Laser processing apparatus and laser processing method

Abstract

To provide a laser processing device that can perform multi-pass processing at high speed. [Solution] The laser processing apparatus 1 comprises a base body 10, a stage 20 movable relative to the base body 10, a laser irradiation unit 30, a galvanometer scanner 40 fixed to the base body 10 and moving the spot area 31 of the laser L irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30 within a laser irradiable area 32 set on the stage 20, and a control unit 50. The control unit 50 moves the stage 20 so that the irradiation reference point 33 within the laser irradiable area 32 moves from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf of the planned processing trajectory P of the workpiece W placed on the stage 20, and performs multi-pass processing of the workpiece W by moving the spot area 31 of the laser L back and forth along the planned processing trajectory P using the galvanometer scanner 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Laser processing technology that scans a laser by a galvanometer scanner to process a workpiece is known. Since the scanning range of the laser by the galvanometer scanner is limited, when the processing range of the workpiece is larger than the scanning range of the galvanometer scanner, laser processing is performed while moving the stage. As typical methods, there are a step-and-repeat method that alternately performs stage movement and laser processing, and an on-the-fly method that simultaneously performs stage movement and laser processing. Among these, the step-and-repeat method takes time for stage movement and requires matching the processing of the boundaries of adjacent processing regions. On the other hand, the on-the-fly method enables high-speed and high-precision processing, but requires precise control of the movements of the stage and the galvanometer scanner. Patent Document 1 discloses a large-area on-the-fly laser processing system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In laser processing, multi-pass processing in which a target process is performed by irradiating a laser a plurality of times on the same processing trajectory may be desired. However, as described above, when the processing area of the workpiece is larger than the scanning range of the galvanometer scanner, there is a problem that it takes time for stage movement. In particular, in multi-pass processing that scans the same trajectory a plurality of times, it is difficult to perform high-speed processing because the stage needs to be repeatedly moved.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method that can perform multi-pass processing at high speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Substrate and, A stage that is movable relative to the base, Laser irradiation section, A galvanometer scanner is fixed to the substrate and moves the spot area of ​​the laser irradiated from the laser irradiation unit within a laser irradiation area set on the stage, A laser processing apparatus comprising a control unit, The control unit moves the stage such that the irradiation reference point within the laser irradiable area moves from the start to the end of the planned machining trajectory of the workpiece placed on the stage, and performs multi-pass machining of the workpiece by moving the laser spot area back and forth along the planned machining trajectory using the galvanometer scanner.

[0007] A laser processing method according to one embodiment of this disclosure is: A laser processing method using a laser processing device, The aforementioned laser processing apparatus is Substrate and, A stage that is movable relative to the base, Laser irradiation section, The system includes a galvanometer scanner fixed to the substrate, which moves the spot area of ​​the laser irradiated from the laser irradiation unit within a laser-irradiable area set on the stage, While moving the stage so that the irradiation reference point within the laser-irradiable area moves from the start to the end of the planned machining trajectory of the workpiece placed on the stage, the galvanometer scanner moves the laser spot area back and forth along the planned machining trajectory, thereby performing multi-pass machining of the workpiece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method that can perform multi-pass processing at high speed can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of a laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of a galvanometer scanner installed in a laser processing device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the processing process using a laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a system block diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5B] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5C] Figure 5C is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5D] Figure 5D is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5E] Figure 5E is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5F] Figure 5F is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 5G] Figure 5G is a schematic diagram showing an example of laser processing using the laser processing apparatus of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the procedure for generating coordinate data. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the X direction and the Y direction indicate two directions perpendicular to each other and in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is a direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction. In this specification, for convenience, the direction along the X direction may be referred to as the left - right direction, the direction along the Y direction may be referred to as the front - rear direction, and the direction along the Z direction may be referred to as the up - down direction. The dimensions of each member shown in the drawings may be different from the actual dimensions of each member for convenience of explanation.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a front view of a laser processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a base 10, a stage 20 movable with respect to the base 10, a laser irradiation unit 30, and a galvanometer scanner 40. In FIG. 1, a workpiece W placed on the stage 20 is also depicted. When the laser L is irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30 toward the stage 20, laser processing is performed on the workpiece W on the stage 20. The stage 20 is movable left - right and front - rear with respect to the base 10, and the position of the laser irradiation unit 30 is fixed with respect to the base 10. By moving the stage 20 and relatively moving it with respect to the laser irradiation unit 30, the laser L can be scanned on the workpiece W placed on the stage 20.

