is provided in a frame shape on the periphery of the glass substrate 102. The central side of the glass substrate 102 defined by the sealing portion 101 is an area (element area 104) where electronic elements and circuits are provided. The periphery of the glass substrate 102 and the outside of the element area 104 is an area referred to as a so-called frame 105. It is preferable to reduce the width dimension 106 of the frame 105 because the element area 104 can be increased accordingly. Therefore, the width dimension 106 tends to be small. However, if the width dimension 106 is reduced, as a result, the position of the sealing portion 101 and the outer edge position of the element area 104 are close to each other. There is a high risk that the circuit will be irradiated.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for exemplifying laser light irradiation on the sealing portion.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sealing portion 101 is provided in a frame shape on the periphery of the glass substrate. For this reason, the shape of the spot 107 is generally circular as shown in FIG. 3A so that the direction of irradiation can be easily changed at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101 provided in a frame shape. It is said.

  Here, in order to increase productivity, it is necessary to increase the processing speed (relative movement speed of the laser irradiation position). However, if the processing speed is increased while keeping the output of the laser light constant, the sealing portion 101 is not sufficiently heated, and there is a risk of causing poor fusion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, it is necessary to make the irradiation energy (incident energy) 108 at the low speed equal to the irradiation energy (incident energy) 109 at the high speed.

However, if the laser beam output is simply increased in order to increase the irradiation energy 109 at high speed, the sealing portion 101 and the glass substrates 102 and 103 are rapidly heated and rapidly cooled, so that cracking may occur.
Here, as shown in FIG. 3C, since the irradiation area can be increased by increasing the size of the spot 107, the relative irradiation time can be increased. Therefore, since the output of laser light can be suppressed, it is possible to suppress the sealing portion 101 and the glass substrates 102 and 103 from being rapidly heated and rapidly cooled.

  However, if the size of the spot 107 is increased, the laser light is also irradiated on the inner side of the element area 104, and there is a possibility that an electronic element or a circuit provided in the element area 104 is damaged. Further, if the size of the spot 107 is increased, useless energy that is not directly used for heating the sealing portion 101 is increased. As described above, since the width dimension 106 tends to decrease, there is a limit to increasing the size of the spot 107.

  In this case, if the linear condensing is performed on the sealing portion 101 by scanning the laser beam, the irradiation range can be increased, so that the relative irradiation time can be increased. it can. Further, by scanning the laser beam having a small spot 107, it is possible to suppress the laser beam from being irradiated to the inside of the element area 104. In addition, useless energy that is not directly used for heating the sealing portion 101 can be suppressed.

For this reason, scanning the laser beam to perform pseudo linear focusing improves the processing speed (relative movement speed of the laser irradiation position), energy efficiency, etc., and heat to the inside of the element area 104 This is useful from the viewpoint of suppression of environmental effects.
However, if the laser beam is scanned, the scanning direction is reversed at both end portions of the scanning range, so that a stop state occurs, and the temperatures at both end portions may become too high.
FIG. 4 is a schematic graph for illustrating an irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution when scanning with laser light.
As shown in FIG. 4A, when the laser beam is scanned, the scanning direction is reversed at both end portions of the scanning range, so that a stop state occurs, and the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both end portions increases. Will do. For this reason, the temperature distribution in the laser light irradiation range becomes non-uniform. In this case, if the temperature at both end portions of the irradiation range is set to an appropriate range, there is a possibility that a bonding failure or the like may occur in the central portion. Further, if the temperature in the central portion of the irradiation range is set to an appropriate range, excessive thermal stress may occur at both end portions. In the case shown in FIG. 4A, the scanning range and the irradiation range are the same.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 controls the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range.
For example, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 controls the laser light at both ends of the scanning range to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform.

  FIG. 4B shows a case where the laser beam is shielded at both ends of the scanning range. Further, this is a case where a range having the same size as the spot size (one spot) is shielded from light at one end of the scanning range. In this way, it is possible to shield the laser light at the portion where the scanning is stopped because the scanning direction is reversed by the transmission suppressing unit 6b. Therefore, it is possible to make the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range uniform.

FIG. 4C also shows a case where the laser beam is shielded at both ends of the scanning range. However, this is a case where a range (half spot) having the same size as the half size of the spot is shielded from light at one end of the scanning range. 4B, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution can be made uniform, but the irradiation range is narrowed. In this case, the irradiation range can be widened by making the light-shielded area smaller than the spot size. However, if the light-shielded area is too small, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution cannot be made uniform. According to the knowledge obtained by the present inventors, uniform irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution is obtained by shielding a range of the same size as the half size of the spot as illustrated in FIG. The irradiation range can be expanded while suppressing the deterioration of the property.
For this reason, when the laser beam is shielded at both ends of the scanning range, the transmission suppressing unit 6b shields at least one range of the same size as the spot size (1/2 spot) at one end of the scanning range. It is preferable to make it.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an irradiation intensity control unit according to another embodiment.
The irradiation intensity control unit 6 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided with a transmission suppressing unit 6b that blocks the laser beam. Therefore, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) of the laser beam changes abruptly at the boundary between the transmission part 6a and the transmission suppression part 6b.
On the other hand, in the irradiation intensity control unit 16 illustrated in FIG. 5, the transmittance gradually changes at the boundary between the transmission unit 16a and the transmission suppression unit 16b. That is, the transmission suppressing portion 16b has a transmittance distribution such that the transmittance gradually decreases from the transmitting portion 16a side toward the outside. Therefore, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at the peripheral edge of the transmission part 16a can be reduced. In addition, the change in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) can be moderated by gradually decreasing the transmittance.

