JP2017056489A - Optical processing device and method for producing optical workpiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate processing with respect to a relatively larger working object in an optical processing device that moves a light irradiation position with respect to the working object by optical scanning means.SOLUTION: The optical processing device includes: a light source 11; optical scanning means 21 for scanning with light from the light source; and condensation means 22 for condensing the scanning light from the optical scanning means toward the working object 35. The condensation means is mounted to movement means 25 moving relative to the working object, while the light source is not mounted to the movement means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical processing apparatus and an optical processed product production method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an optical processing apparatus that scans laser light (processing light) from a light source by an optical scanning unit and collects the scanned laser light on a workpiece (processing object) for processing.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a laser beam (processing light) from a light source is scanned in a two-dimensional direction by a galvano mirror (optical scanning means) to irradiate a workpiece, and an ITO thin film on the workpiece is patterned, or metal A laser processing apparatus that cuts a workpiece itself made of a thin plate is disclosed. In this laser processing apparatus, the workpiece is held in the workpiece supply unit in a state of being wound in a roll shape, and the workpiece is pulled out from the workpiece supply unit, and the processed part of the workpiece is processed in the processing area of the laser processing apparatus (laser to the workpiece) To the scanning range of the light, and the processed portion is processed. After the processing, the workpiece is further pulled out and the next processed part is moved to the processing region of the laser processing apparatus, and the next processed part is processed.

  According to Patent Document 1, it is said that the productivity can be increased because the light irradiation position on the workpiece can be moved faster by the optical scanning means than the conventional optical processing apparatus. The conventional optical processing apparatus here refers to a state in which the optical axis of the laser beam to the object to be processed is fixed, and is placed in each of the X axis and Y axis orthogonal to the optical axis (Z axis). By moving the stage, the light irradiation position on the object to be processed is moved to perform the processing.

  However, it is difficult for the optical processing apparatus that moves the light irradiation position on the workpiece by the optical scanning means to widen the scanning range of the processing light. Therefore, it is difficult to perform processing on a large processing object.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a light source, an optical scanning unit that scans light from the light source, and a condensing unit that condenses the light scanned by the optical scanning unit toward a workpiece. The light condensing means is mounted on a moving means that moves relative to the object to be processed, and the light source is not mounted on the moving means.

  According to the present invention, in the optical processing apparatus that moves the light irradiation position on the processing object by the optical scanning unit, an excellent effect that it is easy to process a relatively large processing object is achieved.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of a laser patterning device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the laser oscillator in the laser patterning apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the optical scanning means in the laser patterning apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the workpiece conveyance part in the laser patterning apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other structure of the workpiece conveyance part in the laser patterning apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the optical path of a laser beam when the carriage in the said laser patterning apparatus is each located in a different position of the main scanning direction. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an optical path of laser light when the carriage is positioned at different positions in the main scanning direction in a modification in which the galvano scanner is not mounted on the carriage. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a patterning process performed by the laser patterning device according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process sequence in the case of dividing | segmenting the to-be-processed area | region on a workpiece | work into 12 pieces, and performing a process sequentially. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the wiring pattern which should be continued between pieces (processed part). 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a patterning process performed by the laser patterning device according to the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other structural example in a laser patterning apparatus.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which an optical processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a laser patterning apparatus (hereinafter, this embodiment is referred to as “Embodiment 1”) will be described.
An object to be processed in the laser patterning apparatus according to the first embodiment is a work in which an ITO thin film is formed on a base material, and the ITO thin film on the work is irradiated with laser light (processing light) to be partially an ITO thin film. By removing the film, the ITO thin film is patterned. However, the optical processing device according to the present invention is not limited to the laser patterning device according to the first embodiment, but is a device that performs other patterning processing, a device that performs other processing such as cutting, and a non-laser. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that processes light using processing light.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the laser patterning apparatus according to the first embodiment.
The laser patterning apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a laser output unit 1, a laser scanning unit 2, a work transfer unit 3, and a control unit 4.
The laser output unit 1 includes a laser oscillator 11 as a light source, and a beam expander 12 that expands the beam diameter of laser light L as processing light output from the laser oscillator 11.
The laser scanning unit 2 rotates the two galvanometer mirrors 21a for reflecting the laser light L in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by a stepping motor 21b to emit the laser light L in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The galvano scanner 21 as an optical scanning means for scanning, and the laser light L scanned by the galvano scanner 21 inside the work (surface to be processed) or the interface between the base material and the ITO film (predetermined from the work surface) And an fθ lens 22 as a condensing means for condensing light at a position offset by the depth.
The work transport unit 3 includes a transport roller pair 32 that moves the work 35 in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction), and transports the work 35 sandwiched between the transport roller pair 32 in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction).

  The laser oscillator 11 of the laser output unit 1 is controlled by the laser driver unit 10. Specifically, the laser driver unit 10 controls the light emission of the laser oscillator 11 in conjunction with the scanning operation of the galvano scanner 21 of the laser scanning unit 2. As the laser oscillator 11, for example, a pulse fiber laser by pulse oscillation of 100 [ns] or less with little damage due to thermal influence on the base material can be used, but other light sources may be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the laser oscillator 11 according to the first embodiment.
The laser oscillator 11 according to the first embodiment is a pulse fiber laser called MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier). The laser oscillator 11 generates a seed beam by oscillating a seed LD 74 with a pulse generator 73 and amplifies the laser beam L output from the pulse engine unit 70 in a plurality of stages with an optical fiber amplifier. An output fiber 71 that guides light and an output head unit 72 that emits laser light L as a substantially parallel light beam by a collimating optical system 83 as a parallel light beam forming unit. In the first embodiment, only the output head unit 72 is provided in the laser output unit 1.

  The pulse engine unit 70 includes a preamplifier unit having an optical fiber 78, a pumping LD 76 and a coupler 77, and a main amplifier unit having an optical fiber 82, a pumping LD 80 and a coupler 81. An optical fiber having a double clad structure in which a core is doped with a rare earth element is used, and laser light is repeatedly reflected between mirrors installed at the output end and the incident end of the fiber by absorption of pumping light from the pumping LD 76. It reaches. Reference numeral 75 in FIG. 2 is an isolator that blocks light in the reverse direction, and reference numeral 79 in FIG. 2 is a bandpass filter that removes ASE light.

In the first embodiment, the wavelength of the seed LD 74 is set to 1064 [nm] in the near infrared, but the work material includes the second harmonic of 532 [nm] and the third harmonic of 355 [nm]. A suitable wavelength can be selected according to. The laser oscillator 11 may be a solid laser such as a YVO ₄ laser that generates laser oscillation by irradiating a laser medium made of yttrium vanadate crystal with excitation light.

  The galvano scanner 21 of the laser scanning unit 2 is controlled by the galvano scanner control unit 20 for each stepping motor 21b that rotates the galvano mirrors 21a for X-axis direction scanning and Y-axis direction scanning. The galvano scanner control unit 20 tilts the laser beam incident on the reflecting surface with respect to the reflecting surface of the galvano mirror 21a in accordance with line segment element data (line segment start point coordinates and line segment end point coordinates) constituting the processing pattern. Each stepping motor 21b is controlled such that the angle of inclination of the reflecting surface with respect to the optical axis of the light changes in a direction corresponding to the X-axis direction or a direction corresponding to the Y-axis direction. Thereby, each galvanometer mirror 21a can be rotated from the scanning start inclination angle to the scanning end inclination angle corresponding to the XY coordinates of the start point and the end point of the line segment element.

