Laser processing device

Abstract

To provide a laser processing device which can suitably perform laser irradiation.SOLUTION: A laser processing device 1 includes a chamber 10 which has airtightness and stores workpiece W, an optical system 30 for irradiating the workpiece W with a laser beam, and an optical chamber 20 for storing the optical system 30. The optical chamber 20 projects inward from a top plate 11 of the chamber 10, and holds airtightness between a closed space 10a for storing the workpiece W in the chamber 10 and the optical chamber 20. Thereby, the optical system 30 can be arranged in the chamber 10 and can be made to be close to the workpiece W, while maintaining the airtightness of the closed space 10a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a laser processing apparatus that irradiates a workpiece (object to be processed) in a vacuum or in a predetermined gas with a laser and performs laser processing such as annealing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this type of laser processing device, an optical system for laser irradiation and the like are arranged outside a vacuum chamber that accommodates a workpiece. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-1372 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above conventional configuration, it is necessary to irradiate the laser from an optical system outside the chamber using a long focal length lens. However, the long focal length lens does not provide the desired focused diameter, and as a result, there is a risk that the laser irradiation cannot be performed appropriately.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to perform laser irradiation in a suitable manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a laser processing apparatus, a chamber having airtightness and accommodating a workpiece; An optical system for irradiating the workpiece with a laser; an optical chamber that houses the optical system; Equipped with The optical chamber protrudes inward from a side wall of the chamber and maintains airtightness between the optical chamber and a sealed space in the chamber that houses the workpiece. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the optical system can be placed in the chamber and brought close to the workpiece while maintaining the airtightness of the sealed space. Therefore, the laser can be irradiated onto the workpiece using any focal lens. Therefore, the laser can be irradiated preferably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of an optical chamber in a modified example of the laser processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of an optical chamber in a modified example of the laser processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of an optical chamber in a modified example of the laser processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of an optical chamber in a modified example of the laser processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of an optical chamber in a modified example of the laser processing apparatus according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Laser processing equipment configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a laser processing device 1 according to the present embodiment. 1, a laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment irradiates a laser to a workpiece W to be processed, and performs processing such as annealing and welding. The material of the workpiece W is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, silicon or silicon carbide. Specifically, the laser processing device 1 includes a chamber 10 that accommodates a workpiece W, an optical system (optical unit) 30 that irradiates a laser, and a drive unit 40 that adjusts the position and attitude of the optical system 30.

[0011] The chamber 10 is an airtight vacuum chamber, and has a sealed space 10a capable of accommodating the workpiece W and maintaining airtightness from the outside. The chamber 10 has an optical chamber 20 therein that houses an optical system 30 .

[0012] The optical chamber 20 is disposed inside the chamber 10 so as to protrude inward (downward) from the top plate 11 of the chamber 10 . The optical chamber 20 maintains airtightness between the optical chamber 20 and the sealed space 10a of the chamber 10 by a partition wall 21 which separates the optical chamber 20 from the sealed space 10a.

[0013] The bulkhead 21 includes a base plate 22 , a protective window 23 , and a vacuum bellows 25 . The base plate 22 constitutes the bottom plate of the optical chamber 20. The base plate 22 has an opening 22a in approximately the center. The protective window 23 is attached to the lower surface of the base plate 22 so as to close the opening 22a while being held by a window holder 24. The protective window 23 faces the workpiece W placed in the sealed space 10a, and transmits the laser irradiated from inside the optical chamber 20 toward the workpiece W.

[0014] The vacuum bellows 25 is a side wall of the optical chamber 20, and is configured to allow the optical chamber 20 to move (extend and contract vertically and tilt) relative to the top plate 11 of the chamber 10. Specifically, the vacuum bellows 25 has an upper flange 25a fixed to the top plate 11 of the chamber 10 and a lower flange 25b fixed to the base plate 22.

[0015] An O-ring 27a seals between the upper flange 25a of the vacuum bellows 25 and the top plate 11, and between the lower flange 25b and the base plate 22. An O-ring 27b seals between the protective window 23 and the window holder 24 and between the protective window 23 and the base plate 22. This maintains airtightness between the inside of the optical chamber 20 and the surrounding space in the chamber 10, i.e., the sealed space 10a. The sealing structure of the optical chamber 20 is not limited to one using an O-ring, so long as the required airtightness can be obtained.