  The above is a case of controlling the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both ends of the scanning range, but the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at a desired part is controlled by appropriately setting the light shielding position and transmittance distribution. You can also

Here, the scanning of the laser light is performed following the shape of the sealing portion 101. However, the shape of the sealing portion 101 has a frame shape as illustrated in FIG. For this reason, when the laser beam is scanned following the shape of the sealing portion 101, the shape of the scanning range and the position of the end of the scanning range differ depending on the shape of the irradiated portion.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for illustrating the relationship between the shape of the scanning range and the position of the end of the scanning range with respect to the shape of the irradiated portion. The drawing drawn around the glass substrate 102 provided with the sealing portion 101 is a schematic diagram for representing the shape of the scanning range 110 and the position of the end of the scanning range 110 in each irradiation portion.

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the laser beam is scanned in the linear portion of the sealing portion 101 and when the laser light is scanned in the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101, The shape and the position of the end of the scanning range 110 are different.
In this case, for example, if both end portions of the scanning range are shielded by using two light shielding plates, the corners (corner portions) of the sealing portion 101 may be relative to each other between the irradiation unit 5 and the two light shielding plates. It is necessary to change the position (for example, rotate). As a result, the device configuration and device control may be complicated.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described later, even if the shape of the irradiated portion in the sealing portion 101 changes, the shape and size such that both end portions of the scanning range 110 are located in the transmission suppressing portion 6b. It is said. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the relative positions of the irradiation unit 5 and the irradiation intensity control unit 6 corresponding to the shape of the irradiation part. As a result, the device configuration and device control can be simplified.

Here, the shape and size of the transmissive portion 6a are the length in the scanning direction in the scanning range 110 (hereinafter referred to as scanning amplitude length) and the size of the shape change portion in the sealing portion 101 (for example, the corner portion ( The radius of curvature r of the corner portion) (see FIG. 6)).
7 and 8 are schematic views for illustrating the size and shape of the transmission part. Note that the sealing portion 101 has a rectangular frame shape as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, and a corner portion (corner portion) is configured by an arc.

  The example illustrated in FIG. 7 is a case where the scanning amplitude length and the radius of curvature r at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101 are equal, or the radius of curvature r is longer. In such a case, the shape of the transmission part 6a can be made substantially circular. That is, the shape in the direction substantially orthogonal to the transmission direction of the transmission part 6a can be a substantially circular shape. Moreover, the diameter dimension of the transmission part 6a which exhibits a substantially circular shape and the curvature radius dimension r in the corner part (corner part) of the sealing part 101 can be made substantially the same.

  Here, each part dimension of the transmission part 6a can be determined from the viewpoint of uniformizing the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range illustrated in FIG.

  For example, the diameter part of the transmission part 6 a is used when irradiating the straight part of the sealing part 101. Therefore, the diameter dimension is shorter than the amplitude length when scanning linearly so that the laser beam can be shielded at both ends of the linear scanning range.

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, it is preferable to have a diameter size that can shield a range (one spot) having the same size as the spot size at one end of the scanning range. That is, it is preferable that the diameter dimension is shorter than the amplitude length in the case of scanning in a straight line by a size twice as large as the spot.
Further, considering the expansion of the irradiation range while suppressing the deterioration of the uniformity of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, half of the spot at one end of the scanning range. It is preferable to have a diameter size that can shield a range of the same size as that of (a half spot). That is, in such a case, it is preferable that the diameter dimension is shorter by the size of the spot than the amplitude length when the scanning is performed linearly.

  If the diameter dimension of the transmission part 6a having a substantially circular shape is set in this way, both ends of the scanning range are irradiated even when the corner part (corner part) of the sealing part 101 is irradiated as illustrated in FIG. Light shielding can be performed in the portion. That is, light can be shielded at both ends of the scanning range even when “substantially L-shaped” scanning is performed to irradiate the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101.

