WO2016117327A1

WO2016117327A1 - Processing apparatus, processing method and method of manufacturing component

Info

Publication number: WO2016117327A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/000236
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shun Sadakuni; Hiroki MIYAUCHI; Manabu Ando; Kazuto Yamauchi
Original assignee: Osaka University; Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2015-01-22
Filing date: 2016-01-19
Publication date: 2016-07-28
Also published as: JP2016132083A

Abstract

A processing apparatus includes: a tool in which a processing surface includes a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of an object to be processed that is immersed in water; and a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed; wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately generates: a first state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface do not contact; and a second state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction becomes effective.

Description

PROCESSING APPARATUS, PROCESSING METHOD AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING COMPONENT

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, a processing method and a method of manufacturing a component that use a tool that is constituted by a catalyst material including a transition metal in which a processing surface that acts in processing assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of an object to be processed.

In addition to a conventional method of processing an object to be processed such as glass or a semiconductor, for example, a processing method using abrasive grains as a polishing technique, in recent years a catalyst-assisted processing method as described in PTL 1 that is listed below has been attracting attention.

The processing method described in PTL 1 takes a solid oxide such as glass as an object (object to be processed). According to the method described in PTL 1, a processing surface of a tool is constituted by a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists the generation of a decomposition product produced by hydrolysis of the object to be processed, and the object to be processed and the processing surface are brought into contact or very close proximity and caused to slide relative to each other in the presence of water. According to the catalyst-assisted processing method, the surface of an object to be processed that is made from a solid oxide as typified by optical glass can be polished and smoothed.

PTL 1: International Publication No. WO 2013/084934

In the configuration disclosed in the aforementioned PTL 1, by causing a small-diameter tool that is rotated and an object to be processed to slide relative to each other, a surface to be processed is processed into an arbitrary curved surface by numerical control. At such time, to increase the degree of freedom with respect to an arbitrary curved surface that can be formed, it is necessary to reduce the size of a unit processing mark. For example, it is necessary to reduce the minimum unit processing mark by decreasing the diameter of the processing surface that is constituted by the catalyst material of the tool. Further, it can be considered that a processing range that is larger than the processing surface can be processed into a complex arbitrary curved surface by changing a processing position or a processing depth on the surface to be processed at which the tool is caused to slide by performing manual control or numerical control.

However, a conventional configuration such as the configuration described in PTL 1 is generally based on the premise of using a processing method that causes the tool and the object to be processed to slide relative to each other while in a contacting state. According to such processing methods, in general, there is a characteristic such that the size of the minimum unit processing mark is larger than a contact region between the tool and the object to be processed. Therefore, a limit naturally arises with respect to miniaturization of a unit processing mark and the accuracy of fine processing.

An object of the present invention is, in consideration of the above-described problem, by means of a simple and inexpensive configuration, to make a contact region between a tool and an object to be processed a minimum unit processing mark, and enable execution of efficient catalyst-assisted processing and also enable performance of processing of a large area.

To solve the above-described problem, one aspect of the present invention provides a processing apparatus including: a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing includes a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of an object to be processed that is immersed in water; and a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed; wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately generates: a first state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface do not contact; and a second state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective. According to one aspect of the present invention, by alternately generating the first state and the second state with respect to the processing surface of the tool and the surface to be processed of the object to be processed, without causing the tool to slide, the catalytic reaction can be caused to proceed efficiently and the object to be processed can be processed.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a processing method of processing an object to be processed by a processing apparatus including a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing includes a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of the object to be processed that is immersed in water, and a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed, wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately repeats: a first step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a non-contacting state; and a second step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a contacting state or a state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective. According to another aspect of the present invention, by alternately repeating the first step and the second step with respect to the processing surface of the tool and the surface to be processed of the object to be processed, without causing the tool to slide, the catalytic reaction can be caused to proceed efficiently and the object to be processed can be processed.

According to the present invention, because sliding in which a processing region tends to become large as in the conventional configuration is not performed, the size of the minimum unit processing mark can be reduced to the size of a region at which the tool and the object to be processed contact or come close to each other.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 is an explanatory drawing illustrating a configuration of a processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an explanatory drawing illustrating in detail a tool, an object to be processed and an oscillation unit of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3A is a height map diagram of a surface to be processed, which shows a result of processing of an object to be processed by the processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3B is a diagram showing the height of the surface to be processed along a line 3B-3B in Fig. 3A. Fig. 4A is a height map diagram of a surface to be processed, which illustrates a different result of processing of an object to be processed by the processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4B is a diagram showing the height of the surface to be processed along a line 4B-4B in Fig. 4A. Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a processing control program according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereunder, a mode of carrying out the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the configuration described hereunder is merely one example, and for example, the detailed configuration can be appropriately changed by a person skilled in the art within a range that does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, numerical values mentioned in the present embodiment are reference values and are not intended to limit the present invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention as seen from the side. The processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is configured to perform processing of a minute region of an object to be processed 4 such as glass (a solid oxide) or a semiconductor by means of a tool 3. During processing, the object to be processed 4 is placed in an immersed state in a processing fluid 1 (water).