  In the first embodiment, as the optical scanning unit, both the X-axis direction scanning and the Y-axis direction scanning are configured by galvano scanners. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and widely known optical scanning units can be used. . In addition, the optical scanning unit for scanning in the X-axis direction and the optical scanning unit for scanning in the Y-axis direction may be optical scanning units having different configurations. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a galvano scanner 21 is used as the scanning means for Y-axis direction scanning, and a polygon scanner 91 that rotates a polygon mirror 91a with a motor 91b is used as the scanning means for X-axis direction scanning. Also good. As shown in FIG. 3, the optical scanning control in the X-axis direction can be performed based on the light reception timing at which the optical sensor 93 receives the laser light L reflected by the polygon mirror 91a via the lens 92.

  The laser scanning unit 2 is mounted on a carriage 25 that can move in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). The carriage 25 is mounted on a timing belt 27 that is stretched over a driving pulley 27a and a driven pulley 27b. By driving the stepping motor 26 connected to the driving pulley 27a, the timing belt 27 moves, and the carriage 25 on the timing belt 27 performs main scanning along a linear guide 29 (see FIG. 4) extending in the main scanning direction. Move in the direction (X-axis direction). The position of the carriage 25 in the main scanning direction can be detected based on an output signal (address signal) from the linear encoder 28. The stepping motor 26 is controlled by the main scanning control unit 24.

  In the first embodiment, the moving means using the timing belt is adopted as the moving means of the carriage 25 on which the laser scanning unit 2 is mounted. However, the moving means using the timing belt is not limited to this, and a linearly movable means such as a linear stage is used. However, it can be substituted, and a moving means for moving in a two-dimensional direction may be used.

  The work conveyance unit 3 includes a conveyance roller pair 32 including a driving roller 32a and a driven roller 32b. The driving roller 32a is driven by a stepping motor 31 via a timing belt 31a. The stepping motor 31 is controlled by the sub-scanning control unit 30 and can move the workpiece 35 sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 32 to a target feed position in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction). As a result, the parts to be processed on the workpiece are sequentially fed into the processing region 36 that is the scanning range of the laser light L emitted from the laser scanning unit 2.

  Specifically, the workpiece transport unit 3 includes monitor cameras 33 and 34 that capture images of alignment marks 37 formed on the workpiece surface near both ends of the workpiece 35 in the main scanning direction. The sub-scanning control unit 30 sequentially captures the image data output from the monitor cameras 33 and 34 while stepping the workpiece 35 by the stepping motor 31 in small steps in the workpiece feeding direction B (sub-scanning direction). Then, the alignment mark 37 is detected by pattern matching processing or the like, the amount of workpiece movement to the target feed position is calculated, the stepping motor 31 is controlled based on the calculation result, and the position of the workpiece 35 in the sub-scanning direction is determined. Move to the feed position.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the workpiece transfer unit 3.
The work 35 in the first embodiment is wound on the spool shaft 51 in a roll shape, and a work portion drawn out from the work is sandwiched between nips of the transport roller pair 32 along the inlet guide plate 52, and the transport roller pair. It is unwound by driving 32 and set on the processing table 53. Innumerable pores are formed in the processing table 53, and the work 58 is adsorbed on the surface of the processing table 53 by sucking the air in the cavity 57 formed on the back surface of the processing table 53 by the pump 58. The flatness of the work 35 in the region 36 is ensured. The processed workpiece is cut into predetermined sizes by moving the cutter 54 in the main scanning direction, and is discharged onto the tray 55.

  In the first embodiment, a roll-to-sheet method is adopted in which the work is unwound from a roll wound on the spool shaft 51 and the processed work is discharged as a cut sheet. As shown in FIG. The same applies to the roll-to-roll system in which the processed workpiece is wound into a roll.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the processed workpiece is wound around the winding shaft 67 after the processing dust adhering to the surface is removed by the pair of clean rollers 64. The processing dust adsorbed on the clean roller 64 is transferred to the adhesive roller 65 and collected. In the example shown in FIG. 5, in order to protect the processed workpiece surface from scratches such as rubbing, a laminate film is bonded to the front and back of the processed workpiece 35 and then wound around the winding shaft 67. The laminate film is unwound from the laminating roll 66 and wound on the take-up shaft 67 together with the processed workpiece.

  The control unit 4 includes a control PC 40 that manages and controls the entire laser patterning apparatus. The control PC 40 is connected to the laser driver unit 10, the galvano scanner control unit 20, the main scanning control unit 24, the sub-scanning control unit 30 and the like, and manages each status and controls the processing sequence.

The beam expander 12 of the laser output unit 1 is composed of a plurality of lenses, and the position of the lens 39 closest to the fθ lens 22 of the laser scanning unit 2 on the laser beam path is movable in the optical axis direction of the laser beam. It is configured. By moving the position of the lens 39, the carriage on which the laser scanning unit 2 is mounted can be finely adjusted so that the converging distances when the carriage stops at each stop target position in the main scanning direction are aligned as will be described later. That is, the beam expander 12 has a focusing function that finely adjusts the laser light L incident on the galvano scanner 21 to be a parallel light flux.
In addition, an actuator for individually moving and adjusting the position of the lens 39 according to each stop target position in the main scanning direction is provided, and the moving distance of the lens 39 is varied for each stop target position, thereby moving the carriage in the processing surface. The image forming position of the fθ lens 22 can be adjusted with high accuracy even when the parallelism is slightly shifted.

In the first embodiment, the maximum lengths L in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the processing region 36 that is the scanning range of the laser beam L with respect to the workpiece 35 are the respective galvanometer mirrors, where f is the focal length of the fθ lens 22. Using the maximum inclination angle θ of 21a (for example, ± 20 °), the following equation (1) is obtained.
L = f × θ (1)
As shown in this equation (1), the width of the processing region 36 is limited by the scanning range of the galvano scanner 21 (the maximum inclination angle of the galvano mirror 21a). Here, as the scanning range of the galvano scanner 21 increases, it becomes more difficult to properly collect light on the work 35, so that it becomes difficult to maintain the processing uniformity in the processing region 36. Therefore, there is a limit in increasing the scanning range of the galvano scanner 21, that is, the maximum inclination angle θ of the galvano mirror 21a. Therefore, there is a limit in expanding the width of the processing region 36 by expanding the scanning range of the galvano scanner 21 (the maximum inclination angle θ of the galvano mirror 21a).

  On the other hand, according to the above formula (1), if the focal length f of the fθ lens 22 is increased, the width of the processing region 36 can be increased. However, as the focal length f is increased, it is necessary to dispose the fθ lens 22 away from the work 35, which causes a problem that the laser patterning apparatus is increased in size.

In addition, each processing resolution σ in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction can be obtained from the following equation (2), where P is the number of pulses of the stepping motor 21b.
σ = f × (2π / P) (2)
As shown in Expression (2), the processing resolution σ decreases as the focal length f of the fθ lens 22 increases. Therefore, the realization of high-definition machining with a high machining resolution σ and the realization of a wider machining area are in a trade-off relationship. Therefore, when the processing resolution σ is taken into consideration, there is a limit to extending the processing area 36 by increasing the focal length f.

  On the other hand, a method of providing a moving mechanism for moving the work 35 not only in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction) but also in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) by the work transport unit 3 is also conceivable. According to this method, since the processing portion can be processed on each processing portion while sequentially replacing the processing portion of the workpiece 35 in the main scanning direction with respect to the processing region 36, the main scanning exceeding the processing region 36 is performed. Machining can be performed on a workpiece having a length in the direction.