The example illustrated in FIG. 8 is a case where the scanning amplitude length is longer than the radius of curvature dimension r in the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101. In such a case, the shape of the transmission part 6a can be a substantially rhombus. That is, the shape in the direction substantially orthogonal to the transmission direction of the transmission part 6a can be a substantially rhombus.
8A shows a case where the scanning amplitude length is about six times the radius of curvature r at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101, and FIG. 8B shows the scanning amplitude length. 8 is about 12 times the radius of curvature r at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101, FIG. 8C shows the curvature at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101 in FIG. This is the case of about 20 times the radial dimension r.
As can be seen from FIGS. 8A to 8C, the corners of the transmission portion 6a exhibiting a substantially rhombus shape as the scanning amplitude length with respect to the curvature radius dimension r in the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101 increases. The radius of curvature R at the portion is reduced.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for illustrating the size and corner shape of a transmission part having a substantially rhombus shape. 9A is a schematic diagram for illustrating the size of the transmission portion 6a, and FIG. 9B is a schematic enlarged view for illustrating the A portion (corner portion) in FIG. 9A. .
Here, each part dimension of the transmission part 6a can be determined from the viewpoint of uniformizing the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range illustrated in FIG.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the diagonal part of the transmission part 6 a is used when the linear part of the sealing part 101 is irradiated. For this reason, the diagonal dimension L shown in FIG. 9A is shorter than the amplitude length in the case of linear scanning so that the laser light at both ends of the linear scanning range can be shielded. .

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, it is preferable to set the diagonal dimension L so that a range (one spot) having the same size as the spot size can be shielded at one end of the scanning range. That is, it is preferable that the diagonal dimension L be shorter by twice the spot than the amplitude length when scanning in a straight line.
Further, considering the expansion of the irradiation range while suppressing the deterioration of the uniformity of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, half of the spot at one end of the scanning range. It is preferable to set the diagonal dimension L so that the same size range (1/2 spot) as the light can be shielded. That is, in such a case, it is preferable that the diagonal dimension L is shorter by the size of the spot than the amplitude length in the case of linear scanning.

  In addition, if the two diagonal dimensions L of the transmission part 6a having a substantially rhombus shape are set in this way, the corner part (corner part) of the sealing part 101 is also irradiated as illustrated in FIG. Light shielding can be performed at both ends of the scanning range. That is, light can be shielded at both ends of the scanning range even when “substantially L-shaped” scanning is performed to irradiate the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101.

Moreover, the curvature radius dimension R in the corner | angular part of the permeation | transmission part 6a shown in FIG.9 (b) and the curvature radius dimension r in the corner | angular part (corner part) of the sealing part 101 satisfy | fill the relationship of the following (1) Formula. It is preferable to do so.

Further, the chord length dimension at the corner portion of the transmission portion 6a shown in FIG. 9B is set to be approximately twice the radius of curvature r at the corner portion (corner portion) of the sealing portion 101. preferable.

Next, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 will be illustrated.
First, the workpiece 100 is placed and held on the placement surface 3a of the placement unit 3 by a conveying means (not shown). Note that the glass substrate 102 is provided with a sealing portion 101 in a frame shape, and an electronic element, a circuit, and the like are provided inside the frame-shaped sealing portion 101.

  Next, the laser light emitted from the laser light source 4 is guided to the emission end 7 b through the optical fiber 7 and emitted from the emission end 7 b toward the collimating lens 8. The laser light incident on the collimating lens 8 is collimated and enters the scanning unit 10 via the direction control unit 9. Then, the laser beam is linearly scanned by swinging the mirror provided in the scanning unit 10 at high speed. The laser beam scanned linearly by the scanning unit 10 is irradiated onto the sealing unit 101 which is an irradiation surface through the fθ lens 11 and the irradiation intensity control unit 6. At this time, scanning at a constant speed is performed by the action of the fθ lens 11.

  Here, in scanning, the scanning control unit 13 causes the mirror provided in the direction control unit 9 and the mirror provided in the scanning unit 10 to cooperate with each other to change the scanning form. For example, by making the mirror provided in the direction control unit 9 and the mirror provided in the scanning unit 10 cooperate, a “linear” scan or a “substantially L-shaped” scan is performed. To.

In scanning, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 controls the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range. For example, the irradiation intensity control unit 6 controls the laser light at both ends of the scanning range to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform.
In this case, in the case of the irradiation intensity control unit 16 including the transmission suppressing unit 16b having a transmittance distribution in which the transmittance gradually changes, the change in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) can be moderated. In addition, by appropriately selecting a desired transmittance, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range can be made desired.

  On the other hand, the irradiation position of the laser light is moved following the sealing portion 101 by changing the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation apparatus 2 by the moving unit 12. The sealing portion 101 is heated and melted by the laser light applied to the sealing portion 101, and the glass substrates 102 and 103 are hermetically bonded. At this time, a space defined by the sealing portion 101 is formed inside the workpiece 100. In addition, an area defined by the sealing portion 101 on the glass substrates 102 and 103 is a pixel area.

Further, the glass substrates 102 and 103 can be overlapped in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and laser light can be irradiated toward the sealing portion 101 in this state. By doing so, electronic elements and circuits provided in the space defined by the sealing portion 101 can be sealed in a sealed space in an inert gas atmosphere.
In such a case, for example, the laser processing apparatus 1 may be housed in an airtight container such as a chamber, and the inside of the airtight container may be an inert gas atmosphere.