A processing surface 31 of the tool 3 is made of a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4.

The tool 3 is driven by an oscillation unit 5 so as to oscillate in the vertical direction in the drawing. By this means, catalytic reaction control of the catalyst material of the tool 3 is performed. That is, according to the catalytic reaction control, the following two states (steps) are alternately generated by causing the tool 3 to oscillate by means of the oscillation unit 5.

(1) A first state (first step) in which the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 do not contact.

(2) A second state (second step) in which the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material of the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 becomes effective.

The oscillation unit 5 is an actuator for controlling a relative distance between the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 and the processing surface of the tool 3 with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed 41 and, for example, is controlled as described above by a control unit that is described later (Example 3).

Hereunder, the configuration example of the respective components shown in Fig. 1 is described in more detail.

In Fig. 1, the object to be processed 4 is fixed using an appropriate method to the bottom of a container 2 that holds the processing fluid 1, and is thereby immersed in the processing fluid 1. The object to be processed 4 that is immersed in the processing fluid 1 is, for example, fixed to the bottom of the container 2 in a state in which the surface to be processed 41 faces upward.

The container 2 functions as a container for the processing fluid 1, and also functions as a processing pedestal that supports the object to be processed 4. Further, the container 2 is rationally driven by the motor 10. By this means, the object to be processed 4 that is fixed to the bottom of the container 2 can be rotated around a rotary driving shaft of the motor 10.

On the other hand, the components from the tool 3 to the oscillation unit 5 are bonded to the motor 11. The rotary driving shafts of the motor 10 and the motor 11 can be disposed, for example, in collinear alignment by control of an X-stage 7 and a Y-stage 8. By this means, during a processing time period, the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 can be rotated in relative rotational directions that are opposite directions to each other on the same rotational axis.

Further, if the rotary driving shafts of the motor 10 and the motor 11 are eccentrically arranged, the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 can be processed into a concentric shape while rotating the processing surface 31 of the tool 3. Further, by successively changing the amount of eccentricity of the rotary driving shafts of the motor 10 and the motor 11, the entire surface of the surface to be processed 41 can be processed into a concentric shape.

At such time, by appropriately controlling the processing amount while controlling the amount of eccentricity of the rotary driving shaft, by the accumulation of minute processing by the tool 3, for example, a large region such as the entire surface to be processed 41 can be processed into an arbitrary complex curved surface. For example, by appropriately controlling the processing amount while controlling the amount of eccentricity of the rotary driving shaft, a region of the surface to be processed 41 that is larger than the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 can be processed into a curved surface shape that is a spherical surface, a parabola surface or a complex aspherical surface or the like.

Further, various processing conditions can be selected such as controlling the motor 11 and the motor 10 so that the rotational directions thereof become, for example, opposite rotational directions to each other, or so that the rotational speeds thereof are different to each other even though the rotational directions are the same.

Note that, although rotation of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 by the aforementioned motor 10 and motor 11 is effective for, for example, increasing the uniformity of processing and the like, such rotation is not necessarily an essential requirement for catalyst-assisted processing according to the processing principle of one embodiment of the present invention. In Examples 1 and 2 that are described below, relative rotational driving of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 by the motor 10 and the motor 11 is not used.

The tool 3 that has a catalyst material including a transition metal in the processing surface 31 is fixed to the distal end of the oscillation unit 5. The oscillation unit 5 causes the tool 3 to oscillate in the longitudinal (vertical) direction in the drawing.

The oscillation unit 5 is constructed using a driving source such as, for example, a piezo-electric element or a magnetic oscillator, and is configured to cause the tool 3 to oscillate by a prescribed amplitude, at a time of processing. The oscillation unit 5 is connected to an oscillation control unit 6, and is subject to driving control by the oscillation control unit 6.

The oscillation unit 5 is fixed to the motor 11 for rotating the oscillation unit 5. The components from the tool 3 to the oscillation unit 5 to the motor 11 are bonded to a Z-stage 9 so that the relative positions of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 can be controlled within a three-dimensional space. The Z-stage 9 is bonded to the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8.