[0012] The galvanometer scanner 40 moves the spot region 31 of the laser L irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the galvanometer scanner 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the galvanometer scanner 40 includes galvanometer mirrors 41a, 42a and galvanometer motors 41b, 42b. The laser L emitted from a laser light source (not shown) is reflected by the galvanometer mirrors 41a, 42a and then condensed by a condenser lens 43 and irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30. By driving the galvanometer motor 41b and the galvanometer motor 42b, the orientations of the galvanometer mirrors 41a and 42a fixed to the output shafts of the respective galvanometer motors change, and the spot region 31 of the laser L moves.

[0013] Figure 3 is a top view of the stage 20 and the workpiece W, illustrating the processing performed by the laser processing apparatus 1. The base 10, laser irradiation unit 30, and galvanometer scanner 40 are omitted from the illustration in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, a planned processing trajectory P is set on the workpiece W. In Figure 3, the planned processing trajectory P is shown as a dotted line. In the illustrated example, the planned processing trajectory P is a trajectory composed of three continuous straight lines from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf.

[0014] Figure 3 shows the spot area 31 of the laser L irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30 toward the workpiece W as indicated by a black circle, with the laser irradiation unit 30 (not shown) located directly above the spot area 31 (in front of the page). In Figure 3, the area 32 enclosed by the dashed line, which includes the spot area 31, indicates the range in which the spot area 31 can be moved by the galvanometer scanner 40, and is a virtually set area on the stage 20. In this disclosure, area 32 is referred to as the laser irradiable area 32. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the center of the laser irradiable area 32 is defined as the irradiation reference point 33. Since the laser irradiation unit 30 is fixed to the base 10, the laser irradiable area 32 and the irradiation reference point 33 are also fixed to the base 10. Therefore, when the stage 20 is moved relative to the base 10, the laser irradiable area 32 and the irradiation reference point 33 move relatively on the stage 20. In this embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 performs laser processing on a workpiece W along the planned processing trajectory P by moving the stage 20 so that the irradiation reference point 33 moves from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf. As described above, the laser irradiation unit 30 is fixed, and the movement of the irradiation reference point 33 is achieved by moving the stage 20 in the opposite direction. However, for convenience in the following description, it may be described as if the irradiation reference point 33 moves as a result of the movement of the laser irradiation unit 30.

[0015] Figure 4 is a system block diagram of the laser processing apparatus 1. As shown in Figure 4, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 50 that controls the movement of the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40. More specifically, the control unit 50 includes a storage unit 51, a processing instruction unit 52, and a virtual motor 60. The processing instruction unit 52 instructs the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40 to operate according to the coordinate data etc. stored in the storage unit 51. Details of the virtual motor 60 will be described later.

[0016] One form of laser processing is multi-pass processing, which involves irradiating the same processing path multiple times with a laser to achieve the desired processing. In this embodiment, the laser processing apparatus 1 can perform multi-pass processing on the workpiece W while moving the irradiation reference point 33 along the planned processing path P once, by combining the movement of the stage 20 and the operation of the galvanometer scanner 40.

[0017] An example of multi-pass machining using the laser processing apparatus 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 5A to 5G. Figures 5A to 5G are enlarged views of a portion of the surface of the workpiece W, viewed from the side. For illustrative purposes, 21 coordinates from X0 to X20 are set at equal intervals on the planned machining trajectory P shown in the figures. Figures 5A to 5G show a series of machining operations in which the laser L is scanned from coordinates X0 to X20 on the workpiece W placed on the stage 20 from time t=0 to time t=20.

[0018] Figure 5A shows the state at time t=0. At time t=0, the irradiation reference point 33 of the laser L emitted from the laser irradiation unit 30 (not shown) is at coordinate X0. In each figure, the perpendicular line from the center of the laser irradiation unit 30 (not shown) to the irradiation reference point 33 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 5A, at time t=0, the irradiation reference point 33 and the spot area 31 of the laser L coincide at coordinate X0, and the laser L is incident perpendicularly on coordinate X0. After time t=0, the irradiation reference point 33 and the spot area 31 move in the direction of the arrows shown in each figure as time progresses due to the operation of the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40.