In addition, control of each element provided in the laser processing apparatus 1 can be performed by a control unit (not shown). For example, control related to the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation apparatus 2 can be performed by a control unit (not shown).
When melting and sealing of all the sealing portions 101 provided on the workpiece 100 are completed, the workpiece 100 sealed by a conveying means (not shown) is carried out.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range. For this reason, for example, it is possible to suppress an increase in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both ends of the laser light irradiation range, so that the distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser light irradiation range can be made uniform. Can do. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bonding failure or excessive thermal stress at the bonded portion, thereby improving yield, product quality, and the like.

Moreover, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in a desired part can be controlled by appropriately setting the light shielding position and the transmittance distribution. Therefore, the change in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) can be made gentle, or the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range can be made desired.
In addition, since the laser light source 4 that continuously emits laser light can be provided, the apparatus can be simplified.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for illustrating a laser irradiation apparatus and a laser processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In addition, the arrow XYZ in FIG. 10 represents the three directions orthogonal to each other, XY represents the horizontal direction, and Z represents the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 10, the laser processing device 21 is provided with a laser irradiation device 22, a placement unit 3, and a moving unit 12.
The laser irradiation device 22 is provided so as to face the placement surface 3 a of the placement unit 3, and emits laser light toward the sealing portion 101 of the workpiece 100 placed and held on the placement surface 3 a. Can be irradiated.
The laser irradiation device 22 is provided with a laser light source 24, an irradiation unit 25, and an irradiation intensity control unit 26.

  The laser light source 24 can emit, for example, semiconductor laser light or YAG laser light. However, it is not necessarily limited to these and can be changed as appropriate. In this case, it is preferable that laser light having a wavelength of about 700 nm to 1200 nm that is easily absorbed by the frit can be emitted. As such a thing, what can radiate | emit semiconductor laser beams, such as a wavelength of 808 nm, 940 nm, 976 nm, Nd-YAG laser beam, etc. with a wavelength of 1064 nm, can be illustrated, for example.

  The irradiation unit 25 is provided with a collimating lens 28, a direction control unit 29, a scanning unit 30, and the fθ lens 11.

  The collimating lens 28 collimates the incident laser beam. Note that the collimating lens 28 is not necessarily required, and may be appropriately provided as necessary. Further, the number and arrangement of the collimating lenses 28 are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and can be changed as appropriate.

The direction control unit 29 controls the direction of the laser light introduced from the laser light source 24 through the collimator lens 28. The direction control unit 29 is provided with a mirror 38 and a drive unit 31, and the drive unit 31 can swing the mirror 38 at a high speed.
The scanning unit 30 performs a pseudo linear condensing on the irradiation surface (on the sealing unit 101) by scanning the laser light introduced via the direction control unit 29. The scanning unit 30 is provided with a mirror 32 and a driving unit 33, and the driving unit 33 can swing the mirror 32 at a high speed.
The direction control unit 29 and the scanning unit 30 can be, for example, galvanometer mirrors. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a laser beam that can change the direction of the laser beam can be appropriately selected. For example, a polygon mirror rotation method (polygon mirror) may be used.
A scanning control unit 34 is electrically connected to the driving unit 31 and the driving unit 33. The scanning control unit 34 allows the mirror 38 and the mirror 32 to cooperate to change the scanning mode. For example, “linear” scanning or “substantially L-shaped” scanning can be performed. That is, the scanning control unit 34 changes the scanning mode by causing the direction control unit 29 and the scanning unit 30 to cooperate.

  The irradiation intensity control unit 26 controls the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range by controlling the laser beam with respect to a predetermined position in the scanning range. In the irradiation intensity control unit 26, transmission portions 26a and transmission suppression portions 26b are alternately arranged in regions that are substantially equally divided in the circumferential direction around the central axis 26c. In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, fan-shaped transmission portions 26a and strip-shaped transmission suppression portions 26b are alternately arranged. The transmissive part 26a may be any as long as it can transmit laser light. For example, the transmissive part 26a may be an opening or formed from a transparent body such as glass. Further, the transmission suppressing portion 26b can be formed of a material that shields or attenuates the laser light. In addition, the irradiation intensity control unit 26 is provided with a moving unit 26d that moves the transmission unit 26a and the transmission suppression unit 26b in the rotation direction about the central axis 26c. In addition, the arrangement | positioning number, shape, etc. of the permeation | transmission part 26a and the permeation | transmission suppression part 26b are not necessarily limited to what was illustrated, and can be changed suitably. For example, the number, shape, size, and the like of the transmission portions 26a and the transmission suppression portions 26b can be appropriately determined according to the moving speed in the rotation direction, responsiveness, and the like. Further, the movement in the rotational direction by the moving unit 26d is not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it can be a rotational motion in a certain direction, a reciprocating motion, a rotational motion with a shift, a reciprocating motion, or the like.