  However, providing a moving mechanism that moves the workpiece not only in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction) but also in the main-scanning direction (X-axis direction) causes an increase in the size of the laser patterning apparatus. In particular, in the first embodiment, since the work length in the sub-scanning direction is a large work 35 having a length exceeding the processing region 36, such a large work 35 is further moved in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). ) Also requires a large moving mechanism. Moreover, since such a large work 35 has a large weight, there is a problem that inertia force is large, high-speed movement is difficult to realize, and productivity is low.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the scanning range of the laser light L is moved in the main scanning direction instead of moving the workpiece 35 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). Specifically, the laser scanning unit 2 is mounted on the carriage 25, and the laser scanning unit 2 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction. As a result, the range in which the laser beam L scanned by the galvano scanner 21 scans the surface of the workpiece, that is, the processing region 36 is moved in the main scanning direction relative to the workpiece 35 without moving the workpiece 35 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). Can be moved relative to each other. Thereby, the part to be processed of the workpiece 35 can be sequentially moved to the processing region 36 to perform the processing, and even if the width of the processing region 36 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) is narrow, the processing region 36 is larger Processing can be performed on the workpiece 35.

  As a result, since the machining process can be performed on the large workpiece 35 exceeding the machining area 36 without forcibly expanding the machining area 36, a high machining resolution σ can be maintained, so that the large workpiece 35 is highly finely processed. Can be realized. In addition, in the first embodiment, the load mounted on the carriage 25 as the moving means that moves in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) is substantially only the laser scanning unit 2, that is, the galvano scanner 21. Only the fθ lens 22 is provided. Since the weight of the mounted object is much lighter than that of the workpiece 35, the carriage 25 can be moved at high speed in the main scanning direction, and high productivity can be obtained.

  It should be noted that the mounted object mounted on the carriage 25 only needs to have at least the fθ lens 22 as the light collecting means. Therefore, the lightest configuration is a configuration in which only the fθ lens 22 is mounted on the carriage 25. On the other hand, as long as the component is light with respect to the workpiece 35, other components may be mounted on the carriage 25 together with the fθ lens 22. For example, an optical scanning unit such as the galvano scanner 21 may be mounted on the carriage as in the first embodiment, or a part or all of the laser output unit 1 may be mounted on the carriage.

  In the first embodiment, the optical path of the laser light L incident on the carriage 25 moving in the main scanning direction, that is, the optical path of the laser light L output from the laser output unit 1 is parallel to the X-axis direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the laser light L output from the laser output unit 1 is incident from the same position of the carriage 25 regardless of the position of the carriage 25 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). Therefore, even if the carriage 25 moves in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction), the optical path of the laser light L after entering the carriage 25 is the same, and the processing regions 36-1 and 36-2 are different from each other in the main scanning direction. The same processing can be realized even when the processing is performed with.

  However, in the first embodiment, when the carriage 25 moves, the optical path length of the laser light L until it enters the carriage 25 changes. Therefore, if the laser beam L incident on the carriage 25 is non-parallel convergent, the focal point of the laser beam L applied to the workpiece 35 changes depending on the position of the carriage 25 in the main scanning direction, and the laser beam L on the workpiece 35 changes. The processing accuracy is affected, for example, the spot diameter changes.

  In the first embodiment, the laser beam L output from the laser oscillator 11 is a substantially parallel light beam, is emitted from the beam expander 12 via the two reflecting mirrors 14 and 15, and is reflected by the reflecting mirror 16 to be laser. The laser light L output from the output unit 1 is also a substantially parallel light beam. Therefore, if the laser light L incident on the carriage 25 is substantially parallel and converged, the focal point of the laser light L applied to the workpiece 35 is substantially changed even if the carriage 25 moves and the position in the main scanning direction changes. Therefore, there is no influence such as a change in the spot diameter of the laser beam L on the workpiece 35. Therefore, even when processing is performed in processing regions 36-1 and 36-2 that are different from each other in the main scanning direction, the processing can be performed with the same processing accuracy without performing operations such as focus adjustment, resulting in higher production. Can be realized.

  However, if the laser output unit 1 is entirely mounted on the carriage 25 in addition to the laser scanning unit 2, that is, if the light source itself such as the laser oscillator 11 is mounted on the carriage 25, the carriage 25 Does not change the focal point of the laser beam L applied to the workpiece 35. However, it is necessary to consider that it is difficult to realize high-speed movement of the carriage 25 because the weight of the load on the carriage 25 increases. In particular, since the light source is usually heavier than other components, the inertial force of the carriage 25 can be effectively reduced by not mounting the light source on the carriage 25, so that the carriage 25 can be moved at high speed. And high productivity.

  On the other hand, in order to further reduce the weight of the mounted object on the carriage 25, a configuration in which the optical scanning means such as the galvano scanner 21 is not mounted on the carriage 25 as shown in FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the laser beam L output from the laser output unit 1 ′ corresponds to the direction corresponding to the X axis direction and the Y axis direction by the galvano scanner 21 of the laser scanning unit 2 ′ that is fixedly arranged. Scan in the direction. The laser beam L scanned in this manner is converted into a parallel beam so as to become a parallel beam parallel to the X-axis direction by a parallel beam forming unit such as a collimator lens 61 and is output from the laser scanning unit 2 ′. . The laser beam L after scanning, which is a substantially parallel light beam output from the laser scanning unit 2 ′, enters the carriage 25 from the X-axis direction and is reflected by the reflecting mirror 16 ′ on the carriage 25 as a condensing unit. Are guided by the fθ lens 22 and focused on the work 35.

  Even in the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the laser light L incident on the carriage 25 has a substantially parallel convergence. Therefore, even when the carriage 25 moves and the position in the main scanning direction changes, the laser irradiated on the workpiece 35. The focal point of the light L is not substantially changed, and there is no influence such as a change in the spot diameter of the laser light L on the workpiece 35. Therefore, even when processing is performed in processing regions 36-1 and 36-2 that are different from each other in the main scanning direction, the processing can be performed with the same processing accuracy without performing operations such as focus adjustment, resulting in higher production. Can be realized.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a patterning process performed by the laser patterning apparatus according to the first embodiment.
First, in accordance with a control command from the control PC 40, the sub-scanning control unit 30 controls the stepping motor 31 to move the work 35 in the work transport direction B along the sub-scanning direction (S1). When the alignment mark 37 formed on the surface of the workpiece 35 moves to the imaging area of the monitor cameras 33 and 34, the alignment mark 37 is detected from the image data of the monitor cameras 33 and 34 (S2). The control PC 40 calculates the workpiece movement amount from the detection result of the alignment mark 37 to the target feed position, and causes the sub-scanning control unit 30 to control the stepping motor 31 based on the calculation result. Thereby, the workpiece 35 moving in the sub-scanning direction stops at the target feed position.

  Thereafter, the control PC 40 operates the pump 58 to suck out the air in the cavity 57 formed on the back surface of the processing table 53, sucks the work 35 onto the surface of the processing table 53, and moves the position of the work 35 easily. Hold so as not to exist (S3). Then, the control PC 40 sets the processed part number N for specifying the processed part on the workpiece 35 to zero (S4), and then controls the stepping motor 26 by the main scanning control unit 24 to set the standby position. The waiting carriage 25 is moved along the main scanning direction in the carriage feed direction A (in the direction away from the laser output unit 1), and the carriage position is initialized at a predetermined home position (S5).

  In this initialization process, the control PC 40 acquires the position in the main scanning direction of the carriage 25 stopped at the home position based on the address signal from the linear encoder 28. Specifically, based on the address signal from the linear encoder 28, a difference between the home position managed by the control PC 40 and the position of the carriage 25 actually stopped is detected, and this difference is used as an offset value to determine the subsequent carriage. 25 used for position control in the main scanning direction.