[0019] Figure 5B shows the state at time t=1. From time t=0 to t=1, the irradiation reference point 33 moves from coordinate X0 to X1 due to the movement of the stage 20. During this time, the spot area 31 of the laser L moves from coordinate X0 to coordinate X5 due to the operation of the galvanometer scanner 40. In other words, in this example, the speed of movement of the spot area 31 by the galvanometer scanner 40 is five times the speed of movement of the stage 20.

[0020] Figure 5C shows the state at time t=4. From time t=1 to t=4, the irradiation reference point 33 moves from coordinate X1 to X4. During this time, the spot area 31 of the laser L moves at five times the speed, reaching coordinates X5 to X20. Since the spot area 31 is scanned from coordinates X0 to X20 from time t=0 to t=4, at time t=4, laser processing has been performed once in the section from coordinates X0 to X20.

[0021] As shown by the arrow in Figure 5C, once the spot area 31 reaches point X20, the galvanometer scanner 40 then moves the spot area 31 in the opposite direction. Figure 5D shows the state at time t=8. From time t=4 to time t=8, the irradiation reference point 33 moves from coordinate X4 to X8. During this time, the spot area 31 of the laser L moves in the opposite direction at five times the speed, moving from coordinate X20 to X0. From time t=0 to time t=8, the spot area 31 completes one round trip between coordinate X0 and point X20. Therefore, at time t=8, laser processing has been performed twice in that section.

[0022] Figure 5E shows the state at time t=12, Figure 5F shows the state at time t=16, and Figure 5G shows the state at time t=20. As shown in each figure, while the irradiation reference point 33 moves one coordinate at a time toward coordinate X20, the spot area 31 moves from coordinate X0 to X20 from time t=8 to time t=12 (Figures 5D to 5E), from time t=12 to time t=16 (Figures 5E to 5F), the spot area 31 moves from coordinate X20 to X0, and from time t=16 to time t=20 (Figures 5F to 5G), the spot area 31 moves again from coordinate X0 to X20. In this way, the spot area 31 moves back and forth in front of the irradiation reference point 33 from coordinate X0 to X20 at five times the speed. Through this operation, while the irradiation reference point 33 is moving in one direction from coordinate X0 to X20, a net five laser processing passes, i.e., multi-pass processing, can be performed in the same section. The net number of laser processing cycles performed by the reciprocating movement of the spot area 31 corresponds to the ratio of the movement speed of the spot area 31 to the movement speed of the irradiation reference point 33. In other words, the reason why a total of 5 laser processing cycles are performed in the above example is that the spot area 31 is set to move at five times the speed of the irradiation reference point 33.

[0023] Although the above explanation only shows a portion of the coordinate range from X0 to X20, by performing the above machining while moving the irradiation reference point 33 from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf of the planned machining trajectory P, multi-pass machining can be performed on the entire planned machining trajectory P while moving the stage 20 once.

[0024] The above processing is performed by the control unit 50 of the laser processing apparatus 1 controlling the operation of the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40. Specifically, the control unit 50 of the laser processing apparatus 1 moves the stage 20 so that the irradiation reference point 33 within the laser irradiable area 32 moves from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf of the planned processing trajectory P of the workpiece W placed on the stage 20, while the galvanometer scanner 40 moves the spot area 31 of the laser L back and forth along the planned processing trajectory P, thereby performing multi-pass processing of the workpiece W. This configuration eliminates the need to repeatedly move the stage 20, and enables high-speed multi-pass processing.

[0025] By the way, in order to achieve the above machining, it is necessary to create trajectory data such that the movements of the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40 are precisely synchronized. However, the machining trajectory of the galvanometer scanner 40 in the above machining is a complex trajectory in which the coordinates gradually change as the stage 20 moves back and forth, and normally it is very time-consuming to create such trajectory data. Next, the configuration of this embodiment for obtaining such trajectory data will be described.

[0026] Referring again to Figure 4, the control unit 50 of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a virtual motor 60. The virtual motor 60 includes a trajectory recognition unit 61, a tracing unit 62, a coordinate data acquisition unit 63, and a coordinate data generation unit 64. The virtual motor 60 is a virtual motor that is driven based on the input processing trajectory P. By using the virtual motor 60, trajectory data can be obtained to allow the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40 to perform processing as shown in Figures 5A to 5G. Hereafter, an example of the procedure for acquiring trajectory data using the virtual motor 60 will be described with reference to Figure 4.

[0027] First, the planned machining trajectory P stored in the memory unit 51 is made to be recognized by the trajectory recognition unit 61. Note that the planned machining trajectory P here represents the shape of the trajectory on the workpiece W as shown in Figure 3, and is not coordinate data used to instruct the operation of the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40.

