Laser machining device and laser oscillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050212-B2
Application number	US-201816167556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2018
Priority date	Dec 14, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

To prevent an output decrease of laser light due to impurities formed in a Q switch. A laser machining device includes a Q-switch housing section configured by housing a Q switch and a first mirror and a wavelength converting section including a housing in which a transmission window section capable of transmitting a fundamental wave is formed, the wavelength converting section being configured by airtightly housing, with an internal space surrounded by the housing, at least a first wavelength conversion element, a second wavelength conversion element, and a second mirror. A resonator forming a resonant optical path passing through the transmission window section is configured by the first mirror in the Q-switch housing section and the second mirror in the wavelength converting section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser machining device comprising:
an excitation-light generating section configured to generate excitation light;
a laser-light output section configured to generate laser light on the basis of the excitation light generated by the excitation-light generating section and emit the laser light;
a laser-light scanning section configured to irradiate the laser light emitted from the laser-light output section on a workpiece and scan the laser light on a surface of the workpiece; and
a control section configured to perform machining of the workpiece by controlling the excitation-light generating section, the laser-light output section, and the laser-light scanning section, wherein
the laser-light output section includes:
a resonator forming a resonant optical path by a first mirror and a second mirror for emitting the laser light, wherein
the resonator includes:
a laser medium configured to generate a fundamental wave on the basis of the excitation light generated by the excitation-light generating section;
a Q switch configured to pulse-oscillate the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium on the basis of a control signal input from the control section;
the first mirror reflecting the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium;
a Q-switch housing section including an incident section on which the excitation light generated by the excitation-light generating section can be made incident and configured by housing at least the Q switch and the first mirror;
a first wavelength conversion element on which the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium is made incident, the first wavelength conversion element generating a second harmonic having a frequency higher than a frequency of the fundamental wave;
a second wavelength conversion element on which the second harmonic generated by the first wavelength conversion element is made incident, the second wavelength conversion element generating a third harmonic having a frequency higher than the frequency of the second harmonic;
the second mirror reflecting at least one of the second harmonic and the third harmonic; and
a wavelength converting section including a housing in which a transmission window section capable of transmitting the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium and an output window section capable of emitting the third harmonic generated by the second wavelength conversion element as laser light are formed, the wavelength converting section being configured by airtightly housing, within an internal space surrounded by the housing independent from the Q-switch housing section in the resonator, at least the first wavelength conversion element, the second wavelength conversion element, and the second mirror,

and wherein the laser medium is housed in one of the Q-switch housing section and the wavelength converting section.

2. The laser machining device according to claim 1 , further comprising an element-temperature adjusting section for adjusting temperatures of the first and second wavelength conversion elements, the element-temperature adjusting section being disposed on an outside of the housing.

3. The laser machining device according to claim 2 , wherein
the element-temperature adjusting section includes:
a first temperature adjusting section configured to adjust the temperature of the first wavelength conversion element; and
a second temperature adjusting section configured to adjust the temperature of the second wavelength conversion element, and

the first temperature adjusting section and the second temperature adjusting section are configured to be controlled independently from each other.

4. The laser machining device according to claim 1 , wherein
the laser medium is housed in the Q-switch housing section, and
the Q-switch housing section is configured by airtightly housing the laser medium, the Q switch, and the first mirror.

5. The laser machining device according to claim 1 , wherein, halfway in the resonant optical path, an output mirror for separating laser light including at least the third harmonic from the resonant optical path is disposed.

6. The laser machining device according to claim 5 , wherein the output mirror is airtightly housed by the housing.

7. A laser oscillator comprising:
a resonator forming a resonant optical path by a first mirror and a second mirror for emitting the laser light, wherein
the resonator includes:
a laser medium configured to generate a fundamental wave on the basis of an excitation light;
a Q switch configured to control, on the basis of a control signal input from an outside, on and off of pulsed oscillation of the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium;
the first mirror reflecting the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium;
a Q-switch housing section including an incident section on which the excitation light can be made incident and configured to house at least the Q switch and the first mirror;
a first wavelength conversion element on which the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium is made incident, the first wavelength conversion element generating a second harmonic having a frequency higher than a frequency of the fundamental wave;
a second wavelength conversion element on which the second harmonic generated by the first wavelength conversion element is made incident, the second wavelength conversion element generating a third harmonic having a frequency higher than the frequency of the second harmonic;
the second mirror reflecting at least one of the second harmonic and the third harmonic; and
a wavelength converting section including a housing in which a transmission window section capable of transmitting the fundamental wave generated by the laser medium and an output window section capable of emitting the third harmonic generated by the second wavelength conversion element as laser light are formed, the wavelength converting section being configured by airtightly housing, within an internal space surrounded by the housing independent from the Q-switch housing section in the resonator, at least the first wavelength conversion element, the second wavelength conversion element, and the second mirror, wherein
the laser medium is housed in one of the Q-switch housing section and the wavelength converting section.

8. The laser machining device according to claim 5 , further comprising, in the wavelength converting section, a concave lens for shaping a beam diameter of the laser light separated from the resonant optical path by the output mirror and including at least the third harmonic.

9. The laser machining device according to claim 5 , further comprising, in the wavelength converting section, a separator for extracting the third harmonic from the laser light separated from the resonant optical path by the output mirror and including at least the third harmonic.

10. The laser machining device according to claim 9 , wherein
the separator is a beam splitter configured to transmit the second harmonic and reflect the third harmonic, and
the laser machining device further comprises, in the wave length converting section, an attenuating section for attenuating the second harmonic transmitted in the beam splitter.

Assignees

• Keyence Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sato Masao
• Takabatake Yu
• Yamakawa Hideki

Classifications

• H01S3/027

  comprising a special atmosphere inside the housing · CPC title

• B23K26/042

  Automatically aligning the laser beam · CPC title

• H01S3/1022

  by controlling the optical pumping · CPC title

• H01S3/025

  of solid state lasers, e.g. housings or mountings · CPC title

• H01S3/0815

  having 3 reflectors, e.g. V-shaped resonators · CPC title