  Next, the control PC 40 sets the workpiece part number N of the workpiece 35 to 1 (S6). Thereafter, the control PC 40 controls the stepping motor 26 by the main scanning control unit 24 to move the carriage 25 located at the home position in the carriage feed direction A, so that the first processing on the workpiece 35 on which the processing is performed first. The machined part N = 1 is stopped at the first machining position for machining (S7).

  Here, in the first embodiment, in order to realize a high processing resolution with a positional accuracy of 5 μm or less, the laser beam scanning range on the workpiece scanned by the galvano scanner 21, that is, the size of the processing region 36 is 150 [mm] × 150. [Mm] is set. For this reason, when a machining process is performed on the workpiece 35 whose processing area is, for example, 450 [mm] (main scanning direction) × 600 [mm] (sub-scanning direction), the processing area is set to 3 in the main scanning direction. Divide into pieces and divide into 4 pieces in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the entire processing area is processed by sequentially processing these twelve pieces (processed portions N = 1 to 12).

  That is, the carriage 25 is sequentially moved and stopped from the home position to the first machining position, the second machining position, and the third machining position, and the machining process for the corresponding workpiece on the workpiece 35 is performed at each machining position. When the processing at the third processing position is completed, the operation of returning to the home position is repeated (S6 to S9). On the other hand, with respect to the sub-scanning direction, after the carriage 25 moves to the third processing position and finishes the processing process (Yes in S9), the control PC 40 continues until the next processing process starts at the first processing position. Then, the sub-scanning control unit 30 controls the stepping motor 31 to move the workpiece 35 by 150 [mm] in the workpiece conveyance direction B (S11), and hold the workpiece 35 (S12). Then, again, the carriage 25 is sequentially moved to the first processing position, the second processing position, and the third processing position to perform processing (S5 to S9). When such an operation is repeated four times (Yes in S10), the processing of the entire processing area of 450 [mm] × 600 [mm] is completed. When the processing of the entire region to be processed is completed, the workpiece 35 is cut by the cutter 54 (S13) and discharged to the tray 55.

  In the above operation, when the carriage 25 returns to the home position, the stop and machining are not performed at each machining position, and the stop and machining at each machining position are performed only when moving in the carriage feed direction A. This is to make the influence of the deviation of the posture of the carriage 25 at the time of stop constant. In this way, by stopping the carriage 25 only when moving in one direction, it is possible to perform stable processing with a constant influence of the deviation of the posture at the stop position (processing position) of the carriage.

  When machining the workpiece 35 wound up in a roll shape as in the first embodiment, after the carriage 25 is sequentially moved to the first machining position, the second machining position, and the third machining position, the machining process is performed. The operation of moving the workpiece 35 by 150 [mm] in the workpiece conveyance direction B may be repeated until the roll end (S14).

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing order in the case where the processing area on the workpiece is divided into 12 pieces and processing is performed sequentially.
In FIG. 9, the numbers shown in the processed parts 36-1 to 36-24 indicate the processing order.

  As long as the parts to be processed on the workpiece are independent of each other, the processing positions of the carriage 25 may be positions where the processing regions 36 are separated from each other. However, when the parts to be processed are not independent and are to be processed by a plurality of parts to be processed, the respective processing positions of the carriage 25 are adjacent to or partially overlap each other. It is necessary to be in a proper position. In particular, when patterning is performed such that the wiring pattern is continuous between the parts to be processed as in the first embodiment, the wiring pattern to be continuous between the parts to be processed is prevented from being shifted and discontinuous. Is required.

  In the first embodiment, the carriage 25 is reciprocated and the machining position in the main scanning direction is shifted every time the carriage 25 stops due to a posture error around the axis orthogonal to the moving direction (main scanning direction), that is, a so-called pitching error. Sometimes. Further, there is a possibility that an error may occur in the position of the workpiece 35 in the sub-scanning direction. If processing is performed with such an error occurring, the wiring pattern that should be continuous between the parts to be processed may be displaced and discontinuous.

  For this reason, in the first embodiment, an overlap region of about several tens [μm] is provided between 12 pieces (processed portions), and each piece ( To be processed). By providing such an overlap region, it is possible to prevent the wiring pattern from becoming discontinuous even if some error occurs.

  Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a monitor camera 23 is provided on the carriage 25 so that a processed pattern in an overlap region between pieces (processed portions) can be observed. . In the first embodiment, the processed pattern in the overlap region is imaged by the monitor camera 23, and the captured image data is compared with the target processing data to detect a shift of the processed pattern with respect to the target processing position. Using this detection result, the XY coordinate offset value when processing a processed part including a pattern that is continuous with the processed pattern is finely adjusted. By such fine adjustment, not only the stop target position deviation of the carriage 25 but also the machining position deviation accompanying the posture error of the carriage 25 is corrected, and high machining accuracy can be realized.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a wiring pattern that should be continuous between pieces (processed parts).
FIG. 10 exemplifies a wiring pattern straddling each piece of the processed part number N = 1, N = 2, and N = 4. A hatched area in FIG. 10 is an overlap area, a broken line in FIG. 10 indicates an ideal machining position based on the target machining data, and a solid line in FIG. 10 indicates a piece (covered part number N = 1). It is an actual wiring pattern after processing the processed portion).

  As shown in FIG. 10, with respect to piece N = 1, piece N = 2 adjacent in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) and piece N = 3 adjacent to the piece N = 1 in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). Sets the offset of the Y-axis coordinates and corrects the position of the workpiece 35 in the sub-scanning direction. On the other hand, for the piece N = 4 adjacent to the piece N = 1 in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction) and the pieces N = 7, 10 aligned therewith, the offset of the X-axis coordinate is set and the carriage 25 main Correct the position in the scanning direction. These offset values are written in advance in the memory of the control PC 40, read out during the processing of each piece, and the coordinate origin of the processing data is offset.

  Note that the pieces arranged in the main scanning direction, in other words, the pieces processed by the same carriage feed, ensure straightness by the straightness of the linear guide 29, and therefore the offset of the Y-axis coordinates is uniform. On the other hand, as for the pieces arranged in the sub-scanning direction, displacement occurs depending on the posture of the carriage 25 as described above. Therefore, the pattern after the piece processing adjacent in the sub-scanning direction is imaged by the monitor camera 23, and the captured image It is preferable to update the X-axis coordinate offset written in the memory to the latest value with the newly obtained offset value.

The description of the first embodiment is an example in which when the parts to be processed on the workpiece 35 are patterned by scanning with the laser light L, the processing is performed with the workpiece 35 and the carriage 25 stopped. However, it is possible to perform processing on the workpiece 35 moving in the sub-scanning direction, and it is also possible to perform processing on the workpiece 35 while moving the carriage 25 in the main scanning direction. .
In the description of the first embodiment, the optical scanning unit is a unit that performs two-dimensional scanning, but may be a unit that performs one-dimensional scanning.

  In the first embodiment, the carriage 25 is used as a relative movement unit that relatively moves the work 35 and the processing area (scanning range of the laser beam L with respect to the work 35) in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). However, a means for moving the workpiece 35 in the main scanning direction may be used.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, another embodiment in which the optical processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a laser patterning apparatus (hereinafter, this embodiment is referred to as “embodiment 2”) will be described.
In the following description, description of common parts with the first embodiment described above is omitted.