The tool 3 that is mounted to the oscillation unit 5 is subject to the following catalytic reaction control by oscillation of the oscillation unit 5. That is, the tool 3 is controlled so as to enter a non-contacting state (the aforementioned first state or step) with respect to the object to be processed 4 at the upper end of oscillation, and to enter a contacting state or a state of very close proximity (the aforementioned second state or step) with respect to the object to be processed 4 at the lower end of oscillation.

Hereunder, the configuration examples of the respective components described above are described in detail.

The catalyst material constituting the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 is selected from at least one or more transition metal elements as a catalyst material that cuts a backbond between an element constituting the object to be processed 4 and another element by dissociation of a water molecule, to thereby assist the generation of a decomposition product produced by hydrolysis. Elements such as Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Cr and Mo are conceivable as the transition metal elements. The catalyst material may be a single metal element among these elements or an alloy made from a plurality of metal elements.

Further, it is not necessary for the entire tool 3 to be a bulk catalyst material, and at least the processing surface 31 that acts in processing may be constituted by the aforementioned catalyst material. For example, the tool 3 may be a component in which the aforementioned catalyst material is coated (formed) as a thin film on the surface of an inexpensive base material that has favorable shape stability (for example, a glass or a resin). With regard to the method of coating a thin film of the catalyst material, it is possible to utilize a general coating method such as sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plating or coating and drying, although the present invention is not limited to such methods. Further, to increase the adhesion between the catalyst material and the base material, it is desirable to provide an intermediate layer such as carbon between the catalyst material and the base material.

A material of the object to be processed 4 that is suited to the catalyst-assisted processing according to one embodiment of the present invention is, for example, glass as a typical example of a solid oxide, a semiconductor material made of silicon or another chemical element, or a semiconductor material made of a compound including silicon or gallium, or another compound. For example, glass is a solid in an ordinary state and is one example of a solid oxide in which one or more elements have been bonded via oxygen, or of a multicomponent solid oxide that is formed of a plurality of oxides.

Note that, in a case where the object to be processed 4 is a raw material such as gallium nitride, with respect to the configuration shown in Fig. 1, ultraviolet irradiation means can be added for irradiating ultraviolet rays onto a processing site of the surface to be processed 41 which the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 contacts or comes close to, to thereby oxidize the processing site of the surface to be processed 41. According to this configuration, the material of the processing site of the surface to be processed 41 can be oxidized by ultraviolet irradiation, and the surface to be processed 41 can be processed based on a similar processing principle (described later) as in the case of performing processing for a solid oxide.

The processing apparatus and processing control according to one embodiment of the present invention can be suitably applied to processing of an optical glass material. In particular, borate glasses that include boric acid, phosphate glasses that include phosphoric acid, and also glasses including barium oxide, titanium oxide, lanthanum oxide or the like may be mentioned as examples of the composition of the optical glass. With regard to phosphate glasses, fluorophosphate glasses that include a fluoride such as calcium fluoride or barium fluoride may also be mentioned.

While it is essential that the processing fluid 1 includes water (H₂O), the composition thereof is not limited. For example, the main constituent of the processing fluid 1 may be water (H₂O), and the processing fluid 1 may also include an ingredient such as HNO₃ or KOH for a purpose such as pH adjustment. Further, as a pH buffer solution, the processing fluid 1 may include an ingredient such as an acetate buffer solution or a phosphate buffer solution. With regard to the pH of the processing fluid 1, a value in the range of 2 to 12 is desirable from the viewpoint of processing speed, and furthermore, from the viewpoint of reducing deterioration of the apparatus and the environmental burden, a value in the range of 3 to 10 is more desirable. Further, because the one embodiment of the present invention does not require an action to remove the object to be processed by means of solid particles (abrasive grains), in theory it is not necessary for the processing fluid 1 to include solid particles (abrasive grains).

The oscillation frequency at which the tool 3 is caused to oscillate by the oscillation unit 5, that is, caused to oscillate between the above-described first and second states (steps), is not particularly limited. However, use of a high oscillation frequency in the ultrasound region is desirable from the viewpoint that a high removal speed is obtained since the removal amount from the surface to be processed 41 increases by increasing the number of times that the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 contact (or come close to) each other in the aforementioned second state (step).

When describing the processing method according to the above one embodiment of the present invention using an example of an object to be processed that is a solid oxide, the processing method is based on the following principle.

When the catalyst material of the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 contacts or comes into very close proximity with the surface of the object to be processed 4, the bonding force of a backbond between an oxygen element and another element constituting the oxide weakens. The water molecule of the processing fluid 1 is then dissociated and cuts the backbond between the oxygen element and other element of the oxide to adsorb thereto, and by this means a decomposition product that is produced by hydrolysis is generated.

