Airy beam based cutting system and method

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of optical technology, and discloses a cutting system and method based on Airy beams to achieve precise positioning and flexible position switching of the cutting spot. The system includes: a laser source; a coaxial polarizer, a polarization grating rotation assembly, and a lens; the polarization grating rotation assembly includes a polarization Airy beam generator and a first polarization grating and a second polarization grating that can rotate around the optical axis respectively; and the three are in close contact to separate the incident linearly polarized light into two Airy beams based on optical axis symmetry, and the deflection direction of each outgoing Airy beam changes with the rotation of the first polarization grating and / or the second polarization grating, and each outgoing Airy beam can be regarded as the same exit point; the control host is used to position and switch the position coordinates of the focal points of each Airy beam behind the lens on the fixed focal plane by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating, the fixed focal plane being perpendicular to the optical axis and having the object to be cut placed on the cutting stage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical technology, and in particular to a cutting system and method based on Airy beams. Background Technology

[0002] Laser cutting utilizes a high-power-density laser beam to irradiate the material being cut, rapidly heating it to its vaporization temperature and causing it to evaporate and form a hole. As the beam moves across the material, the hole continuously forms a very narrow kerf (e.g., about 0.1 mm), thus completing the cutting of the material.

[0003] In existing laser cutting, the position of the laser spot is usually fixed, and the object being cut is shaped by precisely controlling the displacement of the three-axis displacement stage in each direction. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to disclose a cutting system and method based on Airy beams, so as to achieve precise positioning of the cutting spot and flexible position switching.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the cutting system based on Airy beam disclosed in this invention includes:

[0006] Laser source;

[0007] Coaxial polarizer, polarization grating rotation assembly, and lens;

[0008] The polarization grating rotation assembly includes a polarization Airy beam generator and a first polarization grating and a second polarization grating that can rotate 360° around the optical axis, respectively.

[0009] The first polarization grating is used to separate the incident linearly polarized light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light and right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection;

[0010] The second polarization grating is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after secondary deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after secondary deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator.

[0011] The polarized Airy beam generator has polarization-sensitive properties and is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Airy beam, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Airy beam.

[0012] The first polarization grating, the second polarization grating, and the polarized Airy beam generator are placed in close contact to separate the incident linearly polarized light into two Airy beams based on optical axis symmetry. The outgoing Airy beams, whose deflection directions change with the rotation of the first polarization grating and / or the second polarization grating, can be regarded as the same exit point.

[0013] A control host that controls the rotation angles of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating;

[0014] The control host is used to locate and switch the position coordinates of each Airy beam focus on the fixed focal plane behind the lens by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating. The fixed focal plane is perpendicular to the optical axis and has the object to be cut placed on the cutting table.

[0015] Preferably, the system in this embodiment further includes: a quarter-wave plate that can be dynamically plugged in and deployed between the polarizer and the polarizing grating rotation assembly, wherein the fast axis of the quarter-wave plate is at a 45° angle to the light transmission direction of the polarizer clockwise or counterclockwise, so as to convert the incident linearly polarized light into the outgoing left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light or right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light; correspondingly, the first polarizing grating is also used to convert the left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light outgoing to the polarizing Airy beam generator after one deflection, and to convert the right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light outgoing to the polarizing Airy beam generator after one deflection.

[0016] Preferably, in this embodiment of the system: the quarter-wave plate is further connected to a rotation drive assembly, which is used to drive the quarter-wave plate to switch between two states: a clockwise 45° angle and a counterclockwise 45° angle relative to the light transmission direction of the polarizer, so as to realize dynamic switching between the Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator based on optical axis symmetry.

[0017] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also discloses a cutting method based on Airy beams, comprising:

[0018] Deploy the Airy beam-based cutting system as described above;

[0019] The control host positions and switches the focal points of each Airy beam behind the lens on the fixed-focal plane by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating, and then performs the corresponding cutting.

[0020] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes: dynamically inserting and deploying the 1 / 4 wave plate between the polarizer and the polarization grating rotation assembly to achieve switching between a dual Airy beam spot and a single Airy beam spot.