  The object to be processed in the laser patterning apparatus of the second embodiment is a work in which an ITO thin film and a silver paste are formed on a base material, and the ITO thin film and the silver paste on the work are irradiated with laser light (processing light). The ITO thin film and the silver paste are patterned by partially removing the ITO thin film and the silver paste. For the laser oscillator 11, for example, a pulse fiber laser (picosecond fiber laser) by pulse oscillation of 100 [ps] or less with little damage due to thermal influence on the substrate is used, but other light sources may be used. The collimator lens 61 of the second embodiment is constituted by a coupling lens.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of patterning processing by the laser patterning device of this embodiment.
Here, in the second embodiment, two different materials such as an ITO thin film and a silver paste formed on the work 35 are patterned by the laser beam L, respectively. The processing conditions (the amount of laser light L, the wavelength of laser light L, the irradiation time of laser light L, etc.) differ between the ITO thin film and the silver paste depending on the material. Therefore, in the second embodiment, for the three pieces in the main scanning direction, first, the ITO film patterning is performed under the processing conditions for the ITO film, and then the processing conditions are switched to the processing conditions for the silver paste. This time, a patterning process of silver paste is performed on the piece. At this time, the processing conditions for the ITO film and the processing conditions for the silver paste are set to different processing conditions. When the patterning process for both the ITO film and the silver paste is completed for the three pieces (N = 1 to 3) in the main scanning direction, the workpiece 35 is conveyed in the workpiece conveyance direction B, and again three pieces in the main scanning direction. Processing to (N = 4-6) is started.

  That is, the carriage 25 is sequentially moved from the home position to the first processing position, the second processing position, and the third processing position (S6, S7), and the processed portion of the corresponding ITO film on the workpiece 35 at each processing position. When the processing at the third processing position is completed (Yes in S9), the processing returns to the home position. Then, in order to perform processing on the silver paste (No in S10), a processed part number N for specifying a processed part on the workpiece 35 is set to N-3 (S11). Thereafter, the carriage 25 is again sequentially moved from the home position to the first processing position, the second processing position, and the third processing position (S6, S7), and the corresponding silver paste coating on the workpiece 35 at each processing position. Processing of the processed portion is performed (S8), and when the processing at the third processing position is completed (Yes in S9), the processing returns to the home position.

  On the other hand, in the sub-scanning direction, after the carriage 25 is moved to the third processing position and the processing of the silver paste is completed (Yes in S10), the processing processing at the first processing position is started next. The control PC 40 controls the stepping motor 31 by the sub-scanning control unit 30, moves the work 35 by 150 [mm] in the work conveyance direction B (S13), and holds the work 35 (S14). Then, again, the carriage 25 is sequentially moved to the first processing position, the second processing position, and the third processing position to sequentially process the ITO film and the silver paste (S5 to S11).

  When the processing for 12 pieces (processed portion N = 1 to 12) is completed while moving in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction in this way (Yes in S12), 450 [mm] × 600. The processing of the entire processing area of [mm] is completed. When the processing of the entire region to be processed is completed, the workpiece 35 is cut by the cutter 54 (S15) and discharged to the tray 55. When processing the work 35 wound up in a roll shape as in the second embodiment, the carriage 25 is sequentially moved to the first processing position, the second processing position, and the third processing position, and the ITO film and the silver paste are moved. The operation of moving the workpiece 35 by 150 [mm] in the workpiece conveyance direction B after performing the processing may be repeated until the roll end (S16).

  According to the second embodiment, the same light source (laser oscillator 11) is used for various processing portions made of materials having different processing conditions suitable for each other, such as an ITO film and a silver paste, and processing is performed under processing conditions suitable for each. Can be realized. Therefore, as compared with the conventional configuration in which it is necessary to perform processing using a different processing device for each processing location, it is not necessary to transfer the work to another device, and the processing time can be shortened.

  In the second embodiment, the processing condition for the ITO film and the processing condition for the silver paste differ in the number of times of processing for the same piece (the number of times of irradiation with the laser beam L for the same portion). This is because the silver paste patterning process requires more processing energy than the ITO film patterning process, and therefore the number of times of processing in the silver paste is increased compared to that in the ITO film processing. Specifically, in Embodiment 2, the number of times of processing at the time of processing the ITO film is set to one while the number of times of processing at the time of processing the silver paste is set to two times.

  In the second embodiment, ablation processing is realized by using a picosecond fiber laser that instantaneously generates a high peak power of 1 M [W] or more. For this reason, optical processing independent of the wavelength of the processing light (laser light L) is possible even for materials with low light absorption, so laser light is used in processing of materials with different light absorption properties such as ITO film and silver paste. Appropriate processing conditions can be realized without changing the wavelength of L (processing conditions). Further, by using laser light L having a relatively short pulse width (laser light L having a relatively high repetition frequency), such as a picosecond fiber laser, thermal diffusion on the workpiece is reduced and adjacent to the processing location. It is also possible to suppress the thermal influence (for example, film peeling) on the non-processed portion.

  However, the processing may be performed with processing light having a relatively long pulse width (in the case of pulsed laser light, the repetition frequency is relatively low). You may make it vary the wavelength (processing conditions) of the processing light to irradiate with the time of silver paste processing. Specifically, for example, by mounting a light source for each wavelength and switching a light source that emits processing light applied to the workpiece by using an optical path switching unit, the ITO film processing and the silver paste processing are performed. Depending on the time, the wavelength of the processing light to be irradiated is varied.

  Further, the energy (processing conditions) of the laser light L per unit time may be different between the ITO film processing and the silver paste processing. Specifically, when a pulse laser that emits laser light by pulse oscillation as in the second embodiment is used as a light source, the energy (processing conditions) per pulse may be varied. As a method of changing the energy (processing condition) per pulse, there is a method of changing the light source output such as changing the drive current to the seed LD 74 or changing the amplification factor in the pulse engine unit 70. It is done. Also, the energy (processing conditions) per pulse can be varied by changing the wavelength (frequency) of processing light emitted from the light source.

  The higher the energy per pulse and the higher the repetition frequency of the laser beam L (the shorter the pulse period), the non-machined location adjacent to the machining location (irradiation position of the laser beam L on the workpiece). In addition, damage to the substrate by the laser L is increased. The energy per pulse and the repetition frequency of the laser beam L are both set to be equal to or higher than the processing threshold value and below the upper limit value that allows the damage to the non-processed portion and the base material by the laser L to be within an allowable range. There is a need. Since this processing threshold and upper limit are different between the ITO film and the silver paste, the setting range of the energy per pulse and the repetition frequency of the laser light L does not overlap between the ITO film and the silver paste, When the overlapping range is very narrow, it is necessary to vary the energy per pulse and the repetition frequency (processing conditions) of the laser beam L between the ITO film and the silver paste.

  In the second embodiment, the pulse width of the seed light output from the seed LD 74 of the laser oscillator 11 is variable within a range of 10 [ps] or more and 900 [ps] or less, and the excitation LD 76 of the preamplifier unit in the pulse engine unit 70 is changed. Control to optimize the output. As a result, the energy per pulse and the repetition frequency of the laser beam L are made different between the ITO film processing and the silver paste processing so that processing can be performed with the laser light L suitable for each processing.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the processing conditions that differ between the ITO film processing and the silver paste processing are the number of times of processing for the same piece (the number of times of irradiation of the laser beam L for the same location), and the laser irradiated to the workpiece. The processing conditions to be varied when processing various processing locations on the workpiece 35, which are the energy per one pulse of the light L and the repetition frequency of the laser light L, but which have different suitable processing conditions. Not limited. For example, one machining condition among the number of machining times, energy per pulse, and repetition frequency may be varied, or two of these machining conditions may be varied. Alternatively, instead of or in addition to this, processing conditions other than the processing conditions listed here may be varied.