  A synchronization control unit 35 is electrically connected to the moving unit 26d and the scanning control unit 34. The irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range can be controlled by controlling the moving unit 26d based on the position information regarding the scanning provided from the scanning control unit 34.

  That is, the irradiation intensity control unit 26 includes a transmission unit 26a that transmits laser light, a transmission suppression unit 26b that suppresses transmission of laser light, and a moving unit 26d that changes the positions of the transmission unit 26a and the transmission suppression unit 26b. The moving unit 26d changes the position of the transmission suppressing unit 26b so that the transmission of the laser beam to a predetermined position is suppressed.

In this case, the predetermined position can be near both ends of the scanning range.
For example, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform by stopping the irradiation of the laser beam at both ends of the scanning range. In this case, the range in which the laser beam irradiation is stopped can be arbitrarily set by controlling the moving unit 26d.

For example, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4B, it is possible to stop the irradiation of laser light in a range (one spot) having the same size as the spot size at one end of the scanning range. In this way, it is possible to stop the irradiation of the laser beam in the portion that stops because the scanning direction is reversed. Therefore, it is possible to make the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range uniform.
Further, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4C, the irradiation of the laser beam is stopped in one end of the scanning range in the range having the same size as the half of the spot (1/2 spot). be able to. In this way, it is possible to expand the irradiation range while suppressing the deterioration of the uniformity of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an irradiation intensity control unit including a transmission suppressing unit having a transmittance distribution in which the transmittance gradually changes. FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram for illustrating a transmission suppressing unit having a transmittance distribution in which the transmittance gradually changes. The arrow in Fig.11 (a) represents the rotation direction. FIG. 11B is a schematic graph for illustrating the relationship between the rotational position and the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit.
As shown in FIG. 11A, if the transmission suppressing unit has a transmittance distribution such that the transmittance gradually changes, the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit also gradually changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11B, the change in the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit can be moderated. In addition, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution can be controlled more precisely.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an irradiation intensity control unit including a transmission unit whose area gradually changes. FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram for illustrating a transmission portion whose area gradually changes. The arrow in Fig.12 (a) represents the rotation direction. FIG. 12B is a schematic graph for illustrating the relationship between the rotational position and the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the area of the transmission part 36 gradually changes along the rotation direction. In addition, the dimension of the portion of the transmissive part 36 where the area is the largest (the radial dimension of the irradiation intensity control part) is equal to or less than the diameter dimension of the laser light spot 37. With such a transmission part 36, the cross-sectional area of the laser beam that is transmitted can be changed as the transmission part 36 moves in the rotational direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12B, the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit can be gradually changed. Further, the change in the energy intensity of the laser light transmitted through the irradiation intensity control unit can be moderated. In addition, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution can be controlled more precisely.

Next, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 21 is illustrated.
First, the workpiece 100 is placed and held on the placement surface 3a of the placement unit 3 by a conveying means (not shown). Note that the glass substrate 102 is provided with a sealing portion 101 in a frame shape, and an electronic element, a circuit, and the like are provided inside the frame-shaped sealing portion 101.

  Next, laser light is emitted from the laser light source 24 toward the collimating lens 28. The laser light incident on the collimating lens 28 is collimated and emitted toward the irradiation intensity control unit 26. The laser light incident on the irradiation intensity control unit 26 passes through the transmission unit 26 a and enters the mirror 32 of the scanning unit 30 via the mirror 38 of the direction control unit 29. Then, the laser beam is linearly scanned by swinging the mirror 32 at a high speed by the drive unit 33. The laser beam scanned linearly by the scanning unit 30 is irradiated onto the sealing unit 101 which is an irradiation surface through the fθ lens 11. At this time, scanning at a constant speed is performed by the action of the fθ lens 11.

Here, in scanning, the scanning control unit 34 causes the mirror 38 and the mirror 32 to cooperate with each other so that the scanning mode is changed. For example, the mirror 38 and the mirror 32 cooperate to perform “linear” scanning or “substantially L-shaped” scanning. In scanning, the irradiation intensity control unit 26 controls the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range. For example, the irradiation intensity control unit 26 controls the laser light at both ends of the scanning range to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform.
In the case of a transmission suppression unit having a transmittance distribution in which the transmittance gradually changes or an irradiation intensity control unit having a transmission part in which the area gradually changes, the change in the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution is changed. It can be relaxed. Further, by appropriately selecting the desired transmittance and the area of the transmissive portion, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range can be made desired.

  In this case, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range is controlled by controlling the moving unit 26d based on the position information regarding the scanning provided from the scanning control unit 34. That is, by controlling the position of the transmission part 26a or the transmission suppression part 26b in the rotation direction according to the scanning position of the laser light, the laser light irradiation or stop at the desired scanning position is controlled. For example, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range is controlled to be substantially uniform by stopping the irradiation of the laser beam at both ends of the scanning range. In this case, the range in which the laser beam irradiation is stopped can be arbitrarily set by controlling the moving unit 26d. Note that the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at a desired portion can be controlled by appropriately selecting the irradiation stop position and the desired transmittance.

