Device and method for manufacturing imprinting template through laser melt jet flow

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of laser processing, in particular to a device and method for manufacturing an imprinting template through laser melt jet flow. The device comprises a material, a base material, a mounting mechanism, a laser and a focus lens, the mounting mechanism is located on the upper side of the base material, the material is mounted on the mounting mechanism, the material is arranged on the upper side of the base material in parallel, and a set distance is formed between the material and the base material; the laser is used for generating collimated laser beams, and the focus lens is arranged on the upper side of a material and used for converging the collimated laser beams on the material to form melt jet flow which is sputtered on a base material to form a micro-bulge structure. By means of the method, high-precision machining of the micron-sized protruding structure of the metal or plastic material on the surface of the base material is achieved, the powder adhesion problem is avoided, the technological process is simplified, and the technological stability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of laser processing technology, and in particular to a device and method for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet. Background Art

[0002] Laser processing technology is widely used in the field of material processing and manufacturing. Through the interaction between laser beam and material, functions such as material cutting, welding, cladding and micro-nano structure manufacturing are realized. In the manufacture of imprint templates, it is usually necessary to form a specific micro-convex structure on the surface of the substrate to meet the needs of components such as light guide plates for light guidance and regulation. Its working principle is to use laser energy to cause physical changes such as melting, gasification or spraying of materials, and then deposit or form the required microstructure.

[0003] One method in the prior art is laser selective sintering, which uses a laser to sinter powder on the surface of a substrate to make a micro-convex structure. The components of this method mainly include a laser, a scanning system, and a substrate workbench. The laser beam emitted by the laser is controlled by the scanning system to perform selective sintering on the powder on the surface of the substrate. The working process is that the laser beam irradiates the powder according to a preset pattern and trajectory to sinter it into a micro-convex structure. However, this method is prone to cause additional adhesion of the surrounding powder, because the heat generated during the laser sintering process will be transferred to the surrounding powder, causing the powder in the non-target area to also adhere, thereby affecting the processing accuracy. In addition, when the powder is spread on the surface of a smooth substrate, it is difficult to spread evenly and tightly due to the friction and electrostatic effect between the powder particles, which in turn affects the dimensional accuracy and stability of the micro-convex structure, and it is difficult to achieve smaller-sized structure manufacturing.

[0004] Another existing technology is the laser light wire feeding cladding method, which consists of a laser, a wire feeding device and a substrate. The wire feeding device feeds the filamentary material into the laser beam action area, and the laser beam melts the wire material and causes it to drip onto the substrate. The working principle is to melt the wire material by the heat energy of the laser, and then drip it onto the surface of the substrate to form a cladding layer. However, this method cannot form a melt jet, and the resulting melt spot is large in volume, usually at the millimeter level, and is only suitable for welding, and cannot meet the needs of manufacturing micro-convex structures.

[0005] Another existing technology is a laser-induced high-viscosity slurry multiple-imprinting method. The working process is to first coat the high-viscosity slurry on the substrate, then use laser heating to melt the slurry and adhere it to the substrate, and then form a structure through multiple imprinting. This method is for slurry or plastic and cannot be used for metal materials. Moreover, the steps are cumbersome, requiring multiple coating, heating and imprinting operations, and the stability is poor and is greatly affected by temperature.

[0006] Therefore, the technical problems existing in the prior art are mainly as follows:

[0007] ① The laser selective sintering method easily causes the surrounding powder to adhere, affecting the processing accuracy. This is because the heat diffusion during the laser sintering process is difficult to effectively control, causing the powder in the non-target area to undergo physical and chemical changes and adhere together.

[0008] ② It is difficult for powder to be spread on the surface of a smooth substrate, and it is difficult to achieve a smaller structure. The powder is prone to unevenness and looseness during the spreading process, making it difficult to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the micro-protrusion structure formed by subsequent sintering. The droplet deposition process causes the molten spot size to be large (millimeter level), which cannot meet the micron-level precision processing requirements.

