JPH07266065A - Liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to transfer continuous arbitrary patterns to a work by providing the above device with a liquid crystal mask which is finely adjustable within a plane nearly parallel with a screen. CONSTITUTION:A laser beam 1 is expanded in beam diameter by a beam expander 3 and the entire surface of the liquid crystal mask 4 is irradiated with this beam at one time. The laser beam having the patterned polarization direction to perform marking by passing the liquid crystal mask 4 is reflected by a polarization beam splitter 5 and is cast through an imaging lens 6 to a photosensitive resin 7. The liquid crystal mask 4 is provided with an X-Z stage 8. The liquid crystal mask 4 is finely adjustable in lateral and vertical directions within the plane parallel with its screen. A pixel which is one on the liquid crystal mask 4 is transformed in the form of the plural pixels shifted from each other to the photosensitive resin 7 by finely adjusting the liquid crystal mask 4 at every irradiation of the liquid crystal mask 4 with the laser for the specified period of time. The character 'A' formed in such a manner turns to the character 'A' superposed with the four patterns by the fine adjustment of the mask 4 in the lateral and vertical directions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pattern transfer device using a laser as a light source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus for transferring a character or the like onto a work by laser light is generally called a laser marker. An apparatus for forming an arbitrary pattern such as a character to be marked by a liquid crystal mask and transferring the pattern to a work by an imaging optical system for marking is generally called a liquid crystal mask type laser marker. Conventionally, in a liquid crystal mask type laser marker, a resin such as an IC package is mainly used as a work, and marking is performed by utilizing the fact that the irradiated portion rises in temperature and is discolored by irradiation with laser light. Regarding the liquid crystal mask type laser marker,
For example, it is described in JP-A-2-207991.

[0003]

In the conventional liquid crystal mask type laser marker, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the letter A formed by the liquid crystal mask is formed by a group of pixels, the marked pattern is It becomes similar to this,
It is composed of a set of pixels. Therefore, it is difficult to transfer a continuous pattern to the work.

Further, when the resin is marked, since the color change due to the temperature rise is utilized, even if the laser light is irradiated to the work as a group of pixels, the color change due to the temperature rise due to the heat conduction between the adjacent pixels. May
It was possible to mark in a continuous pattern. However, when a pattern is transferred to a work by using a photochemical reaction, it is extremely difficult to transfer a continuous pattern in a conventional apparatus because only a portion irradiated with light reacts.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of transferring an arbitrary continuous pattern even when the pattern is transferred by utilizing a photochemical reaction.

[0006]

In order to solve the above object, the present invention comprises a liquid crystal mask which can be finely moved in a plane substantially parallel to the screen.

[0007]

By moving the liquid crystal mask in a plane parallel to the screen, the position of the pattern of the laser beam applied to the work can be slightly shifted to perform laser irradiation a plurality of times. As a result, in the pattern formed by overlapping a plurality of times, the portion corresponding to the pixels in the original pattern is also included as the laser irradiation unit, and not the aggregate of pixels,
A continuous pattern can be formed.

[0008]

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

A liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for transferring a continuous pattern onto a photosensitive resin which is an example of a member which causes a photochemical reaction.

In the liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device 100, a laser device 2 capable of generating an ultraviolet laser beam 1 is used as its light source. The laser beam 1 is the third harmonic of the YAG laser here and is a continuous wave. Further, it is linearly polarized so that the liquid crystal mask 4 can be used. The third harmonic of the YAG laser has a wavelength of 355
UV light, which can sensitize a photosensitive resin.

The beam diameter of the laser beam 1 is expanded by the beam expander 3, and the entire surface of the liquid crystal mask 4 is irradiated at once. The laser light having a patterned polarization direction that passes through the liquid crystal mask 4 and is used for marking is reflected by the polarization beam splitter 5, passes through the imaging lens 6, and is applied to the photosensitive resin 7 as a work. That is, the pattern on the liquid crystal mask 4 is transferred to the photosensitive resin 7 by the imaging lens 6. Although the TN liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal mask 4 here, a light-scattering liquid crystal can be used, and in that case, the laser light may be non-polarized.
The polarization beam splitter 5 becomes unnecessary.

The liquid crystal mask 4 is provided with an XZ stage 8 so that the liquid crystal mask 4 can be finely moved horizontally and vertically within a plane parallel to the screen. FIG. 2 shows a position where one pixel of the liquid crystal mask 4 is transferred to the photosensitive resin 7 for each of these slight movements. The squares indicated by the dotted lines indicate the positions when the liquid crystal mask is not finely moved. The lengths A and B shown here correspond to the interval between pixels arranged in the left-right direction and the interval between pixels arranged in the up-down direction, respectively, in the liquid crystal mask 4. That is,
By finely moving the liquid crystal mask 4 every time the liquid crystal mask 4 is irradiated with laser light for a certain period of time, one pixel in the liquid crystal mask 4 is transferred to the photosensitive resin 7 as a plurality of pixels displaced from each other. .

Therefore, the pattern formed by the liquid crystal mask 4 and the pattern transferred to the photosensitive resin 7 are as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. The letter A formed by the liquid crystal mask 4 is composed of a group of pixels as shown in FIG. 3, but when four patterns due to laser irradiation due to each fine movement of the liquid crystal mask 4 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are overlapped, As shown in FIG. 4, the letter A is formed by a continuous pattern.

[0015]

According to the present invention, a continuous arbitrary pattern can be transferred onto a work. In particular, even if the pattern to be transferred contains fine lines, there is no need to narrow the laser light, so the processing speed is greatly improved compared to the conventional method that narrows the laser light and scans on the work. I can do it now.

In particular, the present invention is effective when a pattern is transferred by utilizing a photochemical reaction without a thermal effect such as a temperature rise as a work. For example, when a photosensitive resin is used as a work and an electronic circuit is manufactured by transferring a circuit pattern or the like onto the work, the problem that the circuit pattern of the electronic circuit is composed of a set of pixels and does not function as a circuit is solved. It was

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a position of a laser beam applied to a photosensitive resin in a liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a pattern formed on a liquid crystal mask in a liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a pattern of laser light with which a photosensitive resin in a liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device is irradiated.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Laser light, 2 ... Laser device, 3 ... Beam expander, 4
... Liquid crystal mask, 5 ... Polarization beam splitter, 6 ... Imaging lens, 7 ... Photosensitive resin, 8 ... XZ stage, 100 ... Liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device comprising a liquid crystal mask capable of fine movement in a plane substantially parallel to a screen. 2. The liquid crystal mask type pattern transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the work for transferring the pattern comprises a member that causes a photochemical reaction.