On the other hand, the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved following the sealing portion 101 by changing the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation device 22 by the moving unit 12. In this case, control regarding the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation device 22 is performed by a control unit (not shown).
The sealing portion 101 is heated and melted by the laser light applied to the sealing portion 101, and the glass substrates 102 and 103 are hermetically bonded. At this time, a space defined by the sealing portion 101 is formed inside the workpiece 100. In addition, an area defined by the sealing portion 101 on the glass substrates 102 and 103 is a pixel area.

Further, the glass substrates 102 and 103 can be overlapped in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and laser light can be irradiated toward the sealing portion 101 in this state. By doing so, electronic elements and circuits provided in the space defined by the sealing portion 101 can be sealed in a sealed space in an inert gas atmosphere.
In such a case, for example, the laser processing apparatus 21 may be housed in an airtight container such as a chamber, and the inside of the airtight container may be an inert gas atmosphere.
When melting and sealing of all the sealing portions 101 provided on the workpiece 100 are completed, the workpiece 100 sealed by a conveying means (not shown) is carried out.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range. For this reason, for example, it is possible to suppress an increase in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both ends of the laser light irradiation range, so that the distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser light irradiation range can be made uniform. Can do. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bonding failure or excessive thermal stress at the bonded portion, thereby improving yield, product quality, and the like.

Moreover, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in a desired part can be controlled by appropriately selecting the irradiation stop position and the desired transmittance. Therefore, the change in the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution can be moderated, or the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range can be made desired.
In addition, since the laser light source 24 that continuously emits laser light can be used, the apparatus can be simplified.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for illustrating a laser irradiation apparatus and a laser processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. Note that arrows XYZ in FIG. 13 represent three directions orthogonal to each other, XY represents a horizontal direction, and Z represents a vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, the laser processing device 41 is provided with a laser irradiation device 42, a placement unit 3, and a moving unit 12.
The laser irradiation device 42 is provided so as to face the mounting surface 3 a of the mounting unit 3, and emits laser light toward the sealing unit 101 of the workpiece 100 mounted and held on the mounting surface 3 a. Can be irradiated.
The laser irradiation device 42 includes a laser light source 24, an irradiation unit 25, and an irradiation intensity control unit 46. The irradiation unit 25 is provided with a collimating lens 28, a direction control unit 29, a scanning unit 30, and the fθ lens 11.

The irradiation intensity control unit 46 controls the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range by controlling the laser beam at a predetermined position in the scanning range. The irradiation intensity control unit 46 is provided with an electro-optic unit 47. The electro-optic unit 47 deflects the laser beam that passes through the inside by changing the applied voltage, and changes the optical path of the laser beam.
The electro-optic part 47 includes a transmissive part 47c formed of an electro-optic material (dielectric material) whose refractive index changes according to the strength of the applied electric field, an electrode 47a for applying an electric field to the transmissive part 47c, and an electrode 47b. Examples of the electro-optic material (dielectric material) include potassium tantalate niobate crystals. However, it is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

Further, a synchronization control unit 45 is electrically connected to the electrodes 47a and 47b and the scanning control unit 34. And based on the positional information regarding the scanning provided from the scanning control part 34, the irradiation intensity | strength (energy intensity) distribution in an irradiation range can be controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the electrode 47a and the electrode 47b. It has become. That is, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes 47a and 47b according to the scanning position of the laser light, it is possible to control the irradiation and stop of the laser light at a desired scanning position.
For example, when stopping the irradiation of the laser light, the applied voltage is controlled to deflect the laser light transmitted through the transmission part 47 c so that the optical path of the laser light faces the light shielding plate 48.

  In other words, the irradiation intensity control unit 46 includes an electro-optical unit 47 that deflects the laser beam transmitted through the inside by a change in applied voltage to change the optical path of the laser beam, and the electro-optical unit 47 has a predetermined position. By changing the optical path of the laser beam, the irradiation range is prevented from being irradiated with the laser beam.

In this case, the predetermined position can be near both ends of the scanning range.
For example, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform by stopping the irradiation of the laser beam at both ends of the scanning range. Note that the range in which the laser beam irradiation is stopped can be arbitrarily set by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes 47a and 47b.

For example, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4B, it is possible to stop the irradiation of laser light in a range (one spot) having the same size as the spot size at one end of the scanning range. In this way, it is possible to stop the irradiation of the laser beam in the portion that stops because the scanning direction is reversed. Therefore, it is possible to make the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range uniform.
Further, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4C, the irradiation of the laser beam is stopped in one end of the scanning range in the range having the same size as the half of the spot (1/2 spot). be able to. In this way, it is possible to expand the irradiation range while suppressing the deterioration of the uniformity of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution.