[0028] Next, the tracing unit 62 traces the planned machining trajectory P recognized by the trajectory recognition unit 61 and virtually begins moving along the planned machining trajectory P prior to machining by the stage 20 and galvanometer scanner 40. The coordinate data acquisition unit 63 acquires coordinate data for each coordinate trajectory passed through during the movement from the trajectory virtually moved by the tracing unit 62. The coordinate data acquired in this way by the coordinate data acquisition unit 63 is the first movement coordinate data. The first movement coordinate data is a group of coordinates from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf along the planned machining trajectory P. The acquired first movement coordinate data is stored in the storage unit 51 and used as the movement trajectory of the stage 20.

[0029] Next, the coordinate data generation unit 64 generates second movement coordinate data, which is a new set of coordinates, based on the first movement coordinate data acquired by the coordinate data acquisition unit 63. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the procedure for generating second movement coordinate data from first movement coordinate data. In Figure 6, for simplicity, only the X coordinate of each movement coordinate data is shown, but each movement coordinate data is two-dimensional coordinate data. As shown in Figure 6, the first movement coordinate data is data that includes a set of coordinates at each time. In this example, we will explain the case where the spot area 31 moves at five times the speed of the stage 20, as shown in Figures 5A to 5G. In this case, the coordinate data generation unit 64 generates second movement coordinate data by extracting coordinates in groups of five from the first movement coordinate data. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the coordinate 0 at time t=0 in the first movement coordinate data is set as the coordinate at time t=0 in the second movement coordinate data, and the coordinate 5 at time t=5 in the first movement coordinate data is set as the coordinate at time t=1 in the second movement coordinate data, and so on, determining the coordinates at each time in the second movement coordinate data. The interval of coordinates extracted from the first moving coordinate data when generating the second moving coordinate data corresponds to the ratio of the moving speed of the spot area 31 to the moving speed of the irradiation reference point 33, and this moving speed ratio corresponds to the net number of laser processing cycles as described above.

[0030] Next, the coordinate data generation unit 64 reverses the direction of coordinate extraction at predetermined points in time to correspond to the reciprocating motion of the spot area 31. In this example, the coordinates of the first moving coordinate data are extracted in groups of five, and the coordinate at time t=4 of the second moving coordinate data is set to coordinate 20 at time t=20 of the first moving coordinate data. Then, the direction of coordinate extraction is reversed, and the coordinate at the next time t=5 is set to coordinate 15 at time t=15, by working backward from the first moving coordinate data. After that, the coordinates of the first moving coordinate data are extracted while reversing the direction of coordinate extraction at predetermined points in time to determine the coordinates of the second moving coordinate data. By appropriately reversing the direction of coordinate extraction, coordinate data that moves back and forth before and after the irradiation reference point 33 can be generated. The second moving coordinate data generated in this way is used as the movement trajectory of the spot area 31 by the galvanometer scanner 40.

[0031] The coordinates of the first movement coordinate data represent the movement coordinates of the stage 20, or in other words, the coordinates of the irradiation reference point 33. The coordinates of the second movement coordinate data represent the coordinates of the spot area 31. Here, the spot area 31 must be within the range of the laser irradiation area 32 shown in Figure 3. The laser irradiation area 32 is a predetermined area centered on the irradiation reference point 33. Therefore, the coordinates of the second movement coordinate data must be adjusted so as not to deviate significantly from the coordinates of the first movement coordinate data. Conversely, by adjusting the second movement coordinate data so as not to deviate significantly from the coordinates of the first movement coordinate data when generating it, it is possible to create processing trajectory data in which the spot area 31 moves within the range of the laser irradiation area 32.

[0032] Generalizing the procedure described above, the second moving coordinate data can be newly generated by rearranging one coordinate with other coordinates in the first moving coordinate data, overwriting other coordinates with one coordinate, or both. The procedure for generating the second moving coordinate data described above is merely an example, and the specific procedure is not limited.

[0033] In this way, by driving the virtual motor 60 to generate first and second movement coordinate data, multi-pass machining involving reciprocal movement of the spot area shown in Figures 5A to 5G can be achieved without having to create trajectory data for a complex machining path in advance. Furthermore, with the above configuration, even if the planned machining path P is changed, coordinate data corresponding to the changed path can be created sequentially, making it easy to change the planned machining path P.

