Laser processing apparatus, laser processing system, and laser processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11826852-B2
Application number	US-202017088704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2020
Priority date	Jun 27, 2018
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A laser processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a placement base on which a processing receiving object is placed, an optical system that guides laser light to the processing receiving object, a gas supply port via which a gas is supplied to a laser light irradiated region of the processing receiving object, a gas recovery port via which the supplied gas is recovered, a mover that moves the irradiated region, and a controller that controls, in accordance with the moving direction of the irradiated region, the direction of the flow of the gas flowing from the gas supply port to the gas recovery port, and the controller changes the direction of the gas flow in response to a change in the moving direction of the irradiated region in such a way that the gas flows in the direction opposite the moving direction of the irradiated region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser processing apparatus comprising:
a placement base on which a processing receiving object is placed;
an optical system configured to guide laser light to the processing receiving object placed on the placement base;
a gas supply port via which a gas is supplied to a periphery of an irradiated region of the processing receiving object that is a region irradiated with the laser light;
a gas recovery port via which the gas supplied via the gas supply port is recovered;
a mover configured to move the irradiated region of the processing receiving object;
a controller configured to control, in accordance with a direction in which the irradiated region is moved, a direction of a gas flow of the gas caused to flow from the gas supply port to the gas recovery port, the controller being configured to change the direction of the gas flow in response to a change in the direction in which the mover moves the irradiated region in such a way that the gas flows in a direction opposite the direction in which the irradiated region is move;
a cover configured to surround a space to which the gas is supplied via the gas supply port, the gas supply port and the gas recovery port being disposed at the cover; and
a rotator configured to rotate the cover in accordance with the direction in which the irradiated region is moved.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of the gas supply ports; and
a plurality of the gas recovery ports,
wherein the controller is configured to change the direction of the gas flow by changing a combination of the gas supply port via which the gas is sprayed and the gas recovery port via which the gas is recovered, the gas supply port and the gas recovery port selected from the plurality of the gas supply ports and the plurality of the gas recovery ports, in accordance with the direction in which the irradiated region is moved.

3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first switching valve configured to switch, out of the plurality of the gas supply ports, the gas supply port via which the gas is sprayed to the gas supply port via which the gas is not sprayed and vice versa; and
a second switching valve configured to switch, out of the plurality of the gas recovery ports, the gas recovery port via which the gas is recovered to the gas recovery port via which the gas is not recovered and vice versa,
wherein the controller is configured to control the first switching valve and the second switching valve in accordance with the direction in which the irradiated region is moved.

4. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a rotator configured to swap positions where the gas supply port and the gas recovery port are disposed,
wherein the controller is configured to change the direction of the gas flow by rotating the rotator in accordance with the direction in which the irradiated region is moved.

5. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a discharger connected to the gas recovery port.

6. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical system includes
a linear beam shaping optical system configured to produce a linear beam having an oblong beam shape,
a mask with which the linear beam is irradiated, and
a projection optical system configured to project an image of the mask on a surface of the processing receiving object.

7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the mover includes a uniaxial stage configured to cause the linear beam shaping optical system to make reciprocal motion in a direction of a first axis.

8. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein a first mover configured to move the laser light in a direction of a first axis that is a direction of a minor axis of the linear beam is employed as the mover,
the laser processing apparatus further comprises a second mover configured to move the processing receiving object in the direction of the first axis and a direction of a second axis that is a direction of a major axis of the linear beam, and
the controller is configured to control the first mover and the second mover.

9. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the controller is configured to alternately perform control in which the second mover is activated to change a processing target region of the processing receiving object and control in which the processing target region is processed with the first mover activated to move the irradiated region of the processing receiving object.

10. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a flow rate adjuster configured to adjust a flow rate of the gas sprayed via the gas supply port,
wherein the controller is configured to control the flow rate adjuster based on a processing condition and information that allows estimation of a quantity of debris produced when the processing receiving object is irradiated with the laser light.

11. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the information that allows estimation of the quantity of debris contains data on a calculation formula configured to calculate the quantity of debris based on the processing condition.

12. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the information that allows estimation of the quantity of debris contains table data configured to relate the processing condition to the quantity of debris.

13. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the processing condition includes an opening ratio of a mask.

14. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the mover is configured to move at least part of the optical system.

15. A laser processing apparatus comprising:
a placement base on which a processing receiving object is placed;
an optical system configured to guide laser light to the processing receiving object placed on the placement base;
a gas supply port via which a gas is supplied to a periphery of an irradiated region of the processing receiving object that is a region irradiated with the laser light;
a gas recovery port via which the gas supplied via the gas supply port is recovered;
a mover configured to move the irradiated region of the processing receiving object;
a controller configured to control, in accordance with a direction in which the irradiated region is moved, a direction of a gas flow of the gas caused to flow from the gas supply port to the gas recovery port, the controller being configured to change the direction of the gas flow in response to a change in the direction in which the mover moves the irradiated region in such a way that the gas flows in a direction opposite the direction in which the irradiated region is moved;
a cover configured to surround a space to which the gas is supplied via the gas supply port; and
a third mover configured to move the cover in such a way that the movement follows the movement of the irradiated region moved by the mover.

16. A laser processing system comprising:
a laser apparatus configured to output laser light;
a transfer system configured to transfer the laser light outputted from the laser apparatus;
a placement base on which a processing receiving object is placed;
an optical system configured to shape the laser light transferred via the transfer system and guide the shaped laser light to the processing receiving object placed on the placement base;
a gas supply port via whi

Assignees

• Gigaphoton Inc

Inventors

• Suwa Akira
• Wakabayashi Osamu
• Shimbori Masashi
• Kobayashi Masakazu

Classifications

• B23K26/1462 Primary

  Nozzles; Features related to nozzles · CPC title

• B23K26/126

  in an atmosphere of gases chemically reacting with the workpiece · CPC title

• B23K26/362 Primary

  Laser etching · CPC title

• B23K26/142

  for the removal of by-products · CPC title

• B23K26/402

  involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators · CPC title