IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,648,629
Granted Patent B2
US 11,648,629 · App. 16/853,742 · Granted May 16, 2023

Laser processing apparatus, laser processing method, and correction data generation method

Inventors: Yohei Takechi (Osaka, JP); Jun Yokoyama (Osaka, JP); Takashi Urashima (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
B23K26/50B23K26/0643B23K26/0648G01B11/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,648,629
App. No.
16/853,742
Granted
May 16, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A laser processing apparatus is used which includes: a laser oscillator that oscillates a processing laser beam at a processing point to be processed on a surface of a workpiece; an optical interferometer that emits a measurement beam to the processing point and generates an optical interference intensity signal based on interference generated due to an optical path difference between the measurement beam reflected at the processing point and a reference beam; a first mirror that changes traveling directions of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam; a second mirror that changes an incident angle of the measurement beam onto the first mirror; a lens that focuses the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the processing point; a memory that stores corrected processing data; a control unit that controls the laser oscillator, the first mirror, and the second mirror based on the corrected processing data; and a measurement processing unit that derives a depth of a keyhole generated at the processing point by the processing laser beam, based on the optical interference intensity signal.

Claims (78)

1. A laser processing apparatus comprising:

a laser oscillator that oscillates a processing laser beam at a processing point to be processed on a surface of a workpiece;

an optical interferometer that emits a measurement beam to the processing point and generates an optical interference intensity signal based on interference generated due to an optical path difference between the measurement beam reflected at the processing point and a reference beam;

a first mirror that changes traveling directions of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam;

a second mirror that changes an incident angle of the measurement beam onto the first mirror;

a lens that focuses the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the processing point;

a memory that stores corrected processing data;

a control unit that controls the laser oscillator, the first mirror, and the second mirror based on the corrected processing data; and

a measurement processing unit that derives a depth of a keyhole generated at the processing point by the processing laser beam, based on the optical interference intensity signal,

wherein the corrected processing data is corrected processing data for processing the workpiece, which is corrected in advance to eliminate a deviation of an arrival position of at least one of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam, which is caused by chromatic aberration of the lens, on the surface of the workpiece.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing laser beam and the measurement beam have different wavelengths.

3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the first mirror and the second mirror are galvanometer mirrors, respectively.

4. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the first mirror is a galvanometer mirror,

the second mirror is a parabolic mirror, and

the laser processing apparatus further comprises a movable stage that moves the measurement beam entering the second mirror.

5. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the lens is an fθ lens.

6. A laser processing apparatus comprising:

a laser oscillator that oscillates a processing laser beam at a processing point to be processed on a surface of a workpiece;

an optical interferometer that emits a measurement beam to the processing point and generates an optical interference intensity signal based on interference generated due to an optical path difference between the measurement beam reflected at the processing point and a reference beam;

a first mirror that changes traveling directions of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam;

a second mirror that changes an incident angle of the measurement beam onto the first mirror;

a lens that focuses the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the processing point;

a memory that stores corrected processing data;

a control unit that controls the laser oscillator, the first mirror, and the second mirror based on the corrected processing data; and

a measurement processing unit that derives a depth of a keyhole generated at the processing point by the processing laser beam, based on the optical interference intensity signal,

wherein the corrected processing data is data obtained by correcting processing data generated in advance for processing the workpiece such that a deviation of an arrival position of at least one of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the surface of the workpiece, which is caused by the chromatic aberration of the lens, and a deviation between an angle of the keyhole and an angle of the measurement beam are eliminated.

7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the corrected processing data includes an output indication value indicating an intensity of the processing laser beam oscillated from the laser oscillator, a first indication value indicating an operation amount of the first mirror, a second indication value indicating an operation amount of the second mirror, and a third indication value indicating an operation amount of the beam shift mechanism, the values being set in advance for each processing point.

8. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

a wavelength of the processing laser beam and a wavelength of the measurement beam are different from each other.

9. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the lens is an fθ lens.

10. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the first mirror and the second mirror are galvanometer mirror, respectively.

11. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the first mirror is a galvanometer mirror,

the second mirror is a parabolic mirror, and

the laser processing apparatus further comprises a movable stage that changes an emission angle from the measurement beam of the second mirror.

12. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the beam shift mechanism is a stage that is parallel translated in two or more axes in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the measurement beam when the second mirror is located at an original position, and has a first lens and a second lens.

13. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

a focal length of the second lens is set longer than a focal length of the first lens, and

the second mirror and the beam shift mechanism are arranged such that the measurement beam from the optical interferometer passes through the second mirror and the beam shift mechanism in this order.

14. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the beam shift mechanism has a first parallel plane substrate and a second parallel plane substrate that rotate about an optical axis of the measurement beam.

15. A laser processing method performed by a laser processing apparatus, the laser processing apparatus having: a first mirror that changes traveling directions of a processing laser beam and a measurement beam; a second mirror that changes an incident angle of the measurement beam onto the first mirror; and a lens that focuses the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on a processing point on a surface of a workpiece to be processed, the method comprising:

irradiating the workpiece with the processing laser beam and the measurement beam based on corrected processing data by controlling the first mirror and the second mirror; and

measuring a depth of a keyhole generated at the processing point by the processing laser beam based on interference caused by an optical path difference between the measurement beam and a reference beam reflected at the processing point.

16. The laser processing method according to claim 15 , wherein

the corrected processing data is corrected processing data for processing the workpiece, which is corrected in advance to eliminate a deviation of an arrival position of at least one of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the surface of the workpiece, which is caused by chromatic aberration of the lens.

17. The laser processing method according to claim 15 , the laser processing method being performed by the laser processing apparatus further having a beam shift mechanism that changes an incident position of the measurement beam to the first mirror, the method comprising:

controlling the first mirror, the second mirror, and the beam shift mechanism based on the corrected processing data, and irradiating the workpiece with the processing laser beam and the measurement beam; and

measuring the depth of the keyhole generated at the processing point by being irradiated with the processing laser beam based on the interference caused by an optical path difference between the measurement beam and the reference beam reflected at the processing point, wherein

the corrected processing data is data obtained by correcting processing data generated for processing the workpiece in advance to eliminate a deviation of an arrival position of at least one of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the surface of the workpiece, which is caused by the chromatic aberration of the lens, and a deviation between an angle of the keyhole and an angle of the measurement beam.

18. A laser processing apparatus comprising:

a laser oscillator that oscillates a processing laser beam at a processing point to be processed on a surface of a workpiece;

an optical interferometer that emits a measurement beam to the processing point and generates an optical interference intensity signal based on interference generated due to an optical path difference between the measurement beam reflected at the processing point and a reference beam;

a first mirror that changes traveling directions of the processing laser beam and the measurement beam;

a second mirror that changes an incident angle of the measurement beam onto the first mirror;

a lens that focuses the processing laser beam and the measurement beam on the processing point;

a memory that stores corrected processing data;

a control unit that controls the laser oscillator, the first mirror, and the second mirror based on the corrected processing data; and

a measurement processing unit that derives a depth of a keyhole generated at the processing point by the processing laser beam, based on the optical interference intensity signal,

wherein the corrected processing data includes an output indication value indicating an intensity of the processing laser beam oscillated by the laser oscillator, a first indication value indicating an operation amount by which the first mirror is operated, and a second indication value indicating an operation amount by which the second mirror is operated, the values being set in advance for each processing point.

19. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein

the processing laser beam and the measurement beam have different wavelengths.

20. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein

the first mirror and the second mirror are galvanometer mirrors, respectively.

21. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein:

the first mirror is a galvanometer mirror,

the second mirror is a parabolic mirror, and

the laser processing apparatus further comprises a movable stage that moves the measurement beam entering the second mirror.

22. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein

the lens is an fθ lens.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 29, 2020
From: TAKECHI, YOHEI; YOKOYAMA, JUN; URASHIMA, TAKASHI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 053065/0229 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP JP2019-092936 · May 16, 2019 · national
JP JP2019-151157 · Aug 21, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200361038A1 · Nov 19, 2020