[0009] ③ The laser light internal wire feeding cladding method produces a large melt spot volume, which is only suitable for welding. The cladding layer formed by it cannot meet the needs of manufacturing micro-convex structures, limiting its application in the field of precision micro-nano processing.

[0010] ④ The laser-induced high-viscosity slurry multiple stamping method cannot be used for metal materials, and the steps are cumbersome and the stability is poor. This method is limited by slurry or plastic materials and is powerless for the processing of metal materials. At the same time, the multiple stamping steps increase the complexity and time cost of the operation. The temperature is greatly affected, which makes it difficult to ensure the stability of the processing process. Summary of the invention

[0011] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a device for manufacturing an imprint template by using laser melt jet. By adopting filamentary or sheet-like materials and combining laser melt jet directional sputtering technology, high-precision processing of micron-level raised structures of metal or plastic materials on the surface of the substrate can be achieved, thereby avoiding powder adhesion problems, simplifying the process flow, and improving process stability. It is particularly suitable for manufacturing scenarios that require high-precision microstructures such as light guide plates.

[0012] In order to achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0013] A device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser molten jet flow, comprising: a material, a substrate, a mounting mechanism, a laser and a focusing mirror; the mounting mechanism is located on the upper side of the substrate, the material is mounted on the mounting mechanism, the material is arranged in parallel on the upper side of the substrate and has a set distance from the substrate; the laser is used to generate a collimated laser beam, and the focusing mirror is arranged on the upper side of the material to converge the collimated laser beam on the material to form a molten jet flow that is sputtered on the substrate to form a micro-convex structure.

[0014] Optionally, the mounting mechanism includes a material storage wheel, a winch wheel and at least one supporting wheel, the material storage wheel and the winch wheel are on both sides respectively, the material storage wheel is used to store unprocessed materials, the winch wheel is used to recycle processed waste materials, and the supporting wheel is arranged between the material storage wheel and the winch wheel so that the materials are laid parallel to the substrate.

[0015] Optionally, there are two support wheels, both of which are arranged between the material storage wheel and the winch wheel, and the axes of the two support wheels are parallel to the surface of the substrate, so that the material maintains a constant gap with the substrate during movement.

[0016] Optionally, the mounting mechanism comprises a support block, the material is mounted on the support block, and the support block drives the material to move horizontally and vertically relative to the substrate.

[0017] Optionally, the focusing mirror is a lens or a reflector.

[0018] Optionally, the material is in the form of wire, sheet, plate or strip, and is a metal material or plastic.

[0019] Optionally, a galvanometer assembly is also included, wherein the galvanometer assembly is arranged between the laser and the focusing mirror and is used to dynamically adjust the scanning path of the laser beam.

[0020] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing an imprint template using the laser melt jet as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0021] Make the material and substrate parallel to each other;

[0022] The laser is controlled to emit a pulsed laser beam, which is converged by a focusing mirror and irradiated onto the surface of the material, so that the material is partially melted to form a molten jet, and the molten jet is sputtered to a predetermined position on the surface of the substrate, and a micro-convex structure is formed after cooling;

[0023] The material and substrate are moved to complete the full area processing of the imprint template.

[0024] Optionally, the collimated light beam emitted by the laser is a pulsed laser, and the pulse width of the pulsed laser is in the microsecond level, picosecond level or femtosecond level.

[0025] Optionally, the direction of the laser beam can be controlled by a galvanometer to perform processing at different locations.

[0026] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0027] 1. The present invention lays the material on top of the substrate, and uses laser to impact the material to form a molten jet that is sputtered onto the substrate to form a raised microstructure (micrometer level). This method effectively solves the problem of reduced precision caused by thermal diffusion formed by laser selective sintering that melts other powders. At the same time, this method is similar to additive manufacturing and can effectively form higher protrusions on the surface of the substrate, which is effective for embossing. The invention can be used for the processing and manufacturing of light guide plates, and the height of the raised microstructure formed is better than the crater microstructure formed by existing laser processing. The overall structure of the invention is compact and simple, with low cost and high processing efficiency.

