Automatic flipping device and flipping method for strip-shaped semiconductor laser end face coating

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic flipping device and flipping method for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser, belonging to the technical field of semiconductor laser chip manufacturing processes. The device includes a workpiece disk and a flipping lever arm. The workpiece disk includes a disc frame and a material disk. The material disk is placed on a bar clamp, and the bar clamp is clamped inside the bar clamp. The material disk is distributed on the disc frame along a circumference. A flip bracket is provided at one end of the material disk. The flip bracket has a V-shaped structure. The flipping lever arm flips the material disk 180 degrees by toggling the V-shaped flip bracket. The flipping lever arm includes a cylinder telescopic rod, a cross arm, and a dial pin. The cylinder telescopic rod is connected to the cross arm, and the end of the cross arm is connected to the dial pin. When flipping is required, the cross arm and the dial pin are driven by the cylinder telescopic rod to descend to the V-shaped structure of the flip bracket. When the disc frame rotates, the dial pin toggles the V-shaped structure to flip the material disk. When the present invention is used to evaporate the upper and lower end faces of a strip-shaped laser, there is no need to open a chamber again, which greatly improves product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automatic flipping device and method for coating a strip-shaped semiconductor laser end face, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor laser chip manufacturing technology. Background Art

[0002] Strip semiconductor lasers (LDs) have the advantages of small size, light weight, high conversion efficiency, and long working life. They are widely used in solid-state laser pumping, industrial processing, laser medical treatment, and military fields, and have very broad application prospects and market value.

[0003] In the production process of bar-shaped semiconductor laser chips, coating the end faces of the laser bar is a very important process step. The coating of the end faces of the bar-shaped semiconductor laser bar has two main purposes: 1. To protect the cavity surface, prevent the laser end face from being contaminated by moisture, oil, dust, etc. in the atmospheric environment, and prevent the crystal dangling bonds generated by dissociation from reacting with oxidizing gases, which will reduce the performance and life of the laser; 2. To reasonably adjust the reflectivity of the two end faces of the bar laser, optimize the laser threshold current and output efficiency, and ultimately achieve the maximum laser power output on a single side.

[0004] Chinese patent document CN 101748367 discloses a device and method for coating the cavity surface of a semiconductor laser. The device consists of three wafer carriers fixed at an inclined angle to an evaporation platform. During use, the laser with the cavity surface cleaved is first placed on the wafer carrier, with the cavity surface close to the edge of the wafer carrier; the laser is then fixed using spring plates, and the upper surface of the laser is protected by the spring plates; finally, the wafer carrier is installed on the evaporation platform, and the installed evaporation platform is placed in the evaporation cavity for evaporation. During the evaporation process, because the upper surface of the laser is covered by the spring plates, the lower surface is in close contact with the wafer carrier, and the laser cavity surface is at a certain inclination angle with the evaporation plane, the upper and lower surfaces of the laser are protected from the evaporation film, effectively avoiding the possibility of metal short circuits or metal electrodes being covered by insulating films during evaporation. The technical deficiency of this patent is that it only describes the use of spring plates to fix the chip, but does not describe the specific clamping structure.

[0005] Chinese patent document CN 207987324 U discloses a substrate rack capable of automatic flipping, which is used in an environment where a sputtering layer is formed on a substrate, and includes: a flipping mechanism, a rotating mechanism, and a ratchet mechanism; the ratchet mechanism is connected to the clamping claws, and is used to transmit the flipping power, thereby driving the claws to flip the substrate. The rotating mechanism engages with a circular disk with multiple claws, thereby driving the turntable to rotate and driving the claws on the turntable to rotate. The flipping mechanism cooperates with the ratchet mechanism on the turntable, and drives the ratchet mechanism to flip the claws. By setting the coordination of the ratchet and the pawl, the lifting and lowering of the lever and the rotation of the turntable are used to simultaneously drive the flipping of the substrate clamp, which saves limited space while ensuring stable and reliable flipping.