  In particular, according to the configuration in which only the number of times of processing for the same piece (the number of times of irradiation of the laser beam L with respect to the same location) is different, the configuration for changing the processing conditions related to the laser light L is not required, and each processing location can be simplified. Machining under suitable machining conditions can be realized.

  Further, when changing the processing conditions related to the laser light L such as energy per pulse and repetition frequency, the processing conditions (that is, the ITO film and the silver paste) are stored in the storage unit of the control PC 40 as in the second embodiment. (Control conditions of the laser beam L) are stored in advance, and at the time of processing, the control PC 40 controls the laser driver unit 10 according to each processing condition read from the storage unit, and at the time of ITO film processing and silver paste processing Thus, the laser light L to be used is controlled to be different. At this time, each processing condition stored in the storage unit may be updated according to update information acquired by the control PC 40 via a network. In this case, it is possible to flexibly set suitable machining conditions corresponding to each machining location for various workpieces having machining locations with different suitable machining conditions.

  In the second embodiment, the ITO film is processed for three pieces in the main scanning direction, then the silver paste is processed for the same three pieces, and then the workpiece 35 is sub-scanned. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ITO film and the silver paste are repeatedly processed on the three pieces in the main scanning direction.

  For example, one of the three pieces in the main scanning direction (first processing position) is subjected to a silver paste processing after the ITO film processing, and then the next piece in the main scanning direction (second processing). The processing of the ITO film and the processing of the silver paste are sequentially performed at the position), and similarly, the processing of the ITO film and the processing of the silver paste are performed sequentially at the next piece (third processing position) in the main scanning direction. Such a configuration may be used. In this configuration, the stationary position accuracy of the carriage 25 at each processing position affects the processing accuracy. However, since the number of times the carriage 25 is stopped can be reduced, the processing accuracy can be improved as a whole.

  In addition, for example, after processing the ITO film on the entire processing region (12 pieces), the silver paste processing is performed on the entire processing region (12 pieces). It may be. However, in this configuration, the number of times that the workpiece 35 is conveyed increases, so that the positional accuracy of the workpiece 35 in the sub-scanning direction is not stable or the workpiece 35 is easily damaged.

In the second embodiment, the ITO film and the silver paste are examples to be processed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when other materials such as a copper paste are included in the process target, The same applies.
In the second embodiment, the work transport unit 3 is configured to move the work in the sub-scanning direction. However, this structure is not necessarily required, and the work may not be moved.

  Further, the machining location changing means for changing the machining location on the workpiece 35 by the laser beam L is a means for changing the machining location on the workpiece 35 by scanning by the laser scanning unit 2, and the machining location on the workpiece 35 by moving the carriage 25. The machining location on the workpiece 35 by the laser light L is changed, such as a means for changing the workpiece 35, a means for changing the machining location on the workpiece 35 by the movement of the workpiece 35 by the workpiece conveying unit 3, or a combination of these means. Anything is acceptable.

  Further, in the second embodiment, the processing portions with different materials such as the ITO thin film and the silver paste are examples in which the processing with the laser light L is performed under different processing conditions. The same applies not only when the processing conditions are different, but also when the processing conditions suitable for the same material are different due to different thicknesses.

  In the first and second embodiments, the laser patterning process is performed by scanning the laser beam (processing light) using the optical scanning unit. However, as shown in FIG. A configuration may be employed in which a moving mechanism is used to move the workpiece in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and the portion to be processed on the workpiece 35 is subjected to laser patterning while changing the laser light irradiation position by the moving mechanism.

  Specifically, in the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the laser scanning unit 2 is supported by a carriage 25 mounted on a main scanning linear motion stage 27 'movable in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). The linear motion stage 27 'is mounted on a sub-scanning linear motion stage 21' that can move in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction). The laser beam L from the laser output unit 1 is reflected from the reflection mirror 16 fixed to the laser output unit 1 by the reflection mirror 17 on the main scanning linear motion stage 27 ′ and fixed to the laser scanning unit 2 on the carriage 25. The light enters the condenser lens 22 ′ by the reflection mirror 18. Reference numeral 19 in the figure denotes a diffractive optical element that converts the intensity distribution and spot shape at the imaging position of the laser light L, and can arbitrarily set a top hat distribution, a rectangular shape, and the like. Used for processing organic film of solar cell film.

  With such a configuration, by controlling the main scanning linear motion stage 27 ′ and the sub scanning linear motion stage 21 ′, the laser light L emitted from the condensing lens 22 ′ of the laser scanning unit 2 is within a two-dimensional plane. It can be moved (scanned). In the configuration using optical scanning means such as a galvano scanner, it is necessary to sequentially move and stop the carriage 25 to the first stop position, the second stop position, and the third stop position, and to perform laser patterning processing at each position. . As described above, since it is necessary to perform the laser processing process intermittently, the processing time becomes relatively long. On the other hand, in the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the laser beam scanning range is wider than that when scanning using an optical scanning unit such as a galvano scanner, so the first stop position, the second stop position, and the third stop position. The laser patterning process performed at each position can be continuously performed by a single laser processing process. That is, for example, when processing is performed on the workpiece 35 of 450 [mm] (main scanning direction) × 600 [mm] (sub-scanning direction), the processing is not required to divide the entire processing target in the main scanning direction. it can.

  With the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the laser beam scanning range can be made wider in the sub-scanning direction than when scanning using an optical scanning unit such as a galvano scanner. For example, 450 [mm] (main scanning direction) ) When the machining process is performed on the workpiece 35 of x600 [mm] (sub-scanning direction), the number of divisions for dividing the entire machining target in the sub-scanning direction can be reduced. By performing machining by dividing the workpiece in the sub-scanning direction using such a structure, long machining can be performed, and productivity can be improved. The processing in which the workpiece is divided in the sub-scanning direction here refers to the processing in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction performed by the moving mechanism, and then the workpiece is transported and again moved in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction by the moving mechanism. In the same manner as the processing performed by dividing into pieces described in the first embodiment, the processing is performed so that at least a part of the workpiece to be processed is connected before and after conveyance. . That is, the work transport unit 3 transports the work so that the entire processing target is sequentially overlapped with the movement range of the carriage 25 for each region divided in the sub-scanning direction.

What was demonstrated above is an example, and there exists an effect peculiar for every following aspect.
(Aspect A)
A light source such as a laser oscillator 11 that emits processing light such as a laser beam L, an optical scanning unit such as a galvano scanner 21 that scans processing light from the light source, and processing light scanned by the optical scanning unit is used as a workpiece 35. In an optical processing apparatus such as a laser patterning apparatus having a condensing means such as an fθ lens 22 that condenses the object to be processed, etc., at least the condensing means is mounted on the processing surface of the processing object. And moving means such as a carriage 25 that moves in parallel directions, and movement control means such as a main scanning control unit 24 and a control PC 40 that control the movement of the moving means.
According to this aspect, the condensing means for condensing the processing light scanned by the optical scanning means on the processing object can be moved in the direction parallel to the processing surface of the processing object by the moving means. . Therefore, the range in which the machining light scanned by the optical scanning unit scans the workpiece surface on the workpiece, that is, the machining area 36 can be moved relative to the workpiece without moving the workpiece. . As a result, the processing area of the present optical processing apparatus is sequentially moved to another part to be processed on the processing object to perform the processing, so that a relatively large processing object exceeding the processing area can be processed. It becomes easy to process.
Moreover, in this aspect, the relative movement means for moving the processing region and the processing object relative to each other is a movement means that moves by mounting at least a light collecting means. With this moving means, the mounted object is lighter than the workpiece, so it has a lower inertial force than the case of using the moving means to move the workpiece, can achieve high-speed movement, and high production. Can be realized.
Note that this aspect does not exclude a configuration in which a moving mechanism that moves the workpiece in a specific direction (sub-scanning direction in the present embodiment) is used together. Even in this configuration, in a direction different from the specific direction, the processing region can be moved relative to the processing target without using a moving mechanism that moves the processing target. Therefore, in a direction different from the specific direction, the machining area can be relatively moved with respect to the machining object at a high speed, and the direction is high for a relatively large machining object that exceeds the machining area. Processing can be performed with productivity.