[0021] Preferably, the method of the present invention further includes: driving the quarter-wave plate to switch between two states, one clockwise at 45° and the other counterclockwise at 45°, with the rotation drive component, so as to realize dynamic switching between the Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator based on optical axis symmetry.

[0022] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] 1. When the incident polarization grating rotating component is linearly polarized light, it can form two outgoing Airy beams, and finally form two symmetrical Airy spots on the fixed focal plane. This allows it to act on two symmetrical positions simultaneously during the cutting process, thus improving the cutting efficiency.

[0024] 2. When the incident polarization grating rotating component is linearly polarized light, the two symmetrical Airy spots based on the present invention, with their high energy density sharp corners, either face outwards or inwards simultaneously as they rotate, thus making the final cut arc surface symmetrical, which is especially suitable for cutting strip-shaped objects.

[0025] 3. Because the light beam undergoes two deflections under the action of the first and second polarization gratings, the displacement range of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane can cover a complete surface. During the position switching process, the position of the object being cut on the cutting stage remains fixed. The rotation angles corresponding to the first and second polarization gratings can be accurately calculated through reverse derivation, and the positioning accuracy can be controlled at the nanometer level. In other words, the two rotation angles of the first and second polarization gratings in this invention correspond one-to-one with the two-dimensional coordinates on the fixed-focus plane, thereby enabling convenient and efficient switching of the alignment coordinates of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane by rotating the first and / or second polarization gratings.

[0026] 4. In some time points during the cutting process, there may be situations where only a single Airy spot is needed for operation. This invention can shield one Airy spot by adding a 1 / 4 wave plate between the polarizer and the polarizing grating rotating assembly; thus, it can flexibly and conveniently switch between a single Airy spot and two Airy spots.

[0027] 5. Furthermore, by rotating and adjusting the light transmission direction of the 1 / 4 wave plate and polarizer to switch between two states of 45° clockwise and 45° counterclockwise, the selected single Airy spot can be flexibly and conveniently switched between a left-handed circularly polarized Airy spot and a right-handed circularly polarized Airy spot.

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the cutting system based on Airy beam disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a state of the symmetrical Airy spot sharp angle disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another state of the symmetrical Airy spot sharp angle disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an arc-shaped cut surface formed by a symmetrical Airy spot disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another arc-shaped cutting surface formed by the symmetrical Airy spot disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting method based on Airy beam disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention can be implemented in many different ways as defined and covered by the claims.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] This embodiment discloses a cutting system based on Airy beams, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a laser source 100, a coaxial polarizer 200, a polarization grating rotation assembly 300, and a lens 400.

[0039] In this embodiment, the polarization grating rotation assembly includes a polarization Airy beam generator 30 and a first polarization grating 10 and a second polarization grating 20, which are respectively capable of rotating 360° around the optical axis. Wherein:

[0040] The first polarization grating is used to separate the incident linearly polarized light into left-handed circularly polarized Gaussian light and right-handed circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection.

[0041] The second polarization grating is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after a second deflection, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after a second deflection, which is then emitted to the polarization Airy beam generator.

[0042] The polarized Airy beam generator has polarization-sensitive properties and is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Airy beams, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Airy beams.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first polarizing grating, the second polarizing grating, and the polarizing Airy beam generator, located in the polarizing grating rotation assembly, are in close contact (preferably, the gap between any two is within 100 nanometers) to separate the incident linearly polarized light into two Airy beams based on optical axis symmetry. The outgoing Airy beams, whose deflection directions change with the rotation of the first and / or second polarizing gratings, can be considered to originate from the same point. The lens is used to focus the Airy beam emitted from the polarizing Airy beam generator onto a fixed focal plane; the fixed focal plane is the focal plane of the lens.

[0044] In this embodiment, the polarization Airy beam generator achieves polarization sensitivity by utilizing the birefringence properties of the material and aligning its spatial distribution. The relevant material can be liquid crystal or liquid crystal polymer, etc.

[0045] The system in this embodiment also includes a control host for controlling the rotation angle of the first polarizing grating and the second polarizing grating. It is used to locate and switch the position coordinates of the focal points of each Airy beam behind the lens on the fixed focal plane by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarizing grating and the second polarizing grating. The fixed focal plane is perpendicular to the optical axis and has the object to be cut placed on the cutting table.