[0028] 2. The present invention adopts strip or disc-shaped materials and combines laser molten jet directional sputtering technology to avoid the additional adhesion problem caused by heat diffusion during the processing of powder. Since the material and the substrate maintain a constant set distance, and the laser beam directly acts on the surface of the material to form a molten jet sputtering onto the substrate, the heat transfer range is effectively controlled, and the thermal impact of non-target areas is reduced, thereby improving the processing accuracy.

[0029] 3. The present invention lays the material in parallel on top of the substrate through an installation mechanism, ensuring a constant gap between the material and the substrate, avoiding unevenness and looseness caused by friction and static electricity during the powder laying process, and ensuring the accuracy of the molten spray sputtering position, thereby enabling the manufacture of smaller-sized micro-protrusion structures and meeting the needs of micron-level precision processing.

[0030] 4. The present invention uses laser jet technology to partially melt the material to form a jet, which is sputtered to the surface of the substrate to form a micro-convex structure. This method can control the size and shape of the jet to form a micron-level protrusion structure, which is suitable for the field of precision micro-nano processing. By adjusting the pulse width of the laser beam (microsecond, picosecond or femtosecond) and the scanning path of the galvanometer assembly, the size and accuracy of the jet can be further optimized to meet the needs of different application scenarios for micro-convex structures.

[0031] 5. The present invention is applicable to metal materials and plastic materials. It forms a micro-convex structure on the surface of the substrate through laser melting spray technology, which solves the problem that the existing technology cannot be used for metal materials. This method simplifies the process flow, avoids the cumbersome steps of multiple coating, heating and stamping, and improves processing efficiency and stability. Through laser melting spray technology, a high-precision micro-convex structure can be formed on the surface of the substrate, which is suitable for manufacturing scenarios such as light guide plates that require high-precision microstructures, and improves product performance and quality.

[0032] Advantages of additional aspects of the present invention will be given in the following description, and in part will become obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In addition, the spacing or size between the components is exaggerated to show the positions of the components, and the schematic diagram is only used for illustration.

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of the device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an installation mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another installation mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] In the figure: 1. collimated light beam; 2. focusing lens; 3. material; 4. substrate; 5. material storage wheel; 6. winch wheel; 7. microstructure; 8. support block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and are intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. In addition, it should also be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment proposes a device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melt jet, including: a material 3, a substrate 4, a mounting mechanism, a laser and a focusing mirror 2; the mounting mechanism is located on the upper side of the substrate 4, the material 3 is mounted on the mounting mechanism, the material 3 is arranged in parallel on the upper side of the substrate 4 and has a set distance from the substrate 4; the laser is used to generate a collimated laser beam, and the focusing mirror 2 is arranged on the upper side of the material 3 to converge the collimated laser beam on the material 3 to form a melt jet sputtering on the substrate 4 to form a micro-protrusion structure.

[0041] The laser is used to generate a collimated laser beam, and the focusing lens 2 is arranged on the upper side of the material 3 to converge the collimated laser beam on the material 3 to form a molten jet that is sputtered on the substrate 4 to form a micro-convex structure. The device melts the material 3 by laser to form a molten jet, which is sputtered on the substrate 4 to form a micro-convex structure, thus solving the problem of reduced precision caused by thermal diffusion formed by laser selective sintering to melt other powders.