Although the decomposition product of the object to be processed 4 has a property such that the decomposition product elutes into the processing fluid 1, in this case, in a state in which the catalyst material and the solid oxide as the object to be processed 4 remain in contact or in very close proximity, the decomposition product that is generated cannot elute into the processing fluid 1. Further, in this state, because water molecules of the processing fluid 1 for newly generating a decomposition product are not supplied, removal of the object to be processed 4 does not proceed.

However, according to the one embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst material of the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 are caused to move relatively with respect to each other in a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed 41 by the oscillation unit 5. That is, the tool 3 is caused to oscillate by the oscillation unit 5 so as to repeat the aforementioned first and second states (steps). By this means, new water molecules of the processing fluid 1 are successively supplied between the processing surface 31 and the surface to be processed 41, and thus the decomposition product can be dissolved, and the water molecules in which the decomposition product dissolved can be discharged. That is, as a result of the aforementioned oscillation of the tool 3, circulation of the processing fluid 1 occurs such that the decomposition product of the surface to be processed 41 is eluted into the processing fluid 1 at a clearance between the processing surface 31 and the surface to be processed 41, and furthermore, new water molecules (in which the concentration of the dissolved decomposition product is low) are newly supplied into the same clearance.

As described above, the first state (first step) in which the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 do not contact and the second state (second step) in which the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material of the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 becomes effective are alternately generated. By this means, in the processing fluid 1 in the vicinity of the surface to be processed 41, generation of a decomposition product, and discharge of the decomposition product and introduction of new water molecules are alternately caused to occur in succession, and thus processing of the surface to be processed 41 can be caused to proceed in an efficient manner. In this way, efficient catalyst-assisted processing can be carried out in which a contact region between the tool and the object to be processed is made the minimum unit processing mark.

Hereunder, Example 1 is described in which, using the configuration of the processing apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, a planar lens is taken as an object to be processed, and processing is performed to form a circular shape having a diameter of about 0.15 mm on the surface thereof.

Fig. 2 illustrates the shape of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 in the present example. A material made of polyvinyl chloride formed in a hemispherical shape with a diameter of 1/4 inch was used for the base material of the tool 3. A flat surface portion of the hemisphere of the tool 3 was fixed to the oscillation unit 5. Platinum (Pt) was used as the catalyst material of the processing surface 31, and was formed as a film by sputter deposition to a thickness of about 100 nm on the spherical surface portion of the tool 3. Pure water was used as the processing fluid 1.

A lanthanum-based glass having a planar shape with a diameter of 35 mm was adopted as the object to be processed 4. The surface of the object to be processed 4 was processed in advance into a mirror surface to enable easy observation of removal marks.

Fig. 2 illustrates a state in which the spherical processing surface 31 of the tool 3 having a diameter of 1/4 inch as described above and the flat surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 are brought into contact with each other. In particular, the contacting state shown in Fig. 2 is a state that is not a point contact state, but rather is a state in which the tool 3 is pushed in further by about 2μm from a position at which the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 enter a state of point contact therebetween. At this time, the processing surface 31 that is the distal end of the tool 3 that is made of a polyvinyl chloride base material, for example, elastically deforms as shown in Fig. 2 and contacts the surface to be processed 41 in a circular shape having a diameter D. In this state, when the shape of the contact surface between the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 is calculated using a Hertzian contact model, the calculated result is a circular shape in which the diameter D is equal to approximately 0.15 mm.

In the present example, at the time of processing, the Z-stage 9 was adjusted so that a state was entered in which, at the lower end of oscillation by the oscillation unit 5, the tool 3 was pushed in by a further 2 μm approximately from a position at which the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 entered a state of point contact therebetween. The X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8 were controlled, for example, so as to position the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 at a predetermined position on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4.

The oscillation amplitude of the tool 3 by the oscillation unit 5 was set to a PV (peak-to-valley) value of 5 μm, and the oscillation frequency was set to 38 kHz. In the present example, in the state in which the Z-stage 9 was adjusted as described above, catalytic reaction control was performed that alternately repeated the aforementioned states (steps) (1) and (2) by causing the tool 3 to oscillate for two seconds at the aforementioned amplitude and frequency. In order to reliably stop the catalytic reaction (processing) after the processing time (processing time period) of two seconds, preferably, the Z-stage 9 was used to increase the relative distance between the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 to a distance at which a catalytic reaction did not occur.

In the processing time (processing time period) of two seconds, the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 were intermittently brought into contact 76,000 times. Note that, in the present example, relative rotational driving of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 by the motor 10 and the motor 11 was not performed.

Setting of the above-described processing conditions, that is, the relative positional control by the X-stage 7, the Y-stage 8 and the Z-stage 9, as well as setting of the oscillation frequency (cycle) of the oscillation unit 5 and the processing time and the like can be performed by a control unit (200) as described later in Example 3.

