Pattern Forming Device

Abstract

To provide a pattern formation device that can secure productivity of forming a pattern on a base material that is conveyed.SOLUTION: A pattern formation device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which irradiates a base material that is conveyed in a predetermined direction with laser light, comprises a light source part that emits the laser light, a first light scanning part that scans the laser light, in a predetermined direction, a second light scanning part that scans the laser light, in a direction crossing the predetermined direction, and a light irradiation part that irradiates the base material with scanned light by the first or the second light scanning part. The second light scanning part scans the laser light in the crossing direction, at a plurality of positions in the predetermined direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pattern forming device. Place Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a pattern forming device that irradiates a laser beam to form a pattern on a substrate made of a resin material, etc. Also, a method of forming a pattern on a substrate by one-dimensionally scanning a pulsed laser beam has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, if the substrate conveying speed is fast, the time required for pattern formation becomes short, and it becomes impossible to form a pattern on the substrate being conveyed. If the substrate conveying speed is slowed to a level at which a pattern can be formed, productivity of pattern formation may decrease.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a pattern forming apparatus that can ensure productivity in forming a pattern on a substrate being transported. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A pattern forming device according to one aspect of the present invention is a pattern forming device that irradiates a substrate transported in a predetermined direction with laser light, and includes a light source unit that emits the laser light, a first optical scanning unit that scans the laser light in the predetermined direction, a second optical scanning unit that scans the laser light in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction at multiple positions in the predetermined direction, and an optical irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate with scanned light from the first or second optical scanning unit, wherein the pattern forming device forms a two-dimensional pattern on the substrate, and the substrate is a plurality of substrates that are transported at a predetermined interval, and the following formula is satisfied when the size of the two-dimensional pattern in the predetermined direction is Lx and the predetermined interval is S. 0.4 <Lx / (Lx+S)<1 ΔV≧V-Lx / (t L ×N) (where ΔV represents the scanning speed of the laser light in the predetermined direction by the first optical scanning unit, V represents the conveying speed of the base material, and t L represents the scanning time required for one scanning line of the intersecting scanning lines corresponding to the scanning lines in the intersecting direction, and N represents the number of the intersecting scanning lines required to form the two-dimensional pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, productivity of pattern formation on the transported substrate can be ensured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of a pattern forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a pattern forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a view of the container as seen from the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of the operation of the galvanometer mirror, where (a) shows an example of scanning in the positive direction of the X axis, and (b) shows an example of scanning in the negative direction of the X axis. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a first example of the operation of a pattern forming apparatus according to a comparative example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a second example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the comparative example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a top view showing a third example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the comparative example. [Figure 8] 4A to 4C are top views showing a first example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are top views showing a second example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are top views showing a third example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11]10A and 10B are top views showing a fourth example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the relationship between the scanning time in the transport direction and the time required to return to the initial position. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of tilt of the surface of a polygon mirror, in which FIG. 1A is a top view of the polygon mirror and FIG. 1B is a side view of the polygon mirror. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of deterioration in pattern quality due to surface tilt of a polygon mirror, where (a) shows a case where there is no surface tilt and (b) shows a case where there is surface tilt. [Figure 15] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a pattern forming apparatus according to a second embodiment, in which (a) is a top view and (b) is a side view. [Figure 16] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a pattern forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, in which (a) shows an example of correction by scanning in the positive direction of the X axis, and (b) shows an example of correction by scanning in the negative direction of the X axis. [Figure 18] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a first example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of intervals between scanning lines in a pattern. [Figure 21] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of pixel density of patterns, in which (a) shows an example of 600 dpi, (b) shows an example of 1200 dpi, and (c) shows another example of 1200 dpi. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern according to the third embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a container manufacturing device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a laser irradiation unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 25] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating irradiation of pulsed laser light by a processed laser beam array. [Figure 26]FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control unit according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a manufacturing method according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of pattern data. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table between types of first patterns and processing parameters. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing parameters. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing data. [Figure 33] These are diagrams of examples of irradiation with processing laser beams. (a) shows a state where there is a gap between the beams in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. (b) shows the state of high-speed scanning in (a). (c) shows a state where the beams overlap in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. (d) shows the state of high-speed scanning in (c). (e) shows a state where the beams touch in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. (f) shows the state of high-speed scanning in (e). [Figure 34] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of changes in the properties of the base material of a container, where (a) is a diagram of shape change due to evaporation, (b) is a diagram of shape change due to melting, (c) is a diagram of change in crystallization state, and (d) is a diagram of change in foaming state. [Figure 35] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a container according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 36] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between a first pattern and a second pattern. [Figure 37] 37 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 36. [Figure 38] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing various examples of machining depth, where (a) is a diagram showing a case where the machining depth is shallower than the non-machined portion depth, (b) is a diagram showing a case where the machining depth is deeper than the non-machined portion depth, (c) is a diagram showing a case where the machining depth and the non-machined portion depth are approximately the same, and (d) is a diagram showing a case where the machining depth and the non-machined portion depth are changed. [Figure 39] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a container according to an embodiment. [Figure 40] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of gradation expression using a second pattern. [Figure 41] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing another example of gradation expression using a second pattern, in which (a) is a diagram showing processing data for a non-periodic second pattern, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the second pattern obtained by crystallization, and (c) is a plan view of the second pattern obtained by crystallization. [Figure 42] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a container according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are illustrative of a pattern formation apparatus for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below. Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described below are intended for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the sizes and positional relationships of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0009] In the drawings of the embodiment, a predetermined direction in a plane horizontal to the ground is defined as the X-axis direction, a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in the plane is defined as the Y-axis direction, and a direction perpendicular to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (height direction) is defined as the Z-axis direction.

[0010] A pattern formation device according to an embodiment is a pattern formation device that irradiates a substrate transported in a predetermined direction with laser light, and includes a light source unit that emits the laser light, a first optical scanning unit that scans the laser light in the predetermined direction, a second optical scanning unit that scans the laser light in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and an optical irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate with the scanned light from the first or second optical scanning unit. In the embodiment, the second optical scanning unit scans the laser light in the intersecting direction at multiple positions in the predetermined direction. The intersecting direction is, for example, a direction approximately perpendicular to the predetermined direction.

[0011] In this way, the pattern formation device according to the embodiment extends the time for irradiating the substrate with the laser light and extends the pattern formation time compared to when the second optical scanning unit scans the laser light at one position in a predetermined direction, thereby ensuring the substrate conveyance speed and the productivity of pattern formation on the conveyed substrate.

[0012] Here, the substrate refers to the material portion of an object. An example of the object is a container for storing beverages. Another example of the container is a PET bottle made of a resin such as PET and used to store beverages. However, there are no particular limitations on the object, and it can be any object. There are also no limitations on the shape or material of the container, and it can be a container of any shape and made of any material.

[0013] The surface of the substrate means the surface of the material that is in contact with the external air, etc. In the embodiment, the term "surface of the substrate" is used as a term that is symmetrical to the interior of the substrate, so that, for example, in the case of a plate-shaped substrate, both the front and back surfaces of the substrate correspond to the surface of the substrate. In addition, in the case of a cylindrical substrate, both the outer and inner surfaces of the substrate correspond to the surface of the substrate.

[0014] The pattern may include characters, codes such as barcodes, figures, images, etc., and may display information about the container or the contents thereof, such as the name, identification number, manufacturer, and manufacturing date and time of the container or the contents thereof, such as a beverage.

[0015] In containers such as PET bottles, the information may be displayed by attaching a recording medium (label) on which the information is recorded to the surface of the container. In an embodiment, a pattern indicating the information is formed on the surface of a substrate constituting the container, so that the information is displayed on the substrate in a so-called label-less manner without using a recording medium.

[0016] [First embodiment] <Configuration Example of Pattern Forming Apparatus 200> First, a pattern forming apparatus 200 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a top view illustrating an example of the configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 200, Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is a view of the container as viewed from the direction of arrow D in Fig. 2.

[0017] The pattern forming apparatus 200 is an apparatus that irradiates a container 1, such as a PET bottle, conveyed in the direction of arrow A with a scanning beam 202 of pulsed laser light to form a pattern on at least one of the surface or interior of a substrate constituting the container 1. The pattern forming apparatus 200 can form a pattern by changing the properties of at least one of the surface or interior of the substrate through so-called laser processing using the scanning beam 202 of pulsed laser light in the direction of arrow C. Here, the conveying direction corresponding to the direction of arrow A is an example of a predetermined direction, and the scanning direction that is perpendicular to the conveying direction and corresponds to the direction of arrow C is an example of an intersecting direction. The pulsed laser light is also an example of laser light.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pattern forming device 200 includes a pulsed laser 21, a beam expander 22, a galvanometer mirror 221, a polygon mirror 231, and an fθ lens 241.