[0042] One implementation method is as follows Figure 2 As shown, the installation mechanism includes a material storage wheel 5, a winch wheel 6 and at least one supporting wheel, the material storage wheel 5 and the winch wheel 6 are respectively on both sides, the material storage wheel 5 is used to store unprocessed materials 3, the winch wheel 6 is used to recover processed waste materials 3, and the supporting wheel is arranged between the material storage wheel 5 and the winch wheel 6 so that the materials 3 are laid parallel to the substrate 4. The material storage wheel 5 and the winch wheel 6 in the installation mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the substrate 4, and the supporting wheel is located between the two to form a horizontal transmission path for the material 3. The material storage wheel 5 continuously releases the unprocessed material 3, and the winch wheel 6 synchronously recovers the processed waste material to realize the continuous supply of the material 3. The setting of the supporting wheel makes the material 3 always parallel to the surface of the substrate 4 during the movement, avoiding the deviation of the sputtering position of the molten spray flow due to the sagging or deviation of the material 3. This structure is particularly suitable for large-area processing of strip or sheet materials 3.

[0043] There are two support wheels, both of which are arranged between the material storage wheel 5 and the winch wheel 6, and the axes of the two support wheels are parallel to the surface of the substrate 4, so that the material 3 maintains a constant gap with the substrate 4 during the movement. When the material 3 moves, the support wheels maintain the horizontal tension of the material 3 through friction and limit the displacement of the material 3 in the vertical direction. The double support wheel design eliminates the vibration that may be generated by single-point support, ensures a constant gap between the material 3 and the substrate 4, and thus improves the dimensional consistency of the micro-protrusion structure.

[0044] One implementation method is as follows Figure 3 As shown, the mounting mechanism includes a support block 8 or a support bar and a support frame, and the material 3 is mounted on the support block 8, and the support block 8 drives the material 3 to move horizontally and vertically relative to the substrate 4. The support block 8 fixes the material 3 by mechanical clamping or vacuum adsorption, and realizes the movement of the material 3 in the X / Y axis direction by a servo motor. Horizontal movement is used to adjust the position of the processing area. This structure is suitable for processing plate-like materials 3, for example, the preparation of arrayed microstructures 7 is realized by stepping movement.

[0045] The focusing mirror 2 is a lens or a reflector. The lens optimizes the shape of the focusing spot through spherical or aspherical design, and the reflector enhances the reflectivity of a specific band through coating. The interchangeable design of the two enables the device to adapt to different laser sources and expand the application range of processing materials.

[0046] The material 3 is in the form of a filament, a sheet, a plate or a strip, and the material 3 is a metal material or a plastic with a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.8 mm. The filamentary form of the material 3 is suitable for preparing a linear microstructure, and the sheet or strip material 3 is suitable for processing a planar structure. The metal material 3 (such as copper, aluminum) is formed into a high thermal conductivity protrusion by a melt jet, and the polymer material 3 (such as polyimide) is formed into an insulating or flexible structure. The setting of the thickness range of 0.01-0.8 mm balances the melting efficiency and the sputtering stability, avoiding the burn-through of the too thin material 3 or the energy loss of the too thick material 3.

[0047] The device also includes a galvanometer assembly, which is arranged between the laser and the focusing mirror 2, and is used to dynamically adjust the scanning path of the laser beam. The galvanometer assembly includes two high-speed galvanometer lenses, which respectively control the deflection angle of the laser beam in the X / Y direction. By presetting the scanning path (such as grating type, spiral type), the galvanometer can position the laser focus to different areas of the material 3 within milliseconds to achieve non-contact rapid processing. The coordinated control of this component and the displacement platform (such as the galvanometer is responsible for local fine-tuning, and the platform is responsible for large-scale movement) improves work efficiency.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] This embodiment provides a method for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet, comprising the following steps:

[0050] Make the material 3 and the substrate 4 spaced apart and parallel;

[0051] The laser is controlled to emit a pulsed laser beam, which is converged by the focusing mirror 2 and irradiated to the surface of the material 3, so that the material 3 is partially melted to form a molten jet, and the molten jet is sputtered to a predetermined position on the surface of the substrate 4, and a micro-convex structure is formed after cooling;

[0052] The material 3 and the substrate 4 are moved to complete the full-area processing of the imprint template.