[0046] In summary, this embodiment has the following features:

[0047] 1. When the incident polarization grating rotating component is linearly polarized light, it can form two outgoing Airy beams, and finally form two symmetrical Airy spots on the fixed focal plane. This allows it to act on two symmetrical positions simultaneously during the cutting process, thus improving the cutting efficiency.

[0048] 2. When the incident light on the polarization grating rotating assembly is linearly polarized, based on the two symmetrical Airy spots of this invention, the sharp corners with higher energy density rotate accordingly, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the axes either face outwards or inwards simultaneously, resulting in a symmetrical final cut surface, which is particularly suitable for cutting strip-shaped objects; for example, the final cut arc is as follows: Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown.

[0049] 3. Because the light beam undergoes two deflections under the action of the first and second polarization gratings, the displacement range of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane can cover a complete surface. During the position switching process, the position of the object being cut on the cutting stage remains fixed. The rotation angles corresponding to the first and second polarization gratings can be accurately calculated through reverse derivation, and the positioning accuracy can be controlled at the nanometer level. In other words, the two rotation angles of the first and second polarization gratings in this invention correspond one-to-one with the two-dimensional coordinates on the fixed-focus plane, thereby enabling convenient and efficient switching of the alignment coordinates of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane by rotating the first and / or second polarization gratings.

[0050] Furthermore, the cutting system based on the Airy beam in this embodiment also includes:

[0051] A quarter-wave plate, dynamically pluggable and deployable between a polarizer and a polarizing grating rotation assembly, has its fast axis rotated at 45° clockwise or counterclockwise with the polarizer's transmission direction to convert incident linearly polarized light into outgoing left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized Gaussian light. Specifically, when the fast axis of the quarter-wave plate is rotated at 45° clockwise with the polarizer's transmission direction, the quarter-wave plate converts incident linearly polarized light into outgoing left-handed circularly polarized Gaussian light; when the fast axis of the quarter-wave plate is rotated at 45° counterclockwise with the polarizer's transmission direction, the quarter-wave plate converts incident linearly polarized light into outgoing right-handed circularly polarized Gaussian light. The first polarization grating is also used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the quarter-wave plate is also connected to a rotation drive assembly. This assembly drives the quarter-wave plate to switch between two states: a 45° clockwise rotation and a 45° counterclockwise rotation relative to the transmission direction of the polarizer. This enables dynamic switching between the axially symmetric Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator (i.e., switching between a left-handed circularly polarized Airy spot and a right-handed circularly polarized Airy spot). This also facilitates reducing the adjustment range of the rotation angle of the first and second polarization gratings during the switching process by selecting either the left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized Airy spot, thus further improving cutting efficiency.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] Corresponding to the above embodiments, this embodiment discloses a cutting method based on Airy beams, such as... Figure 6 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0055] Step S1: Deploy the Airy beam-based cutting system. This system is the same as the system described in the above embodiment, and can be found in the following reference. Figure 1 I won't go into details.

[0056] Step S2: The host control unit positions and switches the position coordinates of each Airy beam focus on the fixed focal plane after the lens by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating, and then realizes the corresponding cutting.

[0057] Preferably, this embodiment further includes:

[0058] Step S3: Dynamically insert and deploy a 1 / 4 wave plate between the polarizer and the polarization grating rotating assembly to achieve switching between a dual Airy beam spot and a single Airy beam spot.

[0059] Furthermore, the method in this embodiment also includes:

[0060] Step S4: The 1 / 4 wave plate is driven by a rotation drive component to switch between two states: a clockwise 45° angle and a counterclockwise 45° angle relative to the light transmission direction of the polarizer, so as to realize dynamic selection and switching between the Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator based on optical axis symmetry.

[0061] Similarly, the method in this embodiment also has the following beneficial effects:

[0062] 1. When the incident polarization grating rotating component is linearly polarized light, it can form two outgoing Airy beams, and finally form two symmetrical Airy spots on the fixed focal plane. This allows it to act on two symmetrical positions simultaneously during the cutting process, thus improving the cutting efficiency.