After performing the aforementioned processing, the surface to be processed 41 was observed with a scanning white-light interferometer and the processing characteristics were evaluated. The results are shown in Figs. 3A and 3B. Fig. 3A shows a height map image of the surface to be processed 41 after processing, and Fig. 3B shows a profile at a cross section 3B-3B in Fig. 3A. As is apparent from the measurement results in Figs. 3A and 3B, it was confirmed that a removal mark having an approximately circular shape was formed on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4. The shape of the removal mark shown in the drawing corresponds to a circular shape with a diameter of about 0.15 mm.

The shape and size of this removal mark on the surface to be processed 41 substantially match a region corresponding to the contact surface between the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 that is a contact surface having a circular shape with the diameter D of about 0.15 mm at the lower end of oscillation of the tool 3 according to the settings described above.

Based on the cross-sectional shape illustrated in Fig. 3B, it is found that the maximum depth of the removal mark is about 150 nm. Although there is unevenness in the cross-sectional shape, it is estimated that this unevenness is caused by unevenness that originally existed on the surface of the tool 3 being transferred to the surface, and the unevenness does not constitute a problem unless the processing is intended to achieve smoothing.

Thus, according to the present example, the shape of the surface of the tool 3 or an inverted shape of a pattern can be transferred onto the surface of an object to be processed. That is, the shape of the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 can be made an inverted shape of an arbitrary shape to be formed on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4. By such kind of transfer processing, for example, it is possible to perform processing of a shape or a shape pattern without scanning the tool. For example, by changing the shape and size of the tool 3, there is the possibility to enable processing of various shapes on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4, and there is also the possibility of shortening the processing time.

Note that, in the present example, relative rotational driving of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 by the motor 10 and the motor 11 was not utilized. However, by applying a rotational speed of about several 100 to several 1000 rpm from the motor 10 and the motor 11 (for example, in opposite rotational directions to each other) to the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4, the surface to be processed 41 can be processed into a smoother shape. Note that, in the present example, control of the processing position (relative position between the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4) by means of the X-stage 7 and Y-stage 8 was not performed.

Hereunder, a different processing example using the processing apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 is described as Example 2. In Example 2, linear motion in the lateral direction by the X-stage 7 or (and) the Y-stage 8 is combined with oscillation of the tool 3 by the oscillation unit 5 to form a straight groove in the surface to be processed 41. That is, the processing control in the present example is control in which control (of oscillation: catalytic reaction control) in the longitudinal direction and control (of relative movement: processing position control) in the lateral direction are combined.

The configuration of the tool 3 is the same as in the above-described Example 1, and a Pt film as the catalyst material was formed on the hemispherically shaped base material made of polyvinyl chloride having a diameter of 1/4 inch. The material of the object to be processed 4 was a lanthanum-based glass, similarly to Example 1. Pure water was used as the processing fluid 1. Further, in the present example also, relative rotational driving of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 by the motor 10 and the motor 11 was not performed.

With respect to the oscillation conditions (catalytic reaction control conditions) for the tool 3, similarly to Example 1, the amplitude of oscillations of the tool 3 was a PV value of 5μm, the oscillation frequency was 38 kHz, and the processing time (time period) was two seconds. Simultaneously, the X-stage 7 or (and) the Y-stage 8 was (were) controlled to cause the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 to linearly move in a relative manner. At such time, the X-stage 7 or (and) the Y-stage 8 was (were) controlled so that the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 underwent linear uniform motion at a speed of 1 mm/s.

Note that the control with respect to the above-described processing conditions can also be executed using the control unit (200) of Example 3 that is described later.

After processing, the surface to be processed 41 was observed with a scanning white-light interferometer and the processing characteristics were evaluated. The results are shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. Fig. 4A shows a height map image of the processing site on the surface to be processed 41, and Fig. 4B shows a profile at a cross section 4B-4B in Fig. 4A. As shown in Fig. 4A, it can be confirmed that a linear removal mark was formed by the processing. The shape of the removal mark on the surface to be processed 41 is a groove shape having an approximately semicircular cross section with a width of about 0.15 mm, and is a shape in which a circular shape of a diameter of about 0.15 mm that is the above-described unit contact shape with respect to the processing surface 31 is consecutively transferred.

As described in the foregoing, a processing mark of a size of approximately the region of contact (or close proximity) with the tool 3 can be adopted as a unit, and a processing range (a straight groove in the above-described example) that is larger than the unit can be processed.