[0019] The pulsed laser 21 is an example of a light source unit that emits pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser 21 emits a substantially parallel pulsed laser beam in the positive direction of the Y axis in Fig. 1. The pulsed laser 21 can switch between emitting pulsed laser light of three different oscillation wavelengths: a fundamental wave with an oscillation wavelength of 1064 nanometers, a second harmonic with an oscillation wavelength of 532 nanometers, and a third harmonic with an oscillation wavelength of 355 nanometers.

[0020] Regardless of the oscillation wavelength, the pulse width of the pulsed laser light is 15 picoseconds or less. The repetition frequency of the pulsed laser light can be selected appropriately from a single shot to 200 kHz. The beam diameter of the pulsed laser light is approximately 2.0 mm for the fundamental wave, approximately 1.4 mm for the second harmonic, and approximately 1.3 mm for the third harmonic.

[0021] For example, a fiber laser-based Talisker Ultra355-4 manufactured by Coherent Corporation can be applied to such a pulse laser 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other pulse lasers can also be used.

[0022] Furthermore, the pulse laser 21 can be controlled to switch between emission (on) and non-emission (off) based on the pattern data of the pattern to be formed on the container 1.

[0023] The pattern forming device 200 has a beam expander 22 disposed on the positive side of the Y axis of the pulsed laser 21. The beam expander 22 is an optical system that expands the beam diameter of the pulsed laser light emitted by the pulsed laser 21 by a predetermined expansion factor and emits a substantially parallel laser beam on the positive side of the Y axis.

[0024] In the pattern forming device 200, a galvanometer mirror 221 is disposed on the positive Y-axis side of the beam expander 22. The galvanometer mirror 221 deflects the pulsed laser light, the beam diameter of which has been expanded by the beam expander 22, toward the positive Z-axis side. The galvanometer mirror 221 is driven by a motor and can swing in the direction of arrow B, and is an example of a first optical scanning unit that scans the pulsed laser light from the beam expander 22 in the transport direction by this swing.

[0025] The polygon mirror 231 is an example of a second optical scanning unit that scans the pulsed laser light in a scanning direction corresponding to the direction of arrow C. The polygon mirror 231 is a rotary polygonal mirror that can be rotated using a motor as a drive source, and includes multiple (here, six) reflective surfaces. In the pattern forming device 200, the polygon mirror 231 is disposed on the positive Z-axis side of the galvanometer mirror 221. The polygon mirror 231 can scan the pulsed laser light incident from the galvanometer mirror 221 in the scanning direction by rotating around an axis parallel to the X-axis (in the direction of arrow B') to change the angle of the reflective surfaces.

[0026] The polygon mirror 231 scans the scanning light from the galvanometer mirror 221 in the transport direction in the scanning direction, thereby making it possible to scan the pulse laser light in the scanning direction at a plurality of positions in the transport direction.

[0027] The fθ lens 241 is an example of a light irradiation unit that irradiates the scanning light 202 of the pulsed laser light in the scanning direction by the polygon mirror 231 onto a base material that constitutes the container 1. The fθ lens 241 is a lens that is designed and manufactured so that the scanning speed of the scanning light 202 that passes through the peripheral and central parts of the fθ lens 241 is approximately constant. The fθ lens 241 is also designed and manufactured so as to focus the pulsed laser light on a base material that constitutes the container 1 and is placed at a predetermined position. In FIG. 1, the fθ lens 241 that is configured with one lens is shown as an example of a light irradiation unit, but the light irradiation unit may be configured to include multiple lenses or may include optical elements other than lenses, such as mirrors.

[0028] The pattern forming device 200 places the container 1 on the positive Y-axis side of the fθ lens 241, and irradiates the irradiation surface 400 of the container 1 facing the fθ lens 241 with the scanning light 202. The pattern forming device 200 also places the container 1 on a transport unit such as a belt conveyor, and transports it in the direction of arrow A, which is perpendicular to the Y-axis.

[0029] 1, the pattern forming device 200 is provided with a transport detection unit 300 that detects the transported container 1, located upstream in the direction of arrow A, which corresponds to the transport direction of the container 1. The transport detection unit 300 has a transport detection light emitting element 301 and a transport detection light receiving element 302, and detects the timing when the container 1 blocks light emitted from the transport detection LD 301 toward the transport detection PD 302. Based on this light blocking timing and information about the distance between the irradiation position of the scanning light 202 and the transport detection unit 300, the pattern forming device 200 detects the timing when the transported container 1 enters the irradiation position of the scanning light 202, and determines the start timing of pattern formation in the transport direction.

[0030] 2, a synchronization detection unit 25 is provided near the polygon mirror 231. The synchronization detection unit 25 has a synchronization detection LD (Laser Diode) 251 and a synchronization detection PD (Photo Diode) 252, and the synchronization detection PD 252 receives reflected light of the laser light emitted by the synchronization detection LD 251 toward the polygon mirror 231. The pattern forming device 200 determines the start timing of pattern formation in the scanning direction based on the light receiving signal of the synchronization detection PD 252.

[0031] The pattern forming device 200 is triggered by the start timing of pattern formation in each of the transport direction and the scanning direction, and controls the on / off of the pulse laser 21 based on the pattern data, while irradiating the container 1 transported in the direction of arrow A with a line-shaped scanning light 202 extending in the scanning direction. As a result, a desired two-dimensional pattern 401 (two-dimensional pattern) can be formed on the irradiated surface 400 of the container 1, as shown in FIG.

[0032] Furthermore, the pattern forming device 200 can sequentially form patterns on the respective substrates of a plurality of containers 1 that are sequentially transported by a transport unit such as a belt conveyor.

[0033] <Productivity of Pattern Formation by Pattern Forming Apparatus 200> Here, we will explain the productivity of pattern formation by the pattern forming apparatus 200. If the container size is W [mm], the distance between adjacent containers 1 among the multiple containers 1 being transported is d [mm], and the productivity of pattern formation is X [pieces / min], the transport speed V [mm / s] of the container 1 is calculated by the following formula.

[0034]

number

[0035] Furthermore, assuming that the pixel density is a [dpi], the time T allowed per scan by the polygon mirror 231 to ensure productivity X is a value calculated using the following formula.

[0036]

number

[0037] Furthermore, if the pattern formation area in the scanning direction is Lz [mm], the time Δt [s] allowed per dot in the sub-scanning direction to ensure productivity X is calculated using the following formula:

[0038]

number

[0039] Next, the fluence of the pulsed laser light will be described. The fluence F of the pulsed laser light can be expressed as follows: P=E·ν F=E / S where P [W] represents the average output (light intensity) of the pulsed laser, E [J] represents the pulse energy per pulse of the pulsed laser light, and ν [Hz] represents the repetition frequency of the pulsed laser light emission. F [J / cm 2 ] represents the fluence, and S [cm 2 ] represents the area of ​​the laser beam spot. The fluence F corresponds to the value obtained by dividing the pulse energy by the area of ​​the laser beam spot. The fluence at the substrate constituting the container 1 is the value obtained by dividing the pulse energy of the pulse laser light emitted by the pulse laser 21 by the area of ​​the laser beam spot on the substrate constituting the container 1.

[0040] When using pulsed laser light with a nanosecond-scale pulse width, the pattern formation device 200 performs pattern formation (laser processing) by thermal denaturation according to the absorption spectrum of the substrate. On the other hand, when using pulsed laser light with a picosecond-scale pulse width, the pattern formation device 200 performs pattern formation (laser processing) by thermal denaturation according to the absorption spectrum and multiphoton absorption. Multiphoton absorption refers to a nonlinear phenomenon in which, upon irradiation with pulsed laser light, a state similar to that excited by light with a wavelength corresponding to 1 / 2 or 1 / 3 of the oscillation wavelength of the pulsed laser light is created, and multiple photons are absorbed, resulting in the transition of electron and atomic states to higher energy levels. When pulsed laser light with a picosecond-scale pulse width is used, the substrate can be sublimated from a solid state without passing through a molten state, forming processing marks on the substrate.

[0041] In this case, if a pulsed laser 21 is selected whose fluence required to form a pattern on the substrate of the container 1 is such that one pulse can form a one-dot pattern, the pattern formation frequency is the repetition frequency, v [Hz]. On the other hand, if the fluence of the pulsed laser 21 is small and N pulses are required to form a one-dot pattern, the pattern formation frequency is v / N [Hz], and the time required to form one dot pattern is N / v [s]. In this case, only values ​​greater than N / v [s] are allowed for Δt, and the container 1 cannot be transported at a speed faster than the speed allowed for pattern formation by one scan. In other words, the time allowed for pattern formation of one dot becomes the rate-limiting factor for productivity.

[0042] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the polygon mirror 231 scans the laser light in the scanning direction at a plurality of positions in the transport direction of the container 1. The more positions in the transport direction there are, the slower the apparent transport speed of the container 1 becomes, and therefore the longer the pattern formation time can be.