Next, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 41 will be illustrated.
First, the workpiece 100 is placed and held on the placement surface 3a of the placement unit 3 by a conveying means (not shown). Note that the glass substrate 102 is provided with a sealing portion 101 in a frame shape, and an electronic element, a circuit, and the like are provided inside the frame-shaped sealing portion 101.

  Next, laser light is emitted from the laser light source 24 toward the collimating lens 28. The laser light incident on the collimating lens 28 is collimated and emitted toward the irradiation intensity control unit 46. The laser light incident on the irradiation intensity control unit 46 passes through the transmission unit 47 c and enters the mirror 32 of the scanning unit 30 via the mirror 38 of the direction control unit 29. Then, the laser beam is linearly scanned by swinging the mirror 32 at a high speed by the drive unit 33. The laser beam scanned linearly by the scanning unit 30 is irradiated onto the sealing unit 101 which is an irradiation surface through the fθ lens 11. At this time, scanning at a constant speed is performed by the action of the fθ lens 11.

  Here, in scanning, the scanning control unit 34 causes the mirror 38 and the mirror 32 to cooperate with each other so that the scanning mode is changed. For example, the mirror 38 and the mirror 32 cooperate to perform “linear” scanning or “substantially L-shaped” scanning. In scanning, the irradiation intensity control unit 46 controls the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range. For example, the irradiation intensity control unit 46 controls the laser light at both ends of the scanning range to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range to be substantially uniform.

  In this case, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes 47a and 47b based on the position information regarding the scanning provided from the scanning control unit 34. In other words, by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes 47a and 47b in accordance with the scanning position of the laser light, control such as irradiation and stop of the laser light at a desired scanning position is performed.

  For example, the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range is controlled to be substantially uniform by stopping the irradiation of the laser beam at both ends of the scanning range. In this case, the range in which the laser beam irradiation is stopped can be arbitrarily set by controlling the voltage applied to the electrodes 47a and 47b. The irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at a desired portion can be controlled by appropriately selecting the irradiation stop position.

On the other hand, the irradiation position of the laser light is moved following the sealing portion 101 by changing the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation device 42 by the moving unit 12. In this case, control regarding the relative position between the workpiece 100 and the laser irradiation device 42 is performed by a control unit (not shown).
The sealing portion 101 is heated and melted by the laser light applied to the sealing portion 101, and the glass substrates 102 and 103 are hermetically bonded. At this time, a space defined by the sealing portion 101 is formed inside the workpiece 100. In addition, an area defined by the sealing portion 101 on the glass substrates 102 and 103 is a pixel area.

Further, the glass substrates 102 and 103 can be overlapped in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and laser light can be irradiated toward the sealing portion 101 in this state. By doing so, electronic elements and circuits provided in the space defined by the sealing portion 101 can be sealed in a sealed space in an inert gas atmosphere.
In such a case, for example, the laser processing apparatus 41 may be housed in an airtight container such as a chamber, and the inside of the airtight container may be an inert gas atmosphere.
When melting and sealing of all the sealing portions 101 provided on the workpiece 100 are completed, the workpiece 100 sealed by a conveying means (not shown) is carried out.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range. For this reason, for example, it is possible to suppress an increase in irradiation intensity (energy intensity) at both ends of the laser light irradiation range, so that the distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser light irradiation range can be made uniform. Can do. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bonding failure or excessive thermal stress at the bonded portion, thereby improving yield, product quality, and the like.

Moreover, the irradiation intensity | strength (energy intensity) in a desired part can be controlled by selecting the stop position of irradiation suitably. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a desired distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser beam irradiation range.
In addition, since the laser light source 24 that continuously emits laser light can be used, the apparatus can be simplified.
In addition, since switching between laser beam irradiation and stopping can be performed electrically, the responsiveness can be improved. In addition, since mechanical failure can be reduced, productivity can be improved.

Next, the manufacturing method of the flat panel display which concerns on this Embodiment is illustrated.
As an example, a method for manufacturing an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display is illustrated.
The manufacturing process of the organic EL display includes a step of forming an acceptor substrate provided with an anode electrode, a partition wall, and the like, and a transfer body (donor substrate) placed on the acceptor substrate and brought into close contact with the laser beam to perform transfer. The process includes a transfer step, a step of forming a sealing substrate having a sealing portion made of frit, a sealing step of sealing the acceptor substrate and the sealing substrate by irradiating the frit with laser light, and the like.

  In this case, sealing can be performed by the following procedure in the sealing step. Further, sealing can be performed using the laser processing apparatus described above.