Note that, in the above-described example, processing of a straight groove is described as an example. However, according to the configuration of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, a processing position at which a catalytic reaction is generated between the tool 3 and the surface to be processed 41 can be changed in an arbitrary pattern by, for example, combining driving of the X-stage 7 and Y-stage 8, or additionally driving of the

motors

10 and 11. By this means, processing of a pattern such as the above-described complex curved shape, a character or a figure can be performed on the surface to be processed 41. Further, as described above, the surface to be processed 41 can be processed into a curved surface shape that is a spherical surface, a parabola surface or a complex aspherical surface or the like.

That is, according to the configuration of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, a processing mark of a size of approximately a contact (or close proximity) region of the tool 3 is adopted as a unit, and it is possible to obtain a processed region of a large area that is larger than the unit. Note that, for example, the control unit (200) or control procedures thereof as described in the following Example 3 can be used to create the aforementioned various processed shapes on the surface to be processed 41. The control unit (200) that is described later can control the respective units of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1 based on, for example, complex processing control data that is input from an input unit (211). By this means, processing of a pattern such as the above-described complex curved shape, a character or a figure can be performed on the surface to be processed 41, and furthermore, the surface to be processed 41 can be processed into a curved surface shape that is a spherical surface, a parabola surface or a complex aspherical surface or the like.

Hereunder, as Example 3, a configuration example of a control unit 200 for controlling the processing apparatus hardware shown in Fig. 1, as well as an example of control procedures thereof are described.

Fig. 5 illustrates a configuration of the control unit 200 of the processing apparatus. The control unit 200 shown in Fig. 5 includes a CPU 201 that is constituted by a general-purpose microprocessor or the like, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an external storage apparatus 204, an input unit 211 and an interface 212 and the like.

The ROM 202 is a computer-readable recording medium that, for example, can be used to store a processing control program and control data that are described later. Note that, in order that a processing control program and control data stored in the ROM 202 can be updated afterwards, a storage region for that purpose may be constituted by a rewritable storage device such as an E(E)PROM. Further, the region of the aforementioned rewritable storage device of the ROM 202 may be constituted by a detachable flash memory. Such a detachable computer-readable recording medium can, for example, be used to install a processing control program constituting one portion of the one embodiment of the present invention on the ROM 202 (E(E)PROM region) and to update the processing control program. In such case, various kinds of detachable computer-readable recording media store a control program constituting one embodiment of the present invention, and the recording media themselves also constitute one embodiment of the present invention.

The RAM 203 is constituted by a DRAM element or the like, and is used as a work area for various kinds of control and processing that the CPU 201 executes. Functions relating to processing control in the present example are implemented as a result of by the CPU 201 executing the processing control program of the present example.

The input unit 211 shown in Fig. 5 is an input unit for inputting processing conditions (control conditions). For example, the input unit 211 is constituted by an interface apparatus into which processing conditions that are described in a predetermined data format are input from another control terminal (for example, a computer or a server apparatus) or the like. The interface apparatus is constituted by, for example, various kinds of serial buses or parallel buses and a network interface or the like. The input unit 211 may also be constituted by a user interface apparatus at which an operator inputs desired processing conditions. In this case, the user interface apparatus can be constituted by, for example, a keyboard, or a pointing device such as a display, a mouse, a trackpad (ball) or the like.

The CPU 201 communicates through the interface (I/F) 212 with the oscillation control unit 6 that controls the oscillation unit 5, the X-stage 7, the Y-stage 8, the Z-stage 9, the motor 10, and the motor 11. The interface 212 is constituted by an arbitrary communication interface (for example, a parallel or serial communication interface).

The timer circuit 213 is constituted by, for example, a timer apparatus such as an RTC (real-time clock). The CPU 201 can perform control relating to time using the timer circuit 213, such as determining the length of a processing time (time period).

The CPU 201 performs processing control that controls processing operations by the tool 3 on the object to be processed 4, by controlling the aforementioned respective units in accordance with processing conditions, described later, that are input from the input unit 211.

The aforementioned oscillation unit 5 and oscillation control unit 6 constitute a catalytic reaction control unit that controls a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material of the tool 3 by changing a relative distance between the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4.

At a specific processing position on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4, the oscillation unit 5 and oscillation control unit 6 (catalytic reaction control unit) change the relative distance between the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 of the tool 3, and alternately generate the following first and second states. That is, the first and second states are a first state (first step) in which the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 enter a non-contacting state, and a second state (second step) in which the surface to be processed 41 and the processing surface 31 contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective.

By controlling a cycle or time period for alternately generating the first state and second state, the oscillation unit 5 and oscillation control unit 6 (catalytic reaction control unit) can control the form of the catalytic reaction control and thereby control the processing amount of the surface to be processed 41. Accordingly, the processing conditions that are to be input from the input unit 211 are control conditions relating to a cycle or time period in which the aforementioned first state and second state are alternately generated.