[0043] <Example of pattern formation device operation>

[0044] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the galvanometer mirror, where (a) shows an example of scanning in the positive direction of the X axis, and (b) shows an example of scanning in the negative direction of the X axis. By swinging the galvanometer mirror along arrow B, the scanning light 202 emitted by the polygon mirror 231 can be scanned in the transport direction. In FIG. 4A, the scanning light 202 is scanned in the positive direction of the X axis, and in FIG. 4B, the scanning light 202 is scanned in the negative direction of the X axis. In other words, the polygon mirror 231 scans the scanning light 202 at two positions in the transport direction.

[0045] Next, the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200X according to the comparative example will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a top view showing a first example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200X, Figure 6 is a top view showing a second example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200X, and Figure 7 is a top view showing a third example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200X. For convenience, components of the pattern formation apparatus 200X that have the same functions as those of the pattern formation apparatus 200 are denoted by the same part numbers.

[0046] 5 to 7, the pattern forming device 200X has a Z-axis deflection mirror 221X. The Z-axis deflection mirror 221X is disposed on the Y-axis positive side of the beam expander 22, and deflects the pulsed laser beam, the beam diameter of which has been expanded by the beam expander 22, toward the Z-axis positive side. The Z-axis deflection mirror 221X does not have a swinging function like the above-mentioned galvanometer mirror 221, and the position at which the polygon mirror 231 scans the pulsed laser beam in the transport direction is one fixed position.

[0047] 5 to 7 show how pattern formation device 200X irradiates scanning light 202 onto container 1 and container 1', which are multiple containers, while they are transported in the direction of arrow A. In Fig. 5, scanning light 202 is irradiated onto container 1 at the side furthest in the positive X-axis direction, in Fig. 6, pattern formation device 200X irradiates container 1 at the side furthest in the negative X-axis direction, and in Fig. 7, scanning light 202 is irradiated onto container 1' at the side furthest in the positive X-axis direction. Unpatterned region 402 in Figs. 5 to 7 indicates a region in container 1 or 1' where a pattern has not yet been formed, and patterned region 403 indicates a region in container 1 or 1' where a pattern has already been formed.

[0048] 7, between container 1 and container 1' adjacent to each other in the transport direction, there is a non-pattern-formation section 404 corresponding to the distance between container 1 and container 1'. The length of non-pattern-formation section 404 in the transport direction is an example of a predetermined distance. In pattern forming device 200X, while scanning light 202 is irradiating non-pattern-formation section 404, patterns cannot be formed on the substrates of container 1 and container 1', resulting in wasted productivity.

[0049] Next, the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 11. Fig. 8 is a top view showing a first example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200, Fig. 9 is a top view showing a second example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200, Fig. 10 is a top view showing a third example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200, and Fig. 11 is a top view showing a fourth example of the operation of the pattern formation apparatus 200.

[0050] 8 to 11, similar to FIGS. 5 to 7, show how a pattern forming device 200 irradiates scanning light 202 onto a plurality of containers, ie, container 1 and container 1′, while the containers are transported in the transport direction.

[0051] In FIG. 8, the galvanometer mirror 221 scans the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 in the negative X-axis direction, so that the pattern forming device 200 irradiates the scanning light 202 onto the initial position A0 of the container 1 that is closest to the positive X-axis direction before the container 1 reaches the position opposite the fθ lens 241.

[0052] 9, pattern formation device 200 irradiates scanning light 202 onto the center of container 1 at a position where container 1 faces fθ lens 241. In Fig. 10, pattern formation device 200 irradiates scanning light 202 onto the most negative side of container 1 in the X-axis direction after container 1 passes the position where container 1 faces fθ lens 241 by causing galvanometer mirror 221 to scan scanning light 202 in the positive X-axis direction.

[0053] The containers 1 and 1' are transported at a transport speed V, and the pattern forming device 200 forms a pattern on the substrate constituting the container 1 while the angle of the galvanometer mirror 221 changes in accordance with the transport. In the state of FIG. 8, pattern formation in an unpatterned region 402 of the substrate is started, and in the state of FIG. 9, a pattern is formed in half of the unpatterned region 402, turning it into a patterned region 403. In the state of FIG. 10, pattern formation on the substrate is completed, and the entire substrate turns into a patterned region 403.

[0054] 11, pattern formation device 200 changes the angle of galvanometer mirror 221 so that scanning light 202 is irradiated onto a position shifted in the positive direction of the X-axis by non-pattern formation section 404' from the position of next container 1' closest to the positive side of the X-axis. Thereafter, container 1' is transported in the positive direction of the X-axis, and when it reaches the state shown in FIG. 8, pattern formation device 200 starts pattern formation on container 1'.

[0055] When the transport speed of the container 1 in the pattern forming apparatus 200X is V' and the non-pattern formation section is b, and the transport speed of the container 1 in the pattern forming apparatus 200 is V and the non-pattern formation section is b', the following equation is established. A' / A=b / b'

[0056] The smaller the non-pattern formation section 404' is made, the higher the productivity can be. However, if the following condition is satisfied, the productivity improvement effect of this embodiment can be achieved. 0.4 <Lx / (Lx+S)<1 Here, Lx represents the size of the pattern in the transport direction, and S represents the distance between the container 1 and the container 1' in the transport direction. In this embodiment, S corresponds to the length of the non-pattern formation section 404 in the transport direction. When S is 0.4 or less, the productivity is unchanged from the comparative example. When S is greater than 0.4, tracking control is possible, and patterns can be formed with high precision.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the polygon mirror 231 scans the scanning light 202 in the transport direction, the galvanometer mirror 221 returns the irradiation position of the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 to the initial position A0 of the scanning in the transport direction in a time shorter than the time required for this scanning in the transport direction. This initial position A0 corresponds to the irradiation position in the transport direction of the scanning light 202 shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, scanning in the transport direction corresponds to changing the irradiation position in the transport direction of the scanning light 202 from the irradiation position shown in FIG. 8 to the irradiation position shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, it can be said that the time required to return from the state in FIG. 10 to the state in FIG. 8 is shorter than the time required to change from the state in FIG. 8 to the state in FIG. 10.

[0058] 12 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the time required for scanning in the transport direction and the time required for returning to the initial position A0 in the scanning in the transport direction. The horizontal axis of FIG. 12 represents time, and the vertical axis represents the rotational angular velocity of the galvanometer mirror 221.

[0059] 12, period t1 represents the period required for the galvanometer mirror 221 to scan the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 in the transport direction in order to form a pattern on the predetermined container 1. Period t2 represents the period required for the irradiation position of the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 to return to the initial position A0 for scanning in the transport direction after the scanning in the transport direction in order to form a pattern on the predetermined container 1 is completed. Period t1' represents the period required for the galvanometer mirror 221 to scan the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 in the transport direction in order to form a pattern on a container adjacent to the predetermined container 1, which is the next target for pattern formation after the predetermined container 1.

[0060] 12, the rotational angular velocity ω2 of the galvanometer mirror 221 in period t2 has a larger absolute value than the rotational angular velocity ω1 of the galvanometer mirror 221 in periods t1 and t1'. That is, the galvanometer mirror 221 rotates in the positive direction at the rotational angular velocity ω1 in periods t1 and t1', and rotates in the negative direction at the rotational angular velocity ω2 that is faster than the rotational angular velocity ω1 in period t2. This allows the galvanometer mirror 221 to return the irradiation position of the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231 to the initial position A0 in scanning in the transport direction within period t2, which is shorter than both periods t1 and t1'.

[0061] <Functions and Effects of Pattern Forming Apparatus 200> Next, the effects of the pattern forming apparatus 200 will be described.

[0062] Conventionally, a pattern forming device is known that irradiates a laser beam to form a pattern on a substrate such as a resin material. A method has also been disclosed in which a pulsed laser beam is scanned one-dimensionally to form a pattern on a substrate. However, this method of forming a pattern on a substrate requires irradiating the substrate with pulsed laser light for a period of time required for the substrate to be sufficiently modified.

[0063] In the method of forming a pattern on a substrate by one-dimensionally scanning a pulsed laser beam, if the substrate transport speed is fast, the time required for pattern formation becomes short and it becomes impossible to form a pattern on the substrate being transported. Therefore, if the substrate transport speed is slowed to a level at which pattern formation is still possible, productivity of pattern formation may decrease.

[0064] In this embodiment, the pattern forming device 200 has a galvanometer mirror 221 (first optical scanning unit) that scans the laser light in the transport direction, and a polygon mirror 231 (second optical scanning unit) that scans the laser light in the scanning direction at a plurality of positions in the transport direction. The pattern forming device 200 also forms a two-dimensional pattern on the container 1 while changing the irradiation position of the scanning light from the polygon mirror 231 in the transport direction by the galvanometer mirror 221 according to the position of the container 1 (substrate) being transported.

[0065] By doing so, the pattern forming apparatus 200 can lengthen the time for irradiating the substrate with the laser light and lengthen the pattern formation time compared to when the second optical scanning unit scans the laser light at one position in the transport direction. This allows the pattern forming apparatus 200 to ensure the transport speed of the substrate and the productivity of pattern formation on the transported substrate.