(Aspect B)
In the aspect A, the optical scanning unit is also mounted on the moving unit.
If the optical scanning means is not mounted on the moving means, the processing light after being scanned by the optical scanning means is incident on the moving means that moves parallel to the surface to be processed of the workpiece. become. In such a configuration, in order to maintain the focus of the processing light irradiated to the processing object and stabilize the processing accuracy regardless of the position of the moving means, the processed light after scanning is made parallel. It is necessary to make the beam luminous. Making the processed light after scanning into a parallel light beam has a more complicated configuration than making the processed light before scanning incident on the optical scanning means into a parallel light beam. If the optical scanning means is mounted on the moving means as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to convert the processed light after scanning into a parallel light beam, so that a simple configuration can be realized.

(Aspect C)
In the aspect B, a collimating optical system 83 or the like for collimating the processing light into a parallel beam is provided, the parallel beam converting unit is not mounted on the moving unit, and the moving unit is the moving unit. It moves to the direction parallel to the optical axis of the processing light after making into the parallel light beam which injects into.
According to this, since the moving direction of the moving means is parallel to the optical axis of the processing light after collimated light incident on the moving means, the workpiece is irradiated regardless of the position of the moving means. The focus of the machining light to be processed does not substantially change, and the influence of the change of the spot diameter of the machining light on the workpiece can be suppressed. Therefore, even if the moving means is moved to any position for processing, the processing can be performed with the same processing accuracy without performing operations such as focus adjustment, and higher productivity can be realized.

(Aspect D)
In the aspect A, there is provided a parallel light beam forming unit such as a collimator lens 61 that converts the processed light scanned by the optical scanning unit into a parallel light beam, and the optical scanning unit and the parallel light beam forming unit are not connected to the moving unit. It is mounted, and the moving means moves in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the processing light converted into a parallel beam by the parallel beam forming means.
In this aspect, since the optical scanning means is not mounted on the moving means, the weight of the load on the moving means becomes lighter and the inertial force is smaller than the configuration in which the optical scanning means is mounted on the moving means, High productivity can be realized because high-speed movement can be realized. In addition, since the moving direction of the moving means is parallel to the optical axis of the processed light after collimated light incident on the moving means, the processing light that is irradiated to the workpiece regardless of the position of the moving means. Is not substantially changed, and it is possible to suppress an influence such as a change in the spot diameter of the processing light on the processing target. Therefore, even if the moving means is moved to any position for processing, the processing can be performed with the same processing accuracy without performing operations such as focus adjustment, and higher productivity can be realized.

(Aspect E)
In any one of the aspects A to D, an adjustment unit such as a beam expander 12 that adjusts a condensing distance of processing light by the condensing unit is provided.
According to this, even if the processing light collection distance by the light collecting means shifts due to the movement of the moving means, the light collecting distance can be adjusted by the adjusting means, so that it is stable regardless of the position of the moving means. It becomes easy to realize the processed accuracy.

(Aspect F)
In any one of the above aspects A to E, the moving means moves in parallel to the scanning direction of the processing light on the processing surface of the processing object.
According to this, even if the scanning range of the optical scanning unit is narrow, it is possible to process a relatively large processing target that exceeds the scanning range.

(Aspect G)
In any one of the aspects A to F, the processing light scans the processing target surface of the processing object in a state where the movement of the moving unit is stopped.
According to this, higher-definition processing can be realized.

(Aspect H)
In the aspect G, the movement control unit includes optical scanning areas when the processing light scans the processing target surface of the processing object in a state where the moving unit is stopped at a plurality of stop positions. The stop position of the moving unit is controlled so as to be adjacent to the moving direction of the moving unit or to partially overlap the moving direction of the moving unit.
According to this, it is possible to perform the process which continues between each process part on a process target object in the moving direction of a moving means. Thereby, in the moving direction of the moving means, it is possible to perform the processing of the processing target so that each processing portion of the processing target is not independent but becomes a single processing target by a plurality of processing portions. It becomes.

(Aspect I)
In the aspect G or H, the moving means reciprocates along a predetermined moving path, and the movement control means moves the moving means in either the forward direction or the backward direction, The moving means is stopped at each of the plurality of stop positions.
According to this, it is possible to shift the position error generated when the moving unit is moved to make the position error constant, and it is easy to correct the position error.

(Aspect J)
In any one of the aspects A to I, a conveying unit such as a workpiece conveying unit 3 that conveys the workpiece in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the moving unit, and a workpiece surface of the workpiece Each optical scanning area when the processing light scans above is adjacent to the workpiece conveyance direction by the conveyance means, or partially overlaps in the workpiece conveyance direction by the conveyance means It has a sub-scanning control unit 30 for controlling the stop position of the transport unit and a transport control unit such as a control PC 40.
According to this, it is possible to perform the process which continues between each process part on a process target object in a process target object conveyance direction. Thereby, it is possible to perform the processing of the processing object so that each processing part of the processing object is not independent in the processing object conveyance direction but becomes a single processing object by a plurality of processing parts. It becomes.

(Aspect K)
In any one of the aspects A to J, the optical scanning unit scans the processing light from the light source in a two-dimensional direction.
According to this, processing with higher productivity can be realized.

(Aspect L)
A light source such as a laser oscillator 11 that emits processing light such as a laser beam L, an optical scanning unit such as a galvano scanner 21 that scans processing light from the light source, and processing light scanned by the optical scanning unit is used as a workpiece 35. In an optical processing apparatus such as a laser patterning apparatus having a condensing means such as an fθ lens 22 that condenses the object to be processed, etc., at least the condensing means is mounted on the processing surface of the processing object. A moving means such as a carriage 25 that moves in a parallel direction, and a movement control means such as a main scanning control unit 24 and a control PC 40 that control the movement of the moving means. The scanning direction of the processing light in is at least two orthogonal directions including the moving direction of the moving means.
According to this, processing with higher productivity can be realized.

(Aspect M)
In the aspect L, an optical scanning unit that scans the processing light in at least one of the two directions is mounted on the moving unit.
If the optical scanning means is not mounted on the moving means, the processing light after being scanned by the optical scanning means is incident on the moving means that moves parallel to the surface to be processed of the workpiece. become. In such a configuration, in order to maintain the focus of the processing light irradiated to the processing object and stabilize the processing accuracy regardless of the position of the moving means, the processed light after scanning is made parallel. It is necessary to make the beam luminous. Making the processed light after scanning into a parallel light beam has a more complicated configuration than making the processed light before scanning incident on the optical scanning means into a parallel light beam. If the optical scanning means is mounted on the moving means as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to convert the processed light after scanning into a parallel light beam, so that a simple configuration can be realized.

(Aspect N)
A light source that emits processing light; an optical scanning unit that scans the processing light from the light source; and the processing target in a direction that intersects a scanning direction of processing light by the optical scanning unit on the processing target. An optical processing apparatus having a transporting means for transporting, characterized in that it has a relative movement means for moving the scanning range of the processing light with respect to the processing target and the processing target relative to the other in the scanning direction. To do.
Also in this aspect, the scanning range of the processing light with respect to the processing target, that is, the processing region 36 and the processing target can be relatively moved in the scanning direction of the processing light with respect to the processing target. As a result, the processing area of the present optical processing apparatus is sequentially moved to another part to be processed on the processing object to perform the processing, so that a relatively large processing object exceeding the processing area can be processed. It becomes easy to process.