Further, in accordance with the processing conditions that are input through the input unit 211, for example, at a time point at which the processing time period ends, the Z-stage 9 can be controlled via the interface 212 to separate the tool 3 from the object to be processed 4 to stop the catalytic reaction, and thus the catalyst-assisted processing can be ended.

In addition, the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8 constitute a processing position control unit that control a processing position by controlling a position on the surface to be processed 41 at which the first state (step) and the second state (step) is repeated by the oscillation unit 5 and oscillation control unit 6 (catalytic reaction control unit). By means of the processing position control performed by the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8, the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 can be positioned relatively, and at the processing position, processing of an arbitrary minute region on the surface to be processed 41 of the object to be processed 4 can be performed.

Further, the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8 can be controlled in accordance with a processing control program that is stored in the ROM 202 or the like, or in accordance with processing control data, described later, that is input from the input unit 211. For example, a processing position that is determined by relative positioning of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 can be moved successively, and by this means a wide region that is larger than the processing surface 31 of the tool 3 can be processed on the surface to be processed 41.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example of processing control procedures that are performed by the control unit 200 shown in Fig. 5 through the catalytic reaction control of one embodiment of the present invention. The procedures illustrated in Fig. 6 can be stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 202 as a control program of the CPU 201. Further, a control program that describes the processing control procedures of the present example can be supplied to the control unit 200 shown in Fig. 5 by means of a computer-readable optical disk or various kinds of flash memories (none of which are illustrated in the drawings). In such case, a predetermined region of the ROM 202 that is constituted by an E(E)PROM or the like can be constituted by detachable flash memories of various kinds, and installation of a control program to the control unit 200 shown in Fig. 5 or updating thereof may be performed utilizing this region. Further, a configuration may also be adopted in which a control program describing the processing control procedures of the present example is supplied to the control unit 200 shown in Fig. 5 and also installed and updated through an unshown network interface or the like.

In step S11 in Fig. 6, control conditions relating to at least a cycle or time period to alternately generate the first state (step) and the second state (step) in the above-described catalytic reaction control are input by the input unit 211. Further, if necessary, at this time, control conditions with respect to a processing position for which the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8 or the like are used may be input at the same time. Drive conditions with respect to the

motors

10 and 11 can also be input at this time.

In the case of manual input performed by an operator, the aforementioned control conditions are input by manual operation using the input unit 211 that is constituted by a user interface apparatus. Further, if the input unit 211 includes a network interface or the like, the aforementioned control conditions that are described in a predetermined data format can be input from another control terminal (for example, a computer or a server apparatus) using the network interface.

Note that, for example, with regard to relative position and orientation control of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 that is performed by the X-stage 7, the Y-stage 8 and the Z-stage 9 or the like, a position and orientation data format that is generally used in numerical control or robot control or the like can be used. For example, the relative position and orientation control of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 that is performed by the X-stage 7, the Y-stage 8 and the Z-stage 9 or the like using a position and orientation data format can be performed so as to be synchronized with data that changes an oscillation frequency or processing time period (corresponds to a processing amount) of the oscillation unit 5. By this means, it is possible to perform processing that forms a pattern including a large number of complex straight or curved grooves on the surface to be processed 41.

Further, by combining control of the X-stage 7 and the Y-stage 8 that utilizes the position and orientation data format and control of the

motors

10 and 11, a region of the surface to be processed 41 that is larger than the tool 3 can be processed into an arbitrary shape. For example, a region of the surface to be processed 41 that is larger than the tool 3 can be processed into the aforementioned curved surface shape that is a spherical surface, a parabola surface or a complex aspherical surface or the like.

Thus, the processing control data that is input from the input unit 211 includes control conditions relating to at least a cycle or time period in which the first state (step) and the second state (step) of the catalytic reaction control described above are alternately generated. In addition, the processing control data can also include data for relative position and orientation control of the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 that is performed by the X-stage 7, the Y-stage 8 and the Z-stage 9, and control data for control of the

motors

10 and 11. Accordingly, all of this processing control data can also be considered as one kind of processing control program (data) or one kind of numerical control data.

In step S12 in Fig. 6, based on the control conditions that are input in step S11, the CPU 201 determines drive conditions for the respective blocks (oscillation control unit 6, X-stage 7, Y-stage 8, Z-stage 9 and motors 10 and 11) shown in Fig. 5, and generates control data for controlling the respective units. For example, a cycle of the catalytic reaction control that is input is converted to control data of a driving frequency for controlling the oscillation unit 5 and is set in the oscillation control unit 6. The time period of the catalytic reaction control can be controlled using the timer circuit 213.