[0034] It is preferable that the tracing of the planned machining trajectory P by the virtual motor 60, as well as the acquisition and generation of each coordinate data, be performed in parallel with the actual laser machining. Since the movement of the tracing unit 62 proceeds at the same speed as the actual machining, if the actual machining were to be performed only after the tracing of the planned machining trajectory P by the virtual motor 60 is completed, a total of two machining cycles' worth of time would be required. By performing tracing by the virtual motor 60 and the actual machining in parallel, the machining time can be shortened. Specifically, when the virtual motor 60 is driven and coordinate data for a predetermined section from the starting point Ps is generated, the machining instruction unit 52 sends instructions to the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40 to start machining. From there, while the stage 20 and galvanometer scanner 40 perform machining, the virtual motor 60 generates coordinate data for the next section from the current machining position. By sequentially sending instructions from the machining instruction unit 52 to the stage 20 and the galvanometer scanner 40 based on the coordinate data for the next section generated by the virtual motor 60, the driving of the virtual motor 60 and the actual laser machining can be performed in parallel.

[0035] In this embodiment, the laser irradiation area 32 can be arbitrarily set regardless of the specifications of the galvanometer scanner 40. When the incident angle of the laser L on the workpiece W increases, the taper that occurs at the processed area of ​​the workpiece W increases, but depending on the type of workpiece W, the taper at the processed area may not be acceptable. By making the laser irradiation area 32 smaller, the laser L can be irradiated at an angle closer to perpendicular to the workpiece W, so the taper that occurs on the workpiece W can be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable that the laser irradiation area 32 be small. In this embodiment, since the spot area is moved back and forth before and after the irradiation reference point 33, the laser irradiation area 32 can be set to be smaller than in the conventional method. In this embodiment, the maximum incident angle of the laser L on the stage 20 in the laser irradiation area 32 may be, for example, greater than 0° and 5° or less.

[0036] Furthermore, this disclosure also relates to a laser processing method. A laser processing method according to one embodiment of this disclosure is a laser processing method using a laser processing apparatus 1. The laser processing apparatus 1 comprises a base body 10, a stage 20 movable relative to the base body 10, a laser irradiation unit 30, and a galvanometer scanner 40 fixed to the base body 10 and moving the spot area 31 of the laser L irradiated from the laser irradiation unit 30 within a laser irradiable area 32 set on the stage 20. In the laser processing method according to this embodiment, the stage 20 is moved so that the irradiation reference point 33 within the laser irradiable area 32 moves from the starting point Ps to the ending point Pf of the planned processing trajectory P of the workpiece W placed on the stage 20, and the spot area 31 of the laser L is moved back and forth along the planned processing trajectory P by the galvanometer scanner 40, thereby performing multi-pass processing of the workpiece W.

[0037] The laser processing method according to this embodiment further includes the step of acquiring first moving coordinate data, which is a group of coordinates representing the planned processing trajectory P, and second moving coordinate data, which is a group of coordinates newly generated by rearranging one coordinate with other coordinates, overwriting other coordinates with one coordinate, or both, in the first moving coordinate data. The stage 20 may be moved based on the first moving coordinate data, while the spot area 31 of the laser L is moved by the galvanometer scanner 40 based on the second moving coordinate data. The first moving coordinate data can be acquired, for example, by driving the virtual motor 60 as described above.

[0038] In the laser processing method according to this embodiment, the starting point Ps and ending point Pf may be set at positions away from the workpiece W. In this embodiment, since multi-pass processing is performed by moving the spot area 31 back and forth before and after the irradiation reference point 33, the net number of processing passes near the starting point Ps and ending point Pf may be less than the number of processing passes along the path. By setting the starting point Ps and ending point Pf at positions away from the workpiece W, the number of processing passes performed on the workpiece W can be made uniform over the entire planned processing trajectory P.

[0039] Furthermore, in the laser processing method according to this embodiment, the starting point Ps and the ending point Pf are in the same position, and the stage 20 may be moved so that the irradiation reference point 33 completes a full rotation along the planned processing trajectory P. By setting the starting point Ps and the ending point Pf to the same position, areas where the laser L irradiation was insufficient near the starting point Ps in the early stages of processing are irradiated again with the laser L at the end of processing, thus making the number of laser processing steps performed on the workpiece W uniform, including near the starting point Ps.

[0040] In the laser processing method according to this embodiment, it is preferable that the maximum incident angle of the laser L with respect to the stage 20 in the laser irradiable area 32 is greater than 0° and 5° or less. By reducing the maximum incident angle of the laser L, the taper that occurs in the workpiece W after processing can be reduced.