[0053] This method uses laser melting of material 3 to form a molten spray flow, which is sputtered on a substrate 4 to form a micro-protrusion structure, thereby solving the problem of reduced precision caused by thermal diffusion melting other powders during laser selective sintering. At the same time, it can effectively form higher protrusions on the surface of the substrate 4, and is suitable for the manufacture of imprint templates.

[0054] The collimated light beam 1 emitted by the laser is a pulsed laser, and the pulse width of the pulsed laser is in the microsecond level, picosecond level or femtosecond level. Pulsed lasers with different pulse widths have different energy distributions and processing characteristics. Microsecond pulsed lasers are suitable for large-area processing, and picosecond and femtosecond pulsed lasers are suitable for high-precision and high-resolution processing. Selecting the appropriate pulse width of the pulsed laser can optimize the processing effect and improve the processing accuracy and efficiency.

[0055] The direction of the laser beam is controlled by the galvanometer to process different positions. The galvanometer can quickly change the direction of the laser beam to achieve rapid scanning of the laser beam on the processing plane, thereby improving processing efficiency and accuracy. By controlling the direction of the laser beam by the galvanometer, complex pattern processing and high-precision microstructure manufacturing can be achieved, which is suitable for the manufacturing of imprint templates of different shapes and sizes.

[0056] In summary, the laser impact forms a melt jet, which is sputtered on the substrate 4, which effectively solves the problem of low precision caused by easy aggregation of powdered material 3 during processing. At the same time, this method melts the material 3 and grows it on the surface of the substrate 4, which can effectively increase the height of the raised microstructure 7.

[0057] Although the above describes the specific implementation mode of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention without creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet, characterized in that: include: Materials, substrates, mounting mechanisms, lasers and focusing lenses; The mounting mechanism is located on the upper side of the substrate, the material is mounted on the mounting mechanism, and the material is arranged parallel to the upper side of the substrate and has a set distance from the substrate; The laser is used to generate a collimated laser beam, and the focusing mirror is arranged on the upper side of the material to converge the collimated laser beam on the material to form a molten spray flow that is sputtered on the substrate to form a micro-convex structure.

2. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation mechanism includes a material storage wheel, a winch wheel and at least one supporting wheel. The material storage wheel and the winch wheel are on both sides respectively. The material storage wheel is used to store unprocessed materials, and the winch wheel is used to recycle processed waste materials. The supporting wheel is arranged between the material storage wheel and the winch wheel so that the materials are laid parallel to the substrate.

3. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser jetting as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: There are two support wheels, both of which are arranged between the material storage wheel and the winch wheel, and the axes of the two support wheels are parallel to the surface of the substrate, so that the material maintains a constant gap with the substrate during movement.

4. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting mechanism comprises a support block, the material is mounted on the support block, and the support block drives the material to move horizontally and vertically relative to the substrate.

5. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser jetting as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The focusing mirror is a lens or a reflecting mirror.

6. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser melting jet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material is in the form of wire, sheet, plate or strip, and is a metal material or plastic.

7. The device for manufacturing an imprint template by laser jetting as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a galvanometer component, which is arranged between the laser and the focusing mirror and is used to dynamically adjust the scanning path of the laser beam.

8. A method for manufacturing an imprint template using the laser melt jet according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Make the material and substrate parallel to each other; The laser is controlled to emit a pulsed laser beam, which is converged by a focusing mirror and irradiated onto the surface of the material, so that the material is partially melted to form a molten jet, and the molten jet is sputtered to a predetermined position on the surface of the substrate, and a micro-convex structure is formed after cooling; The material and substrate are moved to complete the full area processing of the imprint template.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The collimated light beam emitted by the laser is a pulse laser, and the pulse width of the pulse laser is in the microsecond level, picosecond level or femtosecond level.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The direction of the laser beam is controlled by a galvanometer to perform processing at different locations.

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