According to this kind of control using the timer circuit (213), for example, the Z-stage 9 is used to perform control so that relative distances between the tool 3 and the object to be processed 4 become distances at which the aforementioned first state (step) and second state (step) can be alternately generated only during the processing time period that is set. At the same time, the oscillation unit 5 can be controlled by the oscillation control unit 6 so as to be driven only during the processing time period that is set, and this control can also be realized using the timer circuit 213.

In the loop of steps S13 and S14, the CPU 201 performs actual processing control while monitoring to determine if a processing end condition is established. That is, during a period until it is determined in step S14 that a processing end condition is established, in step S13 the CPU 201 performs processing control that drives the respective units of the processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1 according to the control conditions that are set. The establishment of a processing end condition in step S14 can be determined, for example, by taking as a condition the arrival of an end timing of the processing time period using the timer circuit 213 or the like. This kind of timer control can be implemented, for example, utilizing a control mechanism of the CPU 201 such as timer interrupt processing (exception handling).

Thus, control conditions including a cycle or time period of catalytic reaction control that alternately generates the states (steps) described in the above-described (1) and (2), or also including a processing position (or furthermore, a processing speed or the like) are input from the input unit 211 to the control unit 200. The control unit 200 can control the catalytic reaction control in accordance with the control conditions that are input by input unit 211, and can implement predetermined processing by the tool 3 with respect to the object to be processed 4.

By implementing the processing apparatus or processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention that is described above, a manufacturing method of manufacturing various components such as an optical element constituted by a solid oxide or a semiconductor, or a semiconductor substrate can be realized.

Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a 'non-transitory computer-readable storage medium') to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)^TM), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-010151, filed January 22, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Claims

A processing apparatus comprising:
a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing comprises a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of an object to be processed that is immersed in water; and
a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed;
wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately generates:
a first state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface do not contact; and
a second state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface contact, or approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the processing surface of the tool is an inverted shape of an arbitrary shape to be formed on the surface to be processed of the object to be processed.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls a processing position on the surface to be processed by controlling a position on the surface to be processed at which the first state or the second state is generated.
The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising an input unit that inputs at least a control condition relating to a cycle or time period for alternately generating the first state and the second state, wherein the control unit controls the catalytic reaction control in accordance with the control condition that is input by the input unit.
A processing method of processing an object to be processed by a processing apparatus comprising a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing comprises a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of the object to be processed that is immersed in water, and a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed,
wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately repeats:
a first step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a non-contacting state; and
a second step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a contacting state or a state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective.
The processing method according to claim 5, wherein a shape of the processing surface of the tool is an inverted shape of an arbitrary shape to be formed on the surface to be processed of the object to be processed.
The processing method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the control unit controls a processing position on the surface to be processed by controlling a position on the surface to be processed at which the first step and the second step is alternately repeated.
The processing method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the processing apparatus comprises an input unit that inputs at least a control condition relating to a cycle or time period for alternately repeating the first step and the second step, wherein the control unit controls the catalytic reaction control in accordance with the control condition that is input by the input unit.
A processing control program to execute a catalytic reaction control for a processing method of processing an object to be processed by a processing apparatus comprising a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing comprises a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of the object to be processed that is immersed in water, and the control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed, the program causing the control unit to execute the catalytic reaction control,
wherein the catalytic reaction control alternately repeating:
a first step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a non-contacting state; and
a second step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a contacting state or a state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective.
The processing control program according to claim 9, wherein a shape of the processing surface of the tool is an inverted shape of an arbitrary shape to be formed on the surface to be processed of the object to be processed.
The processing control program according to claim 9 or 10, causing the control unit to control a processing position on the surface to be processed by controlling a position on the surface to be processed at which the first step and the second step is alternately repeated.
The processing control program according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the processing apparatus comprises an input unit that inputs at least a control condition relating to a cycle or time period for alternately repeating the first step and the second step, the program causing the control unit to control the catalytic reaction control in accordance with the control condition that is input by the input unit.
A computer-readable recording medium that stores the processing control program according to any one of claims 9 to 12.
A method of manufacturing a component in which a component is manufactured by processing of an object to be processed by a processing apparatus comprising a tool in which a processing surface that acts in processing of the object to be processed comprises a catalyst material including a transition metal that assists hydrolysis of a surface to be processed of the object to be processed that is immersed in water, and a control unit that controls a relative distance between the surface to be processed of the object to be processed and the processing surface of the tool with respect to a direction including a surface normal direction of the surface to be processed;
wherein the surface to be processed is processed by performing, by the control unit, catalytic reaction control that alternately repeats:
a first step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a non-contacting state; and
a second step in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface enter a contacting state or a state in which the surface to be processed and the processing surface approach each other to a distance at which a catalytic reaction of the catalyst material becomes effective.