[0006] Chinese patent document CN 2741238 discloses a fixture for coating the cavity surface of a semiconductor laser, which belongs to the field of semiconductor laser process technology. The existing fixture structure is relatively complex and difficult to process. Moreover, it is extremely troublesome to install the strips, which can easily cause pollution or damage to the cavity surface. The clamped thin plate can also easily cause mechanical damage to the laser bar. The fixture for coating the cavity surface of a semiconductor laser provided by the utility model is composed of three parallel concave plates (5) and a rectangular thin plate (8) and a square frame for fixing and clamping. The technical deficiency of this patent is that it uses a combination of concave plates and square plates for fixing, but the chip size requirement is relatively simple. If the size is not suitable, it is difficult to achieve flat and fixed coating; and the fixture will be contaminated during coating.

[0007] Currently, coating equipment plays a key role in the semiconductor laser chip manufacturing industry. However, when coating the end face of a bar laser, two sides need to be evaporated: the anti-reflection side and the high-reflection side. The conditions of existing equipment are that after evaporation on one side, it is necessary to open the chamber after cooling for 30-60 minutes, and manually turn the bar fixture carrying the bar laser to the reverse side. It takes about 60 minutes to re-evacuate to the specified vacuum degree before evaporation. This method has two disadvantages: 1. It greatly wastes evaporation time and reduces equipment efficiency. 2. Opening the chamber before evaporation is completed causes unnecessary contamination to the end face of the bar laser, affecting the coating quality. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In response to the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a method and device for automatically flipping the end face coating of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser, which can realize the opening of the chamber after the anti-reflection surface and the high-reflection surface are evaporated, reducing the time and number of contact with the outside air, improving production efficiency, coating quality, etc.

[0009] The technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0010] An automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser includes a workpiece disk located in a vapor deposition chamber. The workpiece disk is used to carry the laser to be coated and is rotated by a rotating shaft. A flipping lever arm is also provided in the vapor deposition chamber for flipping the laser on the workpiece disk.

[0011] Preferably, the workpiece disk includes a disk rack and a material disk, the material disk is used to place a bar clamp, the bar clamp is clamped inside the bar clamp, and the material disk is distributed on the disk rack along the circumference; a flip bracket is provided at one end of the material disk, and the flip bracket is a V-shaped structure. The flip force arm realizes a 180° flip of the material disk by toggling the V-shaped flip bracket.

[0012] Preferably, the flip lever comprises a telescopic cylinder rod, a cross arm, and a shifting pin. One end of the telescopic cylinder rod is fixed to the vapor deposition chamber, while the other end is connected to the cross arm, which is then connected to the shifting pin. When flipping is required, the cross arm and the shifting pin, driven by the telescopic cylinder rod, descend to the V-shaped structure of the flipping bracket. As the disc holder rotates, the shifting pin shifts the V-shaped structure, causing the disc to flip.

[0013] Further preferably, the length range of the horizontal arm is 5-50mm, the length of the pin is 3-6mm, and the adjustable distance of the cylinder telescopic rod is 10-60mm, ensuring that the pin can contact the bracket in the optimal position.

[0014] Further preferably, a buffer tension spring is provided at the tail of the shifting pin away from the material tray, so that after all the flip brackets are flipped 180°, when the buffer shifting pin contacts the other side of the bracket, the shifting pin moves upward and the tail downward until the cylinder telescopic rod is raised and the shifting pin is reset by the tension spring.

[0015] Further preferably, the flip bracket includes two symmetrical wing structures, the two wing structures are combined into a V-shaped structure, and the opposite sides of the two wing structures are arcs.

[0016] The shifting needle descends and contacts the wing on the upper part of the flip bracket to rotate the material tray 90 degrees. The flip bracket begins to flip due to its own gravity. Before the material tray is completely turned flat, the shifting needle contacts the other wing of the flip bracket. Through the uniform motion of the workpiece disc, the material tray is slowly and smoothly flipped 180 degrees and then contacts the disc rack.