(Aspect O)
A light source such as a laser oscillator 11 that emits processing light such as a laser beam L, and a processing part such as a galvano scanner 21, a carriage 25, and a conveyance unit 3 that change a processing part on a processing target such as a workpiece 35 by the processing light. In the optical processing apparatus having the changing means, the number of times of irradiation of the laser beam L to the same location, the energy per unit time of the laser beam L applied to the workpiece 35, the laser beam L It is characterized by having processing condition changing means such as a control PC 40 for changing processing conditions such as a repetition frequency, a laser driver unit 10, a main scanning control unit 24, and the like.
According to this aspect, processing can be performed under different processing conditions for each processing portion of the processing object. Therefore, even when there are machining locations on the workpiece that have different suitable machining conditions, each machining location on the workpiece is not required, such as transferring the workpiece to another device. Each can be processed under suitable processing conditions. Therefore, compared with the conventional configuration in which it is necessary to perform processing using a different optical processing apparatus for each processing site having different processing conditions, it is possible to reduce processing time.

(Aspect P)
In the aspect O, there are light source control means such as a control PC 40 for controlling the light source, a laser driver unit 10 and the like. Energy per unit time, repetition frequency of the laser beam L, and the like).

According to this, it is possible to suitably process various processing locations on the processing object having different processing light characteristic conditions.

(Aspect Q)
In the aspect P, the light source control condition includes energy per unit time of processing light applied to the processing object.

According to this, it is possible to suitably process various processing points on the processing object having different energy per unit time of suitable processing light.

(Aspect R)
In the aspect P or Q, the light source is a pulse fiber laser or the like that intermittently emits processing light at a predetermined repetition frequency, and the light source control condition includes the predetermined repetition frequency.

According to this, it is possible to suitably process various processing points on the processing object having different processing light repetition frequencies different from each other.

(Aspect S)
In any one of the embodiments O to R, the processing condition includes the number of times of processing light irradiation.
According to this, it is possible to suitably process each of various processing locations on the processing object having different numbers of suitable irradiation times of the laser beam L to the same location. In addition, since the processing conditions can be changed without changing the characteristics of the processing light, a simple configuration can be realized.

(Aspect T)
In any one of the aspects O to S, the processing location changing means includes optical scanning means such as a galvano scanner 21 that scans processing light from the light source.
According to this, high-speed and highly accurate machining can be realized.

(Aspect U)
The aspect T includes a moving unit such as a carriage 25 that repeats moving and stopping a plurality of times in a predetermined direction such as a main scanning direction, and the optical scanning unit is mounted on the moving unit and the moving unit is stopped. And scanning the processing light.
According to this, it is possible to perform processing on a relatively large processing object with processing light scanned by the optical scanning unit.

(Aspect V)
In any one of the above aspects O to U, the machining location changing unit includes a carriage 25 that moves the light irradiation position for irradiating the processing light toward the processing target and the processing target, the transport unit 3, Relative movement means such as an XY table is included.
According to this, it is easy to realize processing with a shorter processing time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser output part 2 Laser scanning part 3 Work conveyance part 4 Control part 10 Laser driver part 11 Laser oscillator 12 Beam expander 14,15,16 Reflection mirror 20 Galvano scanner control part 21 Galvano scanner 21a Galvano mirror 21b Stepping motor 22 f (theta) lens 23 Monitor camera 24 Main scanning control unit 25 Carriage 26 Stepping motor 28 Linear encoder 29 Linear guide 30 Sub scanning control unit 31 Stepping motor 32 Conveying roller pair 33, 34 Monitor camera 35 Work 36 Processing region 37 Alignment mark 51 Spool shaft 52 Entrance guide Plate 53 Processing table 54 Cutter 55 Tray 57 Cavity 58 Pump 61 Collimator lens 67 Winding shaft 91 Polygon scanner 91a Polygon mirror 91b Motor

JP 2003-205384 A

Claims (20)

A light source;
Optical scanning means for scanning light from the light source;
In an optical processing apparatus having a condensing unit that condenses light scanned by the optical scanning unit toward a workpiece,
The condensing means is mounted on a moving means that moves relative to the workpiece,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the light source is not mounted on the moving means. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the optical scanning means is mounted on the moving means. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
An optical processing apparatus comprising transport means for transporting the object to be moved relative to the moving means. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The moving means moves in a first direction;
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the conveying means relatively moves the object to be processed in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 4,
The moving means moves only in a direction along the first axis;
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the conveying means relatively moves the object to be processed only in a direction along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. In the optical processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
Having a parallel beam converting means for converting the light from the light source into a parallel beam;
The light processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light incident on the moving means is converted into a parallel light flux before entering the moving means, and enters the moving means from a direction along the direction in which the moving means moves. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The moving means stops at at least two stop positions;
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the optical scanning unit scans light from the light source in a state where the moving unit is stopped. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 7,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the moving means reciprocates and stops at the stop position only when moving in one direction in the reciprocating movement. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8,
The optical processing apparatus is characterized in that the moving means stops at a stop position such that scanning ranges of light on the workpiece at each adjacent stop position overlap each other. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the optical scanning unit performs two-dimensional scanning with light from the light source. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An optical processing apparatus comprising adjustment means for adjusting a light collection distance of the light collection means. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
At least one of energy per unit time of light of the light source, a repetition frequency of light of the light source, and the number of times of light irradiation of the light source is changed according to a location scanned by the light scanning unit. Optical processing equipment. Processing the object to be processed using an optical processing device having a light source, light scanning means for scanning light from the light source, and light collecting means for condensing the light scanned by the light scanning means onto the object to be processed. In the production method of optical work by
Production of an optical workpiece characterized by processing the processing object by mounting the focusing means on the moving means and moving the processing object with the light source not mounted on the moving means. Method. A light source;
Condensing means for condensing the light from the light source toward the object to be processed;
A moving means that mounts the light collecting means and moves in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction with respect to the workpiece;
Transporting means for transporting the workpiece to move relative to the second direction with respect to the moving means;
The moving range of the moving means is an area obtained by dividing a portion to be processed in the processing object in the second direction. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 14,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the light source is not mounted on the moving means. The optical processing apparatus according to claim 14 or 15,
The optical processing apparatus, wherein the transport unit sequentially transports the processing object such that the region divided in the second direction overlaps a moving range of the moving unit. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16,
Having a parallel beam converting means for converting the light from the light source into a parallel beam;
The light processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light incident on the moving means is converted into a parallel light flux before entering the moving means, and enters the moving means from a direction along the direction in which the moving means moves. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 17,
An optical processing apparatus comprising adjustment means for adjusting a light collection distance of the light collection means. The optical processing apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 18,
At least one of energy per unit time of light of the light source, a repetition frequency of light of the light source, and the number of times of light irradiation of the light source is changed according to a location where the light collecting means collects light. Optical processing equipment. A light source, a condensing means for condensing light from the light source toward the object to be processed, and the condensing means are mounted and intersect the first direction and the first direction with respect to the object to be processed. The processing object using an optical processing apparatus comprising: a moving means that moves in a second direction; and a conveying means that conveys the workpiece to move relative to the moving means in the second direction. In a method of producing an optical workpiece by processing an object,
The moving range of the said moving means is the area | region which divided | segmented the to-be-processed part in the said workpiece into the said 2nd direction, The manufacturing method of the optical workpiece characterized by the above-mentioned.

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