[0066] In addition to the polygon mirror, the second optical scanning unit may use a galvanometer mirror, an acousto-optical element, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) mirror, etc. However, it is preferable that the mirror be durable against the pulse energy of the pulsed laser light.

[0067] Although the present embodiment illustrates a configuration in which the second optical scanning unit scans the pulsed laser light in the scanning direction after the first optical scanning unit has scanned in the transport direction, the pattern formation device 200 may also be configured in which the first optical scanning unit scans in the transport direction the pulsed laser light after the second optical scanning unit has scanned in the scanning direction. The pattern formation device 200 can also integrate the functions of the first optical scanning unit and the second optical scanning unit by using a two-axis driven galvanometer mirror, a MEMS mirror, or an acousto-optical element that can scan the pulsed laser light in both the transport direction and the scanning direction.

[0068] However, it is more preferable to configure the first optical scanning unit to include a galvanometer mirror and the second optical scanning unit to include a polygon mirror, as this allows the pattern forming device 200 to perform high-speed scanning while ensuring durability against pulsed laser light.

[0069] In this embodiment, the pattern forming apparatus 200 satisfies the following formula (1). ΔV≧V-Lx / (t L ·N) ··· (1) In the formula (1), ΔV represents the scanning speed of the laser beam by the galvanometer mirror 221 in the transport direction, V represents the transport speed of the container 1, and Lx represents the size of the pattern in the transport direction. L represents the scanning time required for one scanning line of the intersecting scanning lines corresponding to the scanning lines in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (intersecting direction), and N represents the number of intersecting scanning lines required to form a two-dimensional pattern.

[0070] For example, when forming a pattern of size Lx in the transport direction, the scanning time t L If it is necessary to lengthen the scanning time t, the transport speed of the container 1 must be slowed down, and the productivity for forming a pattern on the container 1 decreases accordingly. In particular, in forming a pattern on the container 1, it may take time for the container 1 to be deformed in the irradiated area with the laser light, and the scanning time t L tends to be long.

[0071] By determining the scanning speed ΔV so as to satisfy the condition of equation (1), the apparent transport speed of the container 1 in the transport direction can be slowed down. This allows the scanning time t L This increases the time required for forming a pattern on the container 1. As a result, high productivity for forming a pattern on the container 1 can be ensured.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, after scanning in the transport direction, the galvanometer mirror 221 returns the irradiation position of the scanning light from the polygon mirror 231 to the initial position A0 of the scanning in the transport direction in a shorter time than the time required for scanning in the transport direction. This allows the pattern forming device 200 to ensure higher productivity of pattern formation on the containers 1 being transported.

[0073] [Second embodiment] Next, a pattern forming apparatus 200a according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same components as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. This also applies to the following embodiments.

[0074] In this embodiment, the second optical scanning unit scans the laser light in the scanning direction by changing the angle of the reflecting surface, and the first optical scanning unit scans the laser light in the transport direction so as to correct the deviation of the irradiation position of the scanning light on the substrate caused by the tilt of the reflecting surface of the second optical scanning unit in the transport direction. This ensures the accuracy of pattern formation on the substrate in this embodiment. Here, the tilt of the reflecting surface in the transport direction refers to the tilt of the reflecting surface around an axis perpendicular to the transport direction within the plane of the reflecting surface.

[0075] <Example of polygon mirror surface tilt> Here, FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of the surface tilt of a polygon mirror, where (a) is a top view of the polygon mirror and (b) is a side view of the polygon mirror.

[0076] Figure 13(b) shows three side views of the polygon mirror: the top row shows a state with no face tilt, the middle row shows a state with face tilt that deflects reflected light toward the negative Y-axis, and the bottom row shows a state with face tilt that deflects reflected light toward the positive Y-axis. Face tilt of the polygon mirror causes deviations in the irradiation position of the scanning light on the substrate, degrading the quality of the formed pattern.

[0077] 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating an example of deterioration in pattern quality due to tilt of the polygon mirror surface, where (a) shows the case without misalignment and (b) shows the case with misalignment.

[0078] If the polygon mirror has no tilt, the scanning lines formed by the polygon mirror are arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction, as shown in Figure 14(a). On the other hand, if the polygon mirror has tilt, the intervals between the scanning lines formed by the polygon mirror in the transport direction will vary, as shown in Figure 14(b), and the quality of the formed pattern will deteriorate.

[0079] <Configuration Example of Pattern Forming Apparatus 200a> Next, the configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 200a will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 200a, where (a) is a top view and (b) is a side view.

[0080] As shown in Fig. 15, the pattern formation apparatus 200a includes a polygon mirror 231', a rotation origin sensor 233, and a processing unit 500. Fig. 15 shows only the configuration of the main parts of the pattern formation apparatus 200a. The configuration of the pattern formation apparatus 200 shown in the first embodiment can be applied to the configuration of the pattern formation apparatus 200a other than the main parts.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 15(a), the polygon mirror 231' has a mark 232 on its surface on the positive X-axis side that is used to detect the rotation origin of the polygon mirror 231'. The mark 232 may be formed by applying paint to the surface, or by providing a predetermined shape such as a recess or protrusion on the surface of the polygon mirror 231' on the positive X-axis side. The pattern forming device 200a detects the rotation synchronization of the polygon mirror 231' using the synchronization detection unit 25. The polygon mirror 231' also includes six surfaces, 231a to 231f.

[0082] The rotation origin sensor 233 is a reflective sensor provided on the X-axis positive side of the polygon mirror 231′. The rotation origin sensor 233 has a light-emitting element such as an LD and a light-receiving element such as a PD. The light-emitting element emits light onto the surface of the polygon mirror 231′ on the X-axis positive side, and the PD receives light that is reflected by the surface of the polygon mirror 231′ on the X-axis positive side after being emitted by the light-emitting element, and outputs a voltage signal according to the intensity of the received light to the processing unit 500. The pattern forming device 200a corrects deviation in the irradiation position of the scanning light on the substrate due to tilt of the reflecting surface of the polygon mirror 231′ (hereinafter referred to as surface tilt) based on the output signal of the rotation origin sensor 233, which includes detection information of the mark 232.

[0083] <Example of functional configuration of processing unit 500> Next, the functional configuration of the processing unit 500 of the pattern forming device 200a will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the processing unit 500. The description will be made with reference to the configuration diagrams of Figs. 1 to 3 and 15 as appropriate.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 16, the processing unit 500 has a pulsed laser control unit 517, a synchronization detection control unit 520, a polygon mirror control unit 530, a polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541, a galvanometer mirror control unit 550, and a surface tilt information storage unit 560.

[0085] Of these, the functions of the pulse laser control unit 517, synchronization detection control unit 520, polygon mirror control unit 530, polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541, and galvanometer mirror control unit 550, and the function of the processing unit 500 can be realized by electrical circuits, and some of these functions can be realized by software (CPU: Central Processing Unit). These functions may be realized by multiple circuits or multiple pieces of software. Furthermore, the function of the surface tilt information storage unit 560 can be realized by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0086] The pulsed laser control unit 517 has a power adjustment unit 518 and a pulse control unit 519, and controls the pulsed laser 21. The power adjustment unit 518 controls the power of the pulsed laser light emitted by the pulsed laser 21, and the pulse control unit 519 controls the pulse width of the pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser control unit 517 can also control the emission of the pulsed laser light based on a detection signal from a synchronization detection control unit 520.

[0087] The synchronization detection control unit 520 controls the emission of laser light by the synchronization detection LD 251 included in the synchronization detection unit 25, acquires a detection signal from the synchronization detection PD 252, and provides the signal to each of the pulse laser control unit 517 and the polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541. The polygon mirror control unit 530 controls the rotational drive of the polygon mirror 231′.

[0088] The polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541 detects rotation origin information of the polygon mirror 231′ from the output of the rotation origin sensor 233. Based on the detection timing of the rotation origin and the detection signal from the synchronization detection control unit 520n, the polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541 can identify, while the polygon mirror 231′ is rotating, the surface that is irradiating the base material constituting the container 1 with pulsed laser light, out of the six surfaces that make up the polygon mirror 231′. The polygon mirror surface identification control unit 541 provides information on the identified surface to the galvanometer mirror control unit 550.

[0089] The galvanometer mirror control unit 550 has a plane tilt correction unit 551 and controls the oscillation drive of the galvanometer mirror 221. The plane tilt correction unit 551 refers to the plane tilt information storage unit 560 and acquires plane tilt information of each face of the polygon mirror 231′ that has been acquired in advance and stored in the plane tilt information storage unit 560. Then, by controlling the oscillation angle of the galvanometer mirror 221 based on the plane tilt information, the positional deviation of the position where the scanning light 202 from the polygon mirror 231′ is irradiated onto the base material of the container 1 is corrected due to the plane tilt of each face of the polygon mirror 231′.