[0063] 2. When the incident polarization grating rotating component is linearly polarized light, the two symmetrical Airy spots based on the present invention, with their high energy density sharp corners, either face outwards or inwards simultaneously as they rotate, thus making the final cut arc surface symmetrical, which is especially suitable for cutting strip-shaped objects.

[0064] 3. Because the light beam undergoes two deflections under the action of the first and second polarization gratings, the displacement range of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane can cover a complete surface. During the position switching process, the position of the object being cut on the cutting stage remains fixed. The rotation angles corresponding to the first and second polarization gratings can be accurately calculated through reverse derivation, and the positioning accuracy can be controlled at the nanometer level. In other words, the two rotation angles of the first and second polarization gratings in this invention correspond one-to-one with the two-dimensional coordinates on the fixed-focus plane, thereby enabling convenient and efficient switching of the alignment coordinates of the Airy spot on the fixed-focus plane by rotating the first and / or second polarization gratings.

[0065] 4. In some time points during the cutting process, there may be situations where only a single Airy spot is needed for operation. This invention can shield one Airy spot by adding a 1 / 4 wave plate between the polarizer and the polarizing grating rotating assembly; thus, it can flexibly and conveniently switch between a single Airy spot and two Airy spots.

[0066] 5. Furthermore, by rotating and adjusting the light transmission direction of the 1 / 4 wave plate and polarizer to switch between two states of 45° clockwise and 45° counterclockwise, the selected single Airy spot can be flexibly and conveniently switched between a left-handed circularly polarized Airy spot and a right-handed circularly polarized Airy spot.

[0067] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An Airy beam based cutting system, characterized in that, include: Laser source; Coaxial polarizer, polarization grating rotation assembly, and lens; The polarization grating rotation assembly includes a polarization Airy beam generator and a first polarization grating and a second polarization grating that can rotate 360° around the optical axis, respectively. The first polarization grating is used to separate the incident linearly polarized light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light and right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection; The second polarization grating is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after a second deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after a second deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator. The polarized Airy beam generator has polarization-sensitive properties and is used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Airy beam, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Airy beam. The first polarization grating, the second polarization grating, and the polarized Airy beam generator are placed in close contact to separate the incident linearly polarized light into two Airy beams based on optical axis symmetry. The outgoing Airy beams, whose deflection directions change with the rotation of the first polarization grating and / or the second polarization grating, can be regarded as the same exit point. A control host that controls the rotation angles of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating; The control host is used to locate and switch the position coordinates of each Airy beam focus on the fixed focal plane behind the lens by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating. The fixed focal plane is perpendicular to the optical axis and has the object to be cut placed on the cutting table.

2. The cutting system based on Airy beams according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A quarter-wave plate that can be dynamically plugged in and deployed between the polarizer and the polarization grating rotation assembly, wherein the fast axis of the quarter-wave plate is at 45° clockwise or counterclockwise with the light transmission direction of the polarizer, so as to convert the incident linearly polarized light into the outgoing left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light or right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light. The first polarization grating is also used to convert left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator, and to convert right-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light into left-hand circularly polarized Gaussian light after one deflection and output to the polarization Airy beam generator.

3. The cutting system based on Airy beams according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: The quarter-wave plate is also connected to a rotation drive assembly, which is used to drive the quarter-wave plate to switch between two states: a clockwise 45° angle and a counterclockwise 45° angle relative to the light transmission direction of the polarizer, so as to realize dynamic selection and switching between the axially symmetric Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator.

4. A cutting method based on Airy beams, characterized in that, include: Deploy the Airy beam-based cutting system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3; The control host positions and switches the focal points of each Airy beam behind the lens on the fixed-focal plane by controlling the rotation angle of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating, and then performs the corresponding cutting.

5. The cutting method based on Airy beams according to claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: A quarter-wave plate is dynamically plugged in between the polarizer and the polarizing grating rotating assembly to achieve switching between a dual Airy beam spot and a single Airy beam spot.

6. The cutting method based on Airy beams according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A 1 / 4 wave plate is driven by a rotation drive assembly to switch between two states: a clockwise 45° angle and a counterclockwise 45° angle relative to the light transmission direction of the polarizer. This enables dynamic switching between the axially symmetric Airy beams emitted from the polarized Airy beam generator.

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