For example, an organic EL display (flat panel display) having a sealing step of hermetically sealing a space formed between a pair of substrates by irradiating a sealing portion formed between the pair of substrates with laser light. In the sealing method, when the laser beam is scanned following the sealing portion in the sealing step, the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range is controlled by controlling the laser light at a predetermined position in the scanning range. Like that.
In this case, the predetermined position in the scanning range can be near both ends of the scanning range. In this case, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4B, it is possible to stop the irradiation of the laser light in the range having the same size as the spot size (one spot) at one end of the scanning range. . In this way, it is possible to stop the irradiation of the laser beam in the portion that stops because the scanning direction is reversed. Therefore, it is possible to make the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the irradiation range uniform.
Further, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 4C, the irradiation of the laser beam is stopped in one end of the scanning range in the range having the same size as the half of the spot (1/2 spot). be able to. In this way, it is possible to expand the irradiation range while suppressing the deterioration of the uniformity of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution.
Further, the irradiation intensity distribution at an arbitrary position can be controlled by controlling the laser beam at a desired position in the scanning range.

In addition, since things other than sealing can apply the technique in each known process, those description is abbreviate | omitted.
Moreover, although the manufacturing method of the organic EL display was illustrated as an example, it is not necessarily limited to this. It can be widely applied to the manufacturing method of a flat panel display provided with a sealing process. For example, the present invention can be applied to the production of liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, surface conduction electron-emitting device displays (SED), field emission displays (FED), and the like. In addition, even in such a case, those other than the sealing can apply known techniques in each flat panel display, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to control the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) distribution in the laser light irradiation range. Therefore, the distribution of the irradiation intensity (energy intensity) in the laser light irradiation range can be made uniform, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of bonding failure or excessive thermal stress at the bonding portion. As a result, yield and product quality can be improved.

Heretofore, the present embodiment has been illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions.
As long as the features of the present invention are provided, those skilled in the art appropriately modified the design of the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.
For example, the shape, size, material, arrangement, number, and the like of each element included in the laser processing apparatus 1, the laser processing apparatus 21, the laser processing apparatus 41, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, but may be changed as appropriate. it can.
Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is combined can be combined as much as possible, and what combined these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the characteristics of the present invention are included.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser processing apparatus, 2 Laser irradiation apparatus, 3 Mounting part, 4 Laser light source, 5 Irradiation part, 6 Irradiation intensity control part, 6a Transmission part, 6b Transmission suppression part, 9 Direction control part, 10 Scan part, 12 Moving part , 13 Scan control unit, 16a transmission unit, 16b transmission suppression unit, 21 laser processing device, 22 laser irradiation device, 24 laser light source, 25 irradiation unit, 26 irradiation intensity control unit, 26a transmission unit, 26b transmission suppression unit, 26c center Axis, 26d moving unit, 29 direction control unit, 30 scanning unit, 31 driving unit, 32 mirror, 33 driving unit, 34 scanning control unit, 35 synchronization control unit, 36 transmission unit, 38 mirror, 41 laser processing device, 42 laser Irradiation device, 45 Sync control unit, 46 Irradiation intensity control unit, 47 Electro-optic unit, 47a electrode, 47b electrode, 47c Transmission unit, 100 Processed Object, 101 sealing portion, 102 glass substrate, 103 glass substrate, 110 scanning range

Claims (9)

A laser light source;
A direction control unit for controlling the direction of laser light introduced from the laser light source;
A scanning unit that performs pseudo linear focusing on the irradiation surface by scanning the laser light introduced through the direction control unit;
A scanning control unit that changes a scanning mode by cooperating the direction control unit and the scanning unit;
An irradiation intensity control unit for controlling the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range by controlling the laser beam for a predetermined position in the scanning range;
A laser irradiation apparatus comprising:   The said irradiation intensity control part has a 1st permeation | transmission part which permeate | transmits the said laser beam, and a 1st permeation | transmission suppression part which suppresses permeation | transmission of the laser beam with respect to the said predetermined position, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The laser irradiation apparatus as described.   3. The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the first transmission part in a direction substantially orthogonal to a transmission direction is a substantially circular shape or a substantially rhombus shape. The irradiation intensity control unit includes a second transmission unit that transmits the laser light, a second transmission suppression unit that suppresses transmission of the laser light, the second transmission unit, and the second transmission suppression unit. And a moving part that changes the position of
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit changes a position of the second transmission suppressing unit so that transmission of the laser light to the predetermined position is suppressed. The irradiation intensity control unit includes an electro-optical unit that deflects a laser beam transmitted through the inside by a change in applied voltage and changes an optical path of the laser beam,
The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optic unit suppresses the irradiation of the laser beam on the irradiation range by changing an optical path of the laser beam with respect to the predetermined position.   The laser irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is near both ends of the scanning range. The laser irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A placement section for placing the workpiece;
A moving unit that changes a relative position between the laser irradiation device and the mounting unit;
A laser processing apparatus comprising: A flat panel display manufacturing method including a sealing step of hermetically sealing a space formed between a pair of substrates by irradiating a sealing portion formed between the pair of substrates with a laser beam. ,
In the sealing step, when scanning the laser light following the sealing portion, the irradiation intensity distribution in the irradiation range is controlled by controlling the laser light at a predetermined position in the scanning range. To manufacture a flat panel display.   9. The method of manufacturing a flat panel display according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined position is near both ends of the scanning range.