[0017] Further preferably, the arc angle is 50-200 degrees to ensure that it is placed smoothly when flipped 180 degrees.

[0018] Further preferably, a tray cover is provided on one side of the tray, and the cavity formed by the tray and the tray cover is used to carry a bar clamp for fixing the bar laser to ensure that there is no shaking during the flipping process.

[0019] Further preferably, a support and limit shaft is provided on one side of the material tray, and the support and limit shaft is located on the side wall of the material tray facing the V-shaped opening of the flip bracket. The support and limit shaft is used to ensure that it can be properly placed on the workpiece tray without falling off, and serves as a support and limit when rotating 180°, allowing it to rotate 180°.

[0020] A method for automatically flipping a strip-shaped semiconductor laser end face coating comprises the following steps:

[0021] The coating workpiece disc moves at a constant speed, and the cylinder ventilation causes the cylinder telescopic rod to drop, driving the cross arm to reach the V-shaped structure of the flip bracket. The workpiece disc rotates at a constant speed, completing the flip bracket and driving the material disc to rotate 180 degrees.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] When the technical solution of the present invention is used to evaporate the upper and lower end faces of the strip laser, there is no need to open the chamber again and manually flip it, which greatly improves the product quality. Compared with the existing technology, it has the following advantages:

[0024] 1. Greatly improved product quality and yield rate;

[0025] 2. Improved equipment efficiency and increased production. Manual flipping requires 30 minutes of cooling and 60 minutes of re-vacuuming after the anti-reflective surface and high-reflective surface are deposited. Automatic flipping can optimize this time.

[0026] 3. During the evaporation process, the number of furnace openings is reduced, so that the strip laser is completely kept in a vacuum state after the evaporation begins, which improves the uniformity of the coating and reduces the proportion of film unevenness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the automatic turning rack of the coating chamber in the method of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the automatic turning rack for coating in the method of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the coating material tray in the method of the present invention;

[0030] Among them: 1. Cylinder, 2. Flip arm, 3. Workpiece tray, 4. Cylinder telescopic rod, 5. Cross arm, 6. Tension spring, 7. Pin, 8. Flip bracket, 9. Material tray cover, 10. Bar clamp, 11. Material tray, 12. 180° flip support shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to embodiments and accompanying drawings, but is not limited thereto.

[0032] Example 1:

[0033] An automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser includes a workpiece disk located in a vapor deposition chamber. The workpiece disk 3 is used to carry the laser to be coated, and the workpiece disk is driven to rotate by a rotating shaft. A flip arm 2 is also provided in the vapor deposition chamber, and the flip arm is used to flip the laser on the workpiece disk.

[0034] The workpiece disk 3 includes a disk rack and a material tray 11. The material tray is used to place a bar clamp 10. The bar clamp holds the laser to be coated. The material trays are distributed on the disk rack along a circumference. A flip bracket 8 is provided at one end of the material tray. The flip bracket is a V-shaped structure. The flip arm flips the material tray 180° by toggling the V-shaped flip bracket.

[0035] The flip arm 2 consists of a cylinder telescopic rod 4, a cross arm 5, and a pin 7. One end of the cylinder telescopic rod is fixed to the vapor deposition chamber, while the other end is connected to the cross arm, which is then connected to the pin. To flip the material, the cylinder 1 is ventilated, causing the cylinder telescopic rod 4 to descend. Driven by the cylinder telescopic rod, the cross arm and pin descend to the V-shaped structure of the flip bracket. As the disc holder rotates, the pin shifts the V-shaped structure, causing the disc to flip.

[0036] The horizontal arm length range is 5-50mm, the pin length is 3-6mm, and the cylinder telescopic rod can be adjusted up and down by 10-60mm, ensuring that the pin can contact the bracket in the optimal position.