[0016] The optical system 30 is for irradiating the workpiece W with a predetermined laser, and is housed inside the optical chamber 20. Specifically, the optical system 30 includes a plurality of lenses 31 including a collimating lens and a focusing lens, and a lens barrel 32 that houses the plurality of lenses 31. The lower surface of the lens barrel 32 is supported on the base plate 22 . An irradiation unit 34 for emitting a laser is attached to the upper plate 32a of the lens barrel 32. The irradiation unit 34 is connected to a laser oscillator 50 via a transmission fiber 51. A predetermined laser generated by a laser oscillator 50 is irradiated from the irradiation unit 34 through a transmission fiber 51 into the lens barrel 32. This light is subjected to a predetermined optical action through a plurality of lenses 31, and then passes through the protective window 23 and is irradiated into the sealed space 10a. Then, in the sealed space 10a, the workpiece W facing the protective window 23 is irradiated with the light.

[0017] The drive unit 40 supports the optical chamber 20 so that it can move relative to the top plate 11 of the chamber 10. In this case, "movement" includes at least one of moving toward or away from the top plate 11 (up and down movement) and tilting. Through this movement, the drive unit 40 adjusts the height position and posture of the optical system 30, i.e., the distance to the workpiece W and the laser irradiation position. Specifically, the driving unit 40 has two actuators 41 that operate the optical chamber 20. Each actuator 41 is a linear actuator such as a pressure cylinder, and is disposed above the optical system 30 with a rod 41a capable of advancing and retreating downward (appearing and retracting), and is fixed onto the top plate 11 of the chamber 10 via a support unit 12. The support unit 12 may support the actuator 41 so that it can tilt. The tip of the rod 41a is attached to the top plate 32a of the lens barrel 32 so that it can tilt. Each actuator 41 is individually driven and controlled by the control unit 60. The control unit 60 may also control the entire laser processing apparatus 1 including the laser oscillator 50 in an integrated manner.

[0018] The control unit 60 moves the rods 41a of the two actuators 41 forward (lower) or backward (raise) by the same amount, thereby raising and lowering the optical chamber 20 up and down and adjusting the vertical distance between the optical system 30 and the workpiece W. In addition, the control unit 60 tilts the optical chamber 20 in the direction in which the two actuators 41 are lined up (the left-right direction in the figure) by making the rods 41a of the two actuators 41 move forward or backward by different amounts, thereby adjusting the attitude (orientation) of the optical system 30 with respect to the workpiece W. At this time, the accordion structure of the vacuum bellows 25 deforms to follow the elevation or tilt of the optical chamber 20. Therefore, the position and posture of the optical system 30 can be appropriately changed while maintaining the airtightness of the sealed space 10a, and the laser irradiation position on the workpiece W can be adjusted.

[0019] [Technical Effects of the Embodiments] As described above, according to this embodiment, the optical system 30 that irradiates the workpiece W with a laser protrudes inward from the top plate 11 of the chamber 10 and is housed in the optical chamber 20 that maintains airtightness between the optical system 30 and the sealed space 10a of the chamber 10 that houses the workpiece W. This allows the optical system 30 to be disposed in the chamber 10 and brought close to the workpiece W while maintaining the airtightness of the sealed space 10a. Therefore, the workpiece W can be irradiated with a laser using any focusing lens. Therefore, the laser irradiation can be performed suitably.

[0020] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the optical chamber 20 is supported so that its position and attitude can be changed. This allows the position and attitude of the optical system 30 in the chamber 10 to be adjusted, and the irradiation position of the laser on the workpiece W, etc. to be suitably adjusted.

[0021] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the optical chamber 20 is moved relative to the top plate 11 by the drive unit 40 . Therefore, by controlling the driving unit 40, the position and attitude of the optical chamber 20 (optical system 30) in the chamber 10, and further the irradiation position of the laser on the workpiece W, etc. can be suitably adjusted.

[0022] [Variation 1] 2, a tilt guide section 43 that supports the lens barrel 32 in a tiltable manner may be disposed in place of one of the actuators 41. The tilt guide section 43 does not include a movable section, and cannot adjust the height position of the lens barrel 32. However, the lower end of the tilt guide section 43 is attached to the upper plate 32a of the lens barrel 32 in a tiltable manner. As a result, by moving the rod 41a of the actuator 41 back and forth, the optical chamber 20 can be tilted around the lower end of the tilt guide portion 43.

[0023] [Variation 2] 3, a linear guide unit 42 that supports and guides the vertical movement of the lens barrel 32 may be disposed in place of one of the actuators 41. In this case, the actuator 41 and the linear guide unit 42 do not need to be attached to the support unit 12 and the lens barrel 32 so as to be tiltable. As a result, by moving the rod 41a of the actuator 41 back and forth, the optical chamber 20 can be raised and lowered.