[0090] Since the surface tilt of each face of the polygon mirror 231′ is reproduced with each rotation of the polygon mirror 231′, the surface that is irradiating the substrate with the pulsed laser light is identified among the six faces constituting the polygon mirror 231′, and the angle of the galvanometer mirror 221 is adjusted to offset the surface tilt, thereby correcting the deviation in the irradiation position of the scanning light 202 due to the surface tilt.

[0091] <Example of tilt correction operation> Next, the operation of correcting the surface tilt of the polygon mirror 231' in the pattern forming apparatus 200a will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the pattern forming apparatus 200a, where (a) shows an example of correction by scanning in the positive direction of the X axis, and (b) shows an example of correction by scanning in the negative direction of the X axis.

[0092] 17(a), the reflecting surface of polygon mirror 231' is tilted by δθ(-) [deg] toward the negative direction of the X axis. In this case, the reflected light from polygon mirror 231' is shifted by 2×δθ(-) [deg] relative to the light reflected by the reflecting surface in a normal state, and the irradiation position of scanning light 202 on the base material of container 1 is shifted toward the negative direction of the X axis by an irradiation position shift δd.

[0093] In contrast, in this embodiment, the galvanometer mirror 221 scans (deflects) the pulsed laser light by an angle of θ(+)-2×δθ(-) [deg] based on the surface tilt information of the polygon mirror 231′, thereby correcting the irradiation position deviation δd.

[0094] 17(b), the reflecting surface of polygon mirror 231' is tilted by δθ(-) [deg] toward the positive direction of the X axis. In this case as well, pattern forming apparatus 200a can correct the irradiation position deviation δd due to the tilt of the surface of polygon mirror 231'.

[0095] Next, Fig. 18 is a timing chart illustrating a first example of the operation of the pattern forming device 200a. The timing shown in the upper part of Fig. 18 indicates the timing of the synchronous detection signal by the synchronous detection unit 25. From left to right, the synchronous detection signals of the surfaces 231d, 231c, 231b, 231a, 231f, 231e, and 231d are shown.

[0096] The timing shown in the middle of FIG. 18 indicates the timing of the rotation origin signal from the rotation origin sensor 233. At the timing of the surface 231d of the polygon mirror 231′, the rotation origin sensor 233 detects the mark 232 formed at the position corresponding to the surface 231c of the polygon mirror 231′. At this time, by determining in advance the timing of the synchronization detection signal from the synchronization detector 25 and the timing of writing the scanning line in pre-shipment adjustment of the pattern forming device 200a, an appropriate start position for pattern formation by the scanning light 202 can be determined. That is, after the rotation origin is detected by the rotation origin sensor 233, the pattern forming device 200a starts scanning with the surface 231c of the polygon mirror 231′ by detecting three synchronizations in the example of FIG. 18.

[0097] Because the shape of polygon mirror 231' is a regular hexagon, the distance between the rear end of a scan line and the front end of the next scan line when polygon mirror 231' rotates from surface 231c to surface 231d is a known value. During this time, pattern forming device 200a performs a tracking operation of container 1 using galvanometer mirror 221 and a surface tilt correction operation of polygon mirror 231'.

[0098] Next, FIG. 19 is a timing chart illustrating a second example of the operation of the pattern forming device 200a. FIG. 19 shows the timing from the end of pattern formation in the container 1 to the start of pattern formation in the next container 1'. Because the transport speed of the containers 1 and 1' is constant, pattern formation in the container 1' begins after the transport detection unit 300 detects the container 1 and counts a predetermined number of synchronous detections. Because the pattern formation area is predetermined, pattern formation ends after the pattern formation of the corresponding number of scan lines (number of synchronous detections). From this point, until the next container 1' is detected and pattern formation begins, the galvanometer mirror 221 can change its angle so that the scanning light 202 is positioned at the start position of the non-pattern formation section 404'.

[0099] <Functions and Effects of Pattern Forming Apparatus 200a> As described above, in this embodiment, the polygon mirror 231′ (second optical scanning unit) changes the angle of the reflecting surface to scan the laser light in the scanning direction, and the galvanometer mirror 221 (first optical scanning unit) scans the laser light in the transport direction so as to correct the deviation of the irradiation position of the scanning light on the base material due to the tilt of the reflecting surface in the transport direction.

[0100] As a result, the pattern forming apparatus 200a can correct the deviation of the irradiation position of the scanning light due to the tilt of the surface of the second optical scanning unit, and ensure the accuracy of forming the pattern on the substrate. Note that other effects are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0101] [Third embodiment] Next, a pattern forming apparatus 200b according to a third embodiment will be described. In a pattern forming apparatus that does not include a first optical scanning unit such as a galvanometer mirror, the container transport speed is constant, so the pixel density cannot be changed. In order to increase the pixel density (resolution), it is necessary to increase the pixel density of the entire pattern. As a result, the pattern formation time also becomes longer.

[0102] In this embodiment, the pattern forming device forms a pattern based on image data, and the first optical scanning unit changes the scanning amount of the laser light depending on at least one of the presence or absence of image data in the pattern forming area of ​​the substrate and the type of image data, thereby making it possible to improve the pixel density of the pattern only in the desired area.

[0103] The configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 200b can be applied to the configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 200 shown in the first embodiment.

[0104] By scanning the container in the transport direction with scanning light in the scanning direction using a galvanometer mirror, it is possible to form a pattern with equal intervals between scan lines in the transport direction, as shown in Fig. 20. Fig. 21 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the circled area F in Fig. 20.

[0105] 21A and 21B are diagrams illustrating an example of pixel density of a pattern, where (a) shows an example of 600 dpi (dots per inch), (b) shows an example of 1200 dpi, and (c) shows another example of 1200 dpi.

[0106] As shown in Figure 21(a), the pattern forming device 200b forms a pattern with scan lines spaced 42 micrometers apart at 600 dpi, and as shown in Figure 21(b), the pattern forming device 200b forms a pattern with scan lines spaced 21 micrometers apart at 1200 dpi.

[0107] In this embodiment, the pixel density can be changed in a desired region by changing the scanning distance (the distance the scanning line moves) in the direction along which the scanning line is moved by the galvanometer mirror in the scanning direction. This desired region is a region that corresponds to at least one of the presence or absence of image data and the type of image data in the pattern formation region of the substrate.

[0108] For example, by changing the pixel density of the relevant area depending on the type of image contained in a pattern, such as a character area (text, etc.) and an image area (photograph, figure, design, barcode, etc.), it is possible to ensure appropriate visibility of the relevant area depending on the type of image.

[0109] The pixel density can be set as desired, but it is desirable that the difference in pixel density between areas where the pixel density is changed and areas where it is not changed be an integer multiple. For example, the pixel density of 1200 dpi is twice that of 600 dpi. In the 600 dpi area, a pattern is formed with a scan line interval that follows the transport speed, and by changing the scanning amount by the galvanometer mirror only in the 1200 dpi area, it is possible to form patterns that correspond to both pixel densities with the shortest number of lines.

[0110] 22 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern according to this embodiment. The blackened areas are areas with a pixel density of 1200 dpi, and the rest are areas with a pixel density of 600 dpi. In this way, the pattern forming device 200b can change the pixel density of the pattern only in the desired area.

[0111] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a container manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method will be described. Here, the container manufacturing apparatus corresponds to an example of a pattern forming apparatus. Furthermore, the container manufacturing apparatus corresponds to an example of a laser processing apparatus, since it forms a pattern by processing the base material that constitutes the container with a pulsed laser. The manufacturing apparatus according to each embodiment shown below has the configuration and function of any one of the above-mentioned pattern forming apparatuses 200, 200a, or 200b, and can obtain the same effects as those of the pattern forming apparatus 200, 200a, or 200b.

[0112] <Configuration example of manufacturing apparatus 100> First, the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described. Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 100. The manufacturing apparatus 100 changes the properties of the substrate that constitutes the container, thereby forming a first pattern that is composed of an aggregate of second patterns on at least one of the surface or interior of the substrate. Here, the properties of the substrate refer to the properties or state of the substrate.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 23 , the manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a laser irradiation unit 2, a rotation mechanism 3 for recovering the workpiece, a holding unit 31, a movement mechanism 4, a dust collection unit 5, and a control unit 6. The manufacturing apparatus 100 holds a cylindrical container, namely, a container 1, via the holding unit 31 so that the container 1 can rotate about a cylindrical axis 10 of the container 1. The laser irradiation unit 2 then irradiates the container 1 with pulsed laser light to change the properties of the base material constituting the container 1, thereby forming a first pattern composed of an assembly of second patterns on the surface of the container 1. Note that, hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the first pattern composed of an assembly of second patterns may be referred to as the first pattern as appropriate.

[0114] The laser irradiation unit 2 scans the pulsed laser light emitted from the pulsed laser in the Y direction of Fig. 23 and irradiates the processing laser beam 20 toward the container 1 arranged in the positive Z direction. The laser irradiation unit 2 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 24.