[0037] Example 2:

[0038] An automatic flipping device for end-face coating of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser has a structure as described in Example 1, except that a buffer tensioning spring 6 is provided at the tail of the shifting pin away from the material tray. After all the flipping brackets are flipped 180°, when the buffer shifting pin contacts the other side of the bracket, the shifting pin moves upward and the tail downward until the cylinder telescopic rod is raised, and the shifting pin is reset by the tensioning spring.

[0039] Example 3:

[0040] An automatic flipping device for end face coating of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser has a structure as described in Example 1, except that the flipping bracket 8 includes two symmetrical wing structures, which are combined into a V-shaped structure, and the opposite sides of the two wing structures are arcs.

[0041] The shifting needle descends and contacts the wing on the upper part of the flip bracket to rotate the material tray 90 degrees. The flip bracket begins to flip due to its own gravity. Before the material tray is completely turned flat, the shifting needle contacts the other wing of the flip bracket. Through the uniform motion of the workpiece disc, the material tray is slowly and smoothly flipped 180 degrees and then contacts the disc rack.

[0042] Example 4:

[0043] An automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser has a structure as described in Example 3, except that the arc angle is 50-200 degrees to ensure smooth placement when flipped 180 degrees.

[0044] Example 5:

[0045] An automatic flipping device for end-face coating of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser has a structure as described in Example 1, except that a tray cover is provided on one side of the tray. The chamber formed by the tray and the tray cover is used to support a bar clamp for fixing the strip-shaped laser, ensuring that no shaking occurs during the flipping process.

[0046] Example 6:

[0047] A flipping method using the automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser according to Example 4 comprises the following steps:

[0048] The coating workpiece tray is moved at a constant speed. Air is ventilated through the cylinder, causing the telescopic rod to descend, driving the cross arm to the V-shaped structure of the flip bracket. The workpiece tray rotates at a constant speed, completing the flip bracket and causing the tray to rotate 180 degrees. With the automatic flip bracket, the coating yield rate has increased from 99% to 99.75%, increasing production by 3.9 million tablets per month and improving efficiency by 39%.

Claims

1. An automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser, characterized in that: The workpiece disc includes a workpiece disc located in the evaporation chamber and used to carry the laser to be coated. The workpiece disc is driven to rotate by a rotating shaft. A flip arm is also provided in the evaporation chamber, and the flip arm is used to flip the laser on the workpiece disc. The workpiece tray includes a disc rack and a material tray. The material tray is used to place a bar clamp, and the bar clamp is used to clamp the laser to be coated. The material trays are distributed on the disc rack along the circumference. A flip bracket is provided at one end of the material tray, and the flip bracket is a V-shaped structure. The turning lever includes a cylinder telescopic rod, a cross arm, and a dial pin; one end of the cylinder telescopic rod is fixed in the vapor deposition chamber, and the other end is connected to the cross arm, and the end of the cross arm is connected to the dial pin; The flip bracket includes two symmetrical wing structures, which are combined into a V-shaped structure. The opposite sides of the two wing structures are arcs; the arc angle is 50-200 degrees.

2. The automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the horizontal arm ranges from 5 to 50 mm, the length of the dial pin is 3 to 6 mm, and the adjustable distance of the cylinder telescopic rod is 10 to 60 mm.

3. The automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that: A tension spring is provided at the tail of the shifting needle away from the material tray.

4. The automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that: A tray cover is provided on one side of the tray, and the cavity formed by the tray and the tray cover is used to carry the bar clamp for fixing the bar laser.

5. The automatic flipping device for coating the end face of a strip-shaped semiconductor laser according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support and limiting shaft is provided on one side of the material tray, and the support and limiting shaft is located on the side wall of the material tray facing the V-shaped opening of the flip bracket.

6. An automatic flipping method using the automatic flipping device for coating a strip-shaped semiconductor laser end face according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: The coating workpiece disc moves at a constant speed, and the cylinder ventilation causes the cylinder telescopic rod to drop, driving the cross arm to reach the V-shaped structure of the flip bracket. The workpiece disc rotates at a constant speed, completing the flip bracket and driving the material disc to rotate 180 degrees.

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