[0024] [Variation 3] As shown in Fig. 4, a screw mechanism 44 may be used as each actuator 41 instead of a linear cylinder. In each screw mechanism 44, two screws 44a with different winding directions (right-handed and left-handed) are arranged in series one above the other and connected by a single nut 44b. By rotating the nut 44b, the two screws 44a are moved vertically toward and away from each other, and the lens barrel 32 attached to the lower end is moved up and down. The rotation of the nut 44b may be controlled electrically or manually. Thus, similarly to the above embodiment, by adjusting the amount of advance and retreat of the two screw mechanisms 44, the optical chamber 20 can be raised and lowered or tilted.

[0025] [Variation 4] As shown in FIG. 5, one of the two actuators 41 may be replaced by a screw mechanism 44 and the other by a tilt guide portion 43. Even in this case, as in the above-described first modification, the screw 44a of the screw mechanism 44 can be moved up and down to tilt the optical chamber 20 around the lower end of the tilt guide portion 43.

[0026] [Variation 5] 6, one of the two actuators 41 may be replaced with a second screw mechanism 45, and the other may be replaced with a linear guide unit 42. The second screw mechanism 45 is a ball screw, and as it rotates, it moves the lens barrel 32 attached to the lower end back and forth up and down. The rotation of the ball screw may be controlled electrically, or it may be rotated manually. This allows the optical chamber 20 to be raised and lowered by rotating the second screw mechanism 45.

[0027] [others] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the configurations of the above embodiment and modifications 1 to 5 may be combined as appropriate.

[0028] In the above embodiment, the optical chamber 20 is provided to protrude downward from the top plate 11 of the chamber 10. However, the position, protruding direction, protruding length, etc. of the optical chamber 20 are not particularly limited as long as the optical chamber 20 brings the optical system 30 closer to the workpiece W. For example, the optical chamber 20 may protrude from any of the side walls of the chamber 10, including the top plate 11.

[0029] In the above embodiment, a structure in which the partition 21 includes the vacuum bellows 25 (the accordion structure portion thereof) is given as an example of a configuration in which the position and attitude of the optical chamber 20 (optical system 30) is changeable. However, as long as the position and attitude of the optical chamber is changeable, the specific configuration is not particularly limited, and for example, the partition may be of a telescope structure rather than a bellows. Furthermore, the accordion structure of the vacuum bellows 25 may be only a part of the side wall of the optical chamber 20 .

[0030] In the above embodiment, the two actuators 41 are arranged side by side, and the amount of advance and retreat of each is adjusted to raise and lower the optical chamber 20, or to tilt it in the direction in which the two actuators 41 are arranged side by side. However, the number of actuators 41 may be three or more. For example, three actuators 41 may be arranged and the amount of advance and retreat of each may be adjusted so that the optical chamber 20 can be tilted three-dimensionally. The arrangement of the three actuators 41 does not have to be on a straight line.

[0031] Furthermore, the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention can be widely applied to laser processing of a workpiece in an airtight chamber, regardless of the type of processing or the material of the workpiece. In addition, the details shown in the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 Laser processing equipment 10. Chamber 10a Closed space 11 Top plate (side wall) 20 Optical room 21 Bulkhead 23 Protective Window 25 Vacuum Bellows 30 Optical system 31 Lens 32 Telescope tube 34 Irradiation unit 40 Drive unit 41 Actuator 41a Rod 42 Linear guide section (guide section) 43 Tilt guide section (guide section) 44 Screw mechanism 45 Second screw mechanism W work

Claims

1. a chamber having airtightness and accommodating a workpiece; An optical system for irradiating the workpiece with a laser; an optical chamber that houses the optical system; Equipped with The optical chamber protrudes inward from a side wall of the chamber and maintains airtightness between the optical chamber and a sealed space in the chamber that houses the workpiece. Laser processing equipment.

2. The optical chamber is configured to be changeable in position and attitude.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The optical chamber has a partition wall separating it from the sealed space, The partition includes a vacuum bellows. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. a drive unit for moving the optical chamber relative to the side wall; The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2.

5. The drive unit includes at least two linear actuators that move the optical chamber forward and backward relative to the side wall. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The drive unit is a linear actuator for moving the optical chamber toward and away from the side wall; a guide portion that supports the optical chamber so that the optical chamber can move forward and backward or tilt with respect to the side wall; Equipped with The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4.

7. The linear actuator is a pressure cylinder or a screw mechanism.

7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.

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