[0115] The rotation mechanism 3 holds the container 1 via a holding part 31. The holding part 31 is a coupling member connected to the motor shaft of a motor serving as a drive part of the rotation mechanism 3, and one end is inserted into the opening of the container 1 to hold the container 1. Rotation of the motor shaft rotates the holding part 31, causing the container 1 held by the holding part 31 to rotate around the cylindrical axis 10.

[0116] The moving mechanism 4 is a linear stage equipped with a table, and the rotation mechanism 3 is placed on the table of the moving mechanism 4. The moving mechanism 4 moves the table back and forth in the Y direction, thereby moving the rotation mechanism 3, the holding part 31, and the container 1 together in the Y direction.

[0117] The dust collection unit 5 is an air suction device arranged near the portion of the container 1 that is irradiated with the processing laser beam 20. By collecting the plume and dust that are generated when the first pattern is formed by irradiating the processing laser beam 20 by air suction, the manufacturing apparatus 100, the container 1, and the surrounding area are prevented from being contaminated by the plume and dust.

[0118] The control unit 6 is electrically connected to each of the pulse laser 21, the scanning unit 23, the rotation mechanism 3, the movement mechanism 4, and the dust collection unit 5 via cables or the like, and controls the operation of each by outputting a control signal.

[0119] In the manufacturing apparatus 100, while rotating the container 1 using the rotation mechanism 3 under the control of the control unit 6, the laser irradiation unit 2 irradiates the container 1 with a processing laser beam 20 that scans in the Y direction. Then, a first pattern is two-dimensionally formed on at least one of the front and back surfaces or the interior of the base material in the container 1.

[0120] Here, the scanning area in the Y direction of the processing laser beam 20 by the laser irradiation unit 2 may be limited in range. Therefore, when forming the first pattern in an area wider than the scanning area, the manufacturing apparatus 100 moves the container 1 in the Y direction using the movement mechanism 4, thereby shifting the irradiation position of the processing laser beam 20 on the container 1 in the Y direction. Thereafter, while rotating the container 1 again using the rotation mechanism 3, the laser irradiation unit 2 scans the processing laser beam 20 in the Y direction, thereby forming the first pattern on at least one of the surface or interior of the base material in the container 1. This allows the first pattern to be formed in a wider area of ​​the container 1 (any area from the mouth to the bottom of the bottle).

[0121] <Configuration example of laser irradiation unit 2> Next, we will explain the configuration of the laser irradiation unit 2. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the laser irradiation unit 2. As shown in Fig. 24, the laser irradiation unit 2 includes a pulse laser 21, a beam expander 22, a scanning unit 23, a scanning lens 24, and a synchronization detection unit 25.

[0122] The pulsed laser 21 is, for example, a laser light source that emits pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser 21 emits pulsed laser light with an output (light intensity) suitable for changing the properties of at least one of the surface and the interior of the base material in the container 1 irradiated with the pulsed laser light.

[0123] The pulse laser 21 is capable of controlling the on / off of pulse laser light emission, emission frequency, light intensity, etc. An example of the pulse laser 21 is a pulse laser with a wavelength of 532 nm, a pulse width of 16 picoseconds, and an average output of 4.9 W. The diameter of the pulse laser light in the region in the container 1 where the properties of the base material are changed is preferably 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less.

[0124] The pulse laser 21 may be configured with one pulse laser or multiple pulse lasers. When multiple pulse lasers are used, the on / off control, emission frequency control, light intensity control, etc. may be performed independently for each pulse laser, or may be shared.

[0125] The diameter of the parallel pulsed laser light emitted from the pulsed laser 21 is expanded by the beam expander 22 and enters the scanning unit 23 .

[0126] The scanning unit 23 includes a scanning mirror whose reflection angle is changed by a driving unit such as a motor. By changing the reflection angle of the scanning mirror, the incident pulsed laser light is scanned in the Y direction. This scanning mirror can be a galvanometer mirror, a polygon mirror, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) mirror, or the like.

[0127] In the embodiment, the scanning unit 23 performs one-dimensional scanning with the pulsed laser beam in the Y direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The scanning unit 23 may perform two-dimensional scanning with the pulsed laser beam in the X and Y directions using a scanning mirror that changes the reflection angle in two orthogonal directions.

[0128] However, when irradiating the surface of the cylindrical container 1 with pulsed laser light, two-dimensional scanning in the X and Y directions causes the beam spot diameter on the surface of the container 1 to change depending on the scanning in the X direction, so one-dimensional scanning is preferable in such cases.

[0129] The pulsed laser light scanned by the scanning unit 23 is irradiated as a processing laser beam 20 onto at least one of the surface and the interior of the base material in the container 1 .

[0130] The scanning lens 24 is an fθ lens that keeps constant the scanning speed of the processing laser beam 20 scanned by the scanning unit 23 and converges the processing laser beam 20 at a predetermined position on at least one of the surface and the interior of the substrate in the container 1. It is preferable that the scanning lens 24 and the container 1 are arranged so that the beam spot diameter of the processing laser beam 20 is minimized in the region in the container 1 where the properties of the substrate are changed. Note that the scanning lens 24 may be configured by combining multiple lenses.

[0131] The synchronization detector 25 outputs a synchronization detection signal used to synchronize the scanning of the processing laser beam 20 with the rotation of the container 1 by the rotation mechanism 3. The synchronization detector 25 includes a photodiode that outputs an electrical signal according to the intensity of the received light, and outputs the electrical signal from the photodiode to the controller 6 as a synchronization detection signal.

[0132] Although Fig. 24 shows an example of scanning a processing laser beam, it is also possible to provide a number of processing laser beams within the range of the printing width to form a processing laser beam array, and by rotating the container 1, scan the container 1 in one direction with a number of laser beams. Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of this, showing a processing laser beam array consisting of a number of laser beams arranged in parallel on the container 1.

[0133] <Example of hardware configuration of control unit 6> Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the control unit 6 included in the manufacturing apparatus 100. Fig. 26 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 6. The control unit 6 is implemented by a computer.

[0134] 26, the control unit 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503, a HD (Hard Disk) 504, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 505, and a display 506. The control unit 6 also includes an external device connection I / F (Interface) 508, a network I / F 509, a data bus 510, a keyboard 511, a pointing device 512, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 514, and a media I / F 516.

[0135] Of these, the CPU 501 is a processor that controls the overall operation of the control unit 6. The ROM 502 is a memory that stores programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader).

[0136] The RAM 503 is a memory used as a work area for the CPU 501. The HD 504 is a memory that stores various data such as programs. The HDD controller 505 controls reading and writing of various data from and to the HD 504 under the control of the CPU 501.

[0137] The display 506 displays various types of information such as a cursor, menu, window, text, or image. The external device connection I / F 508 is an interface for connecting various types of external devices. In this case, the external devices include the pulse laser 21, the scanning unit 23, the synchronization detection unit 25, the rotation mechanism 3, the movement mechanism 4, and the dust collection unit 5. However, other devices such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a printer can also be connected.

[0138] The network I / F 509 is an interface for data communication using a communication network. The bus line 510 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting the components such as the CPU 501 shown in FIG.

[0139] The keyboard 511 is a type of input means having multiple keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc. The pointing device 512 is a type of input means for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc.

[0140] The DVD-RW drive 514 controls reading and writing of various data from and to a DVD-RW 513, which is an example of a removable recording medium. Note that the medium is not limited to a DVD-RW, and may be a DVD-R, etc. The media I / F 516 controls reading and writing (storing) of data from and to a recording medium 515, such as a flash memory.

[0141] <Example of functional configuration of control unit 6> Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the control unit 6. Fig. 27 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 6.

[0142] 27, the control unit 6 includes a first pattern data input unit 61, a second pattern parameter designation unit 62, a storage unit 63, a processing data generation unit 64, a laser irradiation control unit 65, a laser scanning control unit 66, a container rotation control unit 67, a container movement control unit 68, and a dust collection control unit 69. The material data of the workpiece stores processing parameter information according to the material, such as resin.

[0143] Of these, the functions of the first pattern data input unit 61, second pattern parameter designation unit 62, processing data generation unit 64, laser irradiation control unit 65, laser scanning control unit 66, container rotation control unit 67, container movement control unit 68, and dust collection control unit 69 are all realized by the CPU 501 in Fig. 26 executing a predetermined program and outputting a control signal via the external device connection I / F 508. However, electronic or electric circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) may be added to the hardware configuration of the control unit 6, and some or all of the functions of the above components may be realized by the electronic or electric circuits. The function of the storage unit 63 is realized by the HD 504, etc.

[0144] The first pattern data input unit 61 inputs, from an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a scanner, pattern data of a first pattern to be formed on at least one of the surface and the interior of the base material in the container 1. The pattern data of the first pattern is electronic data including information indicating a pattern such as a code, such as a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark), or a character, figure, or photograph, and information indicating the type of the first pattern.