[0041] Although the laser processing apparatus and laser processing method of this disclosure have been described above with reference to specific embodiments, this disclosure is not limited to these exemplary embodiments.

[0042] In the above description, the irradiation reference point 33, which serves as the reference for the reciprocating movement of the spot region 31, was defined as the center of the laser-irradiable region 32 and the point where the laser L is incident perpendicularly from the laser irradiation unit 30. However, the irradiation reference point 33 can be set at any position within the laser-irradiable region 32. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the taper generated in the workpiece W, it is preferable to set the irradiation reference point 33 to the point where the laser L is incident perpendicularly from the laser irradiation unit 30.

[0043] The system configuration of the laser processing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 4 is merely an example, and any system configuration that can perform similar functions as a whole may be modified, added, or deleted as appropriate. For example, in the configuration shown in Figure 4, the control unit 50 includes a virtual motor 60, but the virtual motor 60 does not have to be included in the control unit 50. The control unit 50 may receive first and second movement coordinate data generated by an external virtual motor and instruct processing based on the received movement coordinate data. Furthermore, the hardware configuration for the virtual motor 60 to realize each function of the control unit 50 is not particularly limited. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1. Laser processing device 10 Base 20 stages 30 Laser irradiation area 31 Spot area 32 Laser irradiable area 33 Irradiation reference point 40 Galvanometer Scanner 41a, 42a Galvano mirror 41b, 42b Galvanometer 43 Focusing lens 50 Control Unit 51 Storage section 52 Processing instruction section 60 virtual motors 61 Trajectory recognition part 62 Trace section 63 Coordinate data acquisition unit 64 Coordinate Data Generation Unit L Laser W Workpiece P Processing Planned Trajectory Ps Starting point Pf End point

Claims

1. Substrate and, A stage that is movable relative to the base, Laser irradiation section, A galvanometer scanner is fixed to the substrate and moves the spot area of ​​the laser irradiated from the laser irradiation unit within a laser irradiation area set on the stage, A laser processing apparatus comprising a control unit, The control unit performs multi-pass processing of a workpiece by moving the stage such that the irradiation reference point within the laser-irradiable area moves from the start point to the end point of the planned processing trajectory of the workpiece placed on the stage, and by moving the laser spot area back and forth along the planned processing trajectory using the galvanometer scanner.

2. The control unit, The first moving coordinate data is a group of coordinates representing the planned machining trajectory, The first moving coordinate data is a set of coordinates newly generated by rearranging one coordinate with other coordinates, overwriting other coordinates with one coordinate, or both, and the second moving coordinate data. Obtain, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage is moved based on the first moving coordinate data, and the spot area of ​​the laser is moved by the galvanometer scanner based on the second moving coordinate data.

3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit generates the first moving coordinate data by driving a virtual motor based on the planned processing trajectory.

4. A laser processing method using a laser processing device, The aforementioned laser processing apparatus is Substrate and, A stage that is movable relative to the base, Laser irradiation section, The system includes a galvanometer scanner fixed to the substrate, which moves the spot area of ​​the laser irradiated from the laser irradiation unit within a laser-irradiable area set on the stage, A laser processing method comprising: moving the stage such that the irradiation reference point within the laser irradiable area moves from the start point to the end point of the planned processing trajectory of the workpiece placed on the stage, and using the galvanometer scanner to move the laser spot area back and forth along the planned processing trajectory before and after the irradiation reference point, thereby performing multi-pass processing of a workpiece.

5. The first moving coordinate data is a group of coordinates representing the planned machining trajectory, The first moving coordinate data is a set of coordinates newly generated by rearranging one coordinate with other coordinates, overwriting other coordinates with one coordinate, or both, and the second moving coordinate data. This includes the process of obtaining The laser processing method according to claim 4, wherein the stage is moved based on the first moving coordinate data, and the spot area of ​​the laser is moved by the galvanometer scanner based on the second moving coordinate data.

6. The laser processing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the starting point and the ending point are in the same position, and the stage is moved so that the irradiation reference point completes a full rotation along the planned processing trajectory.

7. The laser processing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the start and end points of the planned processing trajectory are set at positions away from the workpiece.

8. The laser processing method according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the maximum incident angle of the laser on the stage in the laser-irradiable region is greater than 0° and less than or equal to 5°.

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