[0145] However, the pattern data is not limited to data input from an external device. A user of manufacturing apparatus 100 can also input pattern data of the generated first pattern using keyboard 511 or pointing device 512 of control unit 6.

[0146] The first pattern data input unit 61 outputs the input pattern data of the first pattern to the processing data generation unit 64 and the second pattern parameter designation unit 62, respectively.

[0147] The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 designates processing parameters for forming the second pattern. As described above, the second pattern is a line or a dot having a smaller length or width than the first pattern, or a smaller length and width than the first pattern, and acts to increase the contrast of the first pattern and improve visibility.

[0148] The processing parameters of the second pattern are information that specifies the type, length, thickness, and processing depth of the lines of the second pattern, or the spacing, arrangement, and density of adjacent lines in a collection of lines, or the type, size, and processing depth of the dots of the second pattern, or the spacing, arrangement, and density of adjacent dots in a collection of dots.

[0149] The line type is information indicating a straight line, a curve, etc. The point type is information indicating the shape of the point, such as a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, a diamond, etc. In the collection of second patterns, the second patterns may be configured to have periodicity or may be configured to be non-periodic. However, configuring the second patterns to have periodicity is preferable because it simplifies the specification of parameters.

[0150] Processing parameters for the second pattern suitable for improving visibility corresponding to the type of first pattern, such as characters, codes, figures, or photographs, are determined in advance through experiments and simulations. The storage unit 63 stores a table showing the correspondence between such first pattern types and processing parameters. The outer frame of the first pattern may or may not be processed. Processing makes the outline clearer. Not processing improves drawing efficiency.

[0151] The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 can refer to the storage unit 63 based on information indicating the type of the first pattern input from the first pattern data input unit 61, and acquire and designate processing parameters for the second pattern.

[0152] However, the method of designation by the second pattern parameter designation unit 62 is not limited to the above-described one. The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 may receive a user instruction via the keyboard 511 or pointing device 512 of the control unit 6, and may refer to the storage unit 63 based on this instruction to acquire the processing parameters of the second pattern.

[0153] The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 may also acquire processing parameters for the second pattern that are generated by the user of the manufacturing apparatus 100 using the keyboard 511 or pointing device 512 of the control unit 6.

[0154] The processing data generating unit 64 generates processing data for forming the first pattern constituted by a collection of the second patterns, based on the pattern data of the first pattern and the processing parameters of the second pattern.

[0155] The processing data includes rotation condition data for the rotation mechanism 3 to rotate the container 1, scanning condition data for the laser irradiation unit 2 to scan the processing laser beam 20, and irradiation condition data for the laser irradiation unit 2 to irradiate the processing laser beam 20 in synchronization with the rotation of the container 1. The processing data also includes movement condition data for the movement mechanism 4 to move the container 1 in the Y direction and dust collection condition data for the dust collection unit 5 to perform a dust collection operation.

[0156] The processing data generation unit 64 outputs the generated processing data to the laser irradiation control unit 65, the laser scanning control unit 66, the container rotation control unit 67, the container movement control unit 68, and the dust collection control unit 69, respectively.

[0157] The laser irradiation control unit 65 includes a light intensity control unit 651 and a pulse control unit 652, and controls the irradiation of the processing laser beam 20 onto the container 1 by the pulse laser 21 based on the irradiation condition data. Furthermore, the laser irradiation control unit 65 controls the irradiation timing of the processing laser beam 20 onto the container 1 in synchronization with the rotation of the container 1 by the rotation mechanism 3 based on a synchronization detection signal from the synchronization detection unit 25.

[0158] When the pulse laser 21 is configured with a plurality of pulse lasers, the laser irradiation control unit 65 performs the above control independently for each of the plurality of pulse lasers.

[0159] The light intensity control unit 651 controls the light intensity of the processing laser beam 20 , and the pulse control unit 652 controls the pulse width and irradiation timing of the processing laser beam 20 .

[0160] The laser scanning control unit 66 controls the scanning of the processing laser beam 20 by the scanning unit 23 based on the scanning condition data. Specifically, it controls the on / off of driving the scanning mirror, controls the driving frequency, and so on.

[0161] Based on the rotation condition data, the container rotation control unit 67 controls the on / off of the rotation drive of the container 1 by the rotation mechanism 3, the rotation angle, rotation direction, rotation speed, etc. Note that the container rotation control unit 67 may continuously rotate the container 1 in a predetermined rotation direction, or may rotate (swing) the container 1 back and forth within a predetermined angle range such as ±90 degrees while switching the rotation direction.

[0162] The container movement control unit 68 controls the on / off, movement direction, movement amount, movement speed, etc. of the movement drive of the container 1 by the movement mechanism 4 based on the movement condition data.

[0163] The dust collection control unit 69 controls the on / off of dust collection by the dust collection unit 5, the amount of air to be sucked, and the flow velocity, based on the dust collection condition data. Note that a mechanism for moving the dust collection unit 5 may be provided, and the movement of the dust collection unit 5 by the mechanism may be controlled so that the dust collection unit 5 is positioned near the position where the processing laser beam 20 is irradiated.

[0164] <Example of manufacturing method using manufacturing apparatus 100> Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method using the manufacturing apparatus 100. Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing an example of a manufacturing method using the manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0165] First, in step S51, the first pattern data input unit 61 inputs pattern data of the first pattern from an external device such as a PC, a scanner, etc. The first pattern data input unit 61 outputs the input pattern data of the first pattern to the processing data generation unit 64 and the second pattern parameter designation unit 62, respectively.

[0166] Subsequently, in step S52, the second pattern parameter designation unit 62 designates processing parameters for forming the second pattern. The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 acquires and designates processing parameters for the second pattern by referring to the storage unit 63 based on the information indicating the type of the first pattern input from the first pattern data input unit 61.

[0167] The order of the operations in steps S51 and S52 may be changed as appropriate, or these steps may be executed in parallel.

[0168] Next, in step S53, the processing data generation unit 64 generates processing data for forming a first pattern composed of an aggregate of second patterns based on the pattern data of the first pattern and the processing parameters of the second pattern, and outputs the generated processing data to the laser irradiation control unit 65, the laser scanning control unit 66, the container rotation control unit 67, the container movement control unit 68, and the dust collection control unit 69.

[0169] Next, in step S54, the laser scan control unit 66, based on the scanning condition data, causes the scanning unit 23 to start scanning in the Y direction with the processing laser beam 20. In this embodiment, in response to this start of scanning, the scanning unit 23 continues scanning in the Y direction with the processing laser beam 20 until an instruction to stop it is given.

[0170] Next, in step S55, the container rotation control unit 67, based on the rotation condition data, causes the rotation mechanism 3 to start rotating the container 1. In this embodiment, in response to the start of the rotation drive, the rotation mechanism 3 continues to rotate the container 1 until an instruction to stop it is given.

[0171] Next, in step S56, the container movement control unit 68 causes the movement mechanism 4 to move the container 1 to an initial position in the Y direction based on the movement condition data so that the processing laser beam 20 is irradiated onto a predetermined position on the container 1. After the container 1 has been moved to the initial position, the container movement control unit 68 stops the movement mechanism 4.

[0172] The order of the operations from step S54 to step S56 may be changed as appropriate, or these steps may be executed in parallel.

[0173] Subsequently, in step S57, the laser irradiation control unit 65 starts controlling the irradiation of the processing laser beam 20 onto the container 1.

[0174] Specifically, the laser irradiation unit 2 scans one line along the Y direction and irradiates the container 1 with the processing laser beam 20. Thereafter, the rotation mechanism 3 rotates a predetermined angle around the cylindrical axis 10 of the container 1. After rotating by the predetermined angle, the laser irradiation unit 2 scans the next line and irradiates the container 1 with the processing laser beam 20. Thereafter, the rotation mechanism 3 rotates a predetermined angle around the cylindrical axis 10 of the container 1. By repeating these operations, a first pattern is sequentially formed on at least one of the surface and the interior of the substrate in the container 1.

[0175] Subsequently, in step S58, the laser irradiation control unit 65 determines whether or not the formation of the first pattern has been completed in a predetermined region of the container 1 in the Y direction.

[0176] If it is determined in step S58 that the process has not ended (No in step S58), the process from step S56 onwards is repeated again.

[0177] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S58 that the process has ended (Yes in step S58), then in step S59, the rotation mechanism 3 stops the rotation of the container 1 in response to a stop instruction from the container rotation control unit 67.

[0178] Subsequently, in step S60, the scanning unit 23 stops scanning with the processing laser beam 20 in response to a stop instruction from the laser scan control unit 66. The pulse laser 21 stops irradiating the processing laser beam 20 in response to a stop instruction from the laser irradiation control unit 65.

[0179] The order of the operations in steps S59 and S60 can be changed as appropriate, and these steps may be performed in parallel.

[0180] In this way, the manufacturing apparatus 100 can form a first pattern made up of an aggregate of second patterns on at least one of the surface and the interior of the base material in the container 1.

[0181] <Examples of various data> Next, an example of various data used in manufacturing the container 1 will be described.

[0182] (Example of pattern data) FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of pattern data of the first pattern input by the first pattern data input unit 61. As shown in FIG.

[0183] 29, pattern data 611 includes character data 612, "LABEL-LESS," and character data 612 is to be formed on container 1 as a first pattern. A set of multiple lines that make up the five characters of "LABEL-LESS" corresponds to the data for the first pattern. Data in pattern data 611 other than character data 612 is not to be formed on container 1.

[0184] The pattern data 611 is provided as an image file such as a bitmap, for example. The header information of the image file that provides the pattern data 611 includes information indicating the type of the first pattern. In this example, the type of the first pattern is "character."

[0185] The first pattern data input unit 61 outputs pattern data 611 including information indicating "characters" to the second pattern parameter designation unit 62 and the processed data generation unit 64, respectively.

[0186] (Example of a table showing the correspondence between the first pattern type and processing parameters) Fig. 30 shows an example of a correspondence table stored in storage unit 63. Correspondence table 631 shown in Fig. 30 shows the correspondence between the type of first pattern, such as a character, code, graphic, or photograph, and processing parameters for a second pattern suitable for improving the visibility of the first pattern. This correspondence is determined in advance through experiments and simulations.

[0187] The numerical values ​​shown in the "IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION" column of the correspondence table 631 indicate information indicating the type of first pattern, the information shown in the "TYPE" column indicates the type of first pattern, and the information shown in the "PARAMETER" column indicates the file name in which the processing parameters corresponding to the type of first pattern are recorded.

[0188] The second pattern parameter designation unit 62 refers to the correspondence table 631, reads the file corresponding to the information indicating the type of the first pattern, and acquires the processing parameters. In the example of Figure 29, the type of the first pattern is "character", so the second pattern parameter designation unit 62 reads the file "para1" corresponding to the identification information "1" indicating "character", acquires the processing parameters, and outputs them to the processing data generation unit 64.

[0189] (Example of processing parameters) 31 is a diagram showing an example of processing parameters acquired by the second pattern parameter designation unit 62. The parameters are shown in the "parameter" column according to the items in the "item" column of the processing parameters 621.

[0190] (Example of processed data) 32 is a diagram showing an example of processing data generated by the processing data generation unit 64. Character data 642 in the processing data 641 is composed of a plurality of line data corresponding to the second pattern. The black area in the processing data 641 corresponds to the area where the properties of the base material of the container 1 are changed by irradiation with the processing laser beam 20.

[0191] <Example of processing laser beam 20> Next, FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of irradiation of the container 1 with the processing laser beam 20, and shows three examples of irradiation.

[0192] Figure 33 also shows the beam spot 201 of the processing laser beam 20 on the surface of the container 1, and also shows the state in which three beam spots 201 arranged in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (Y direction) of the processing laser beam 20 are scanned in the Y direction.

[0193] Such three beam spots 201 can be obtained by arranging three pulse lasers 21 side by side in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction and irradiating the processing laser beam 20 from each of the three pulse lasers 21.

[0194] Figures 33(a) and (b) show the first example, in which there are gaps between the beam spots 201 in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. Figure 33(a) shows a state in which there are gaps between the beam spots 201 in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and Figure 33(b) shows a state in which the beam spots 201 of Figure 33(a) are scanned at high speed in the Y direction. By scanning at high speed, three scan lines are formed by the three beam spots 201, and there are gaps between the scan lines in the Y direction. Irradiating the beam spots 201 with the arrangement shown in Figures 33(a) and (b) can improve the efficiency of pattern formation.

[0195] Figures 33(c) and (d) show a second example in which the beam spots 201 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. Figure 33(c) shows a state in which the beam spots 201 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and Figure 32(d) shows a state in which the beam spots 201 of Figure 32(c) are scanned at high speed in the Y direction. By scanning at high speed, three scanning lines are formed by the beam spots 201, and the scanning lines in the Y direction overlap. By irradiating the beam spots 201 in the arrangements shown in Figures 33(c) and (d), the contrast of the pattern can be increased.

[0196] Figures 33(e) and (f) show a third example, in which the beam spots 201 are in contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction. Figure 33(e) shows a state in which the beam spots 201 are in contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and Figure 33(f) shows a state in which the beam spots 201 of Figure 33(e) are scanned at high speed in the Y direction. By scanning at high speed, three scanning lines are formed by the beam spots 201, and the scanning lines are in contact with each other in the Y direction. By irradiating the beam spots 201 in the arrangements shown in Figures 33(e) and (f), it is possible to achieve a balance between pattern formation efficiency and contrast.

[0197] By combining these three examples of irradiation with the processing laser beam 20, a first pattern consisting of a collection of second patterns can be formed on the container 1. The number of processing laser beams 20 is not limited to three, and may be one or more. The more the number of processing laser beams 20 is increased, the more the time required for pattern formation can be reduced.

[0198] The diameter of the beam spots 201 is, for example, 42.3 μm, and the gap between the beam spots 201 in the direction perpendicular to the Y direction in FIGS. 33(a) and 33(b) is, for example, 21.2 μm.

[0199] Furthermore, although FIG. 33 shows an example in which the processing laser beams are arranged periodically, the present invention is not limited to this, and non-periodic arrangement is also possible.

[0200] <Examples of changes in the properties of the substrate> Next, a description will be given of changes in the properties of the base material of the container 1 due to irradiation with the processing laser beam 20. Fig. 34 is a diagram showing an example of changes in the properties of the base material of the container 1 due to irradiation with the processing laser beam 20.

[0201] Figure 34(a) shows a recessed shape formed by evaporating the base material on the surface of the container 1, and Figure 34(b) shows a recessed shape formed by melting the base material on the surface of the container 1. In the case of Figure 34(b), the periphery of the recessed portion is raised compared to Figure 34(a).

[0202] 34(c) shows the change in the crystallization state on the surface of the base material of the container 1, and FIG. 34(d) shows the change in the foaming state inside the base material of the container 1.

[0203] In this way, by changing the shape of the surface of the container 1, or by changing the properties such as the crystallization state of the substrate surface or the foaming state inside the substrate, a first pattern consisting of an aggregate of second patterns can be formed on the surface or inside the container 1.

[0204] As a method for forming the recessed shapes by evaporating the base material on the surface of the container 1, for example, a pulsed laser with a wavelength of 355 nm to 1064 nm and a pulse width of 10 fs to 500 nm or less is irradiated. This causes the base material in the area irradiated with the laser beam to evaporate, forming minute recessed portions on the surface.

[0205] It is also possible to form recesses by melting the substrate by irradiating it with a CW (Continuous Wave) laser with a wavelength of 355 nm to 1064 nm. Furthermore, if the laser continues to be irradiated even after the substrate has melted, the inside and surface of the substrate can be foamed and become cloudy.

[0206] To change the crystallization state, for example, if the substrate is PET, a CW laser with a wavelength of 355 nm to 1064 nm is irradiated to raise the temperature of the substrate in one go, and then the PET substrate can be brought into a crystallized state and made opaque by gradually cooling it by, for example, weakening the power. Note that if the PET is cooled rapidly by turning off the laser beam after raising the temperature, it will become amorphous and transparent.

[0207] The change in the properties of the base material of the container 1 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 34. The properties of the base material may be changed by yellowing of the base material made of a resin material, oxidation reaction, surface modification, etc.

[0208] <An example of the container 1 according to the fifth embodiment> Next, a container 1 according to a fifth embodiment will be described. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of the container 1. The container 1 is a cylindrical bottle whose base material is a resin (transparent resin) that is transparent to visible light. FIG. 35 shows the container 1 placed in front of a black screen as the background. The black screen in the background can be seen through the transparent container 1. Alternatively, it can be considered that a black liquid is contained in the container 1, and the black liquid in the container 1 can be seen through the transparent container 1.

[0209] The characters 11, "Labelless," are formed on the surface of the container 1. The characters 11 appear opaque against the black background or the black liquid inside the container 1 due to the diffusion of ambient light by the characters 11. The collection of multiple lines that make up the five characters of "Labelless" corresponds to the characters 11, and the characters 11 are an example of a first pattern and an example of a first region. The region of the container 1 where the characters 11 are not formed is an example of another region.

[0210] The resin for the base material of the container 1 can be polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polybutylene adipate / terephthalate (PBAT), polyethylene terephthalate succinate, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane, epoxy, biopolybutylene succinate (PBS), polylactic acid blend (PBAT), starch blend polyester resin, polybutylene terephthalate succinate, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxybutyrate / hydroxyhexanoate (PHBH), polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA), bioPET30, biopolyamide (PA) 610, 410, 510, bioPA1012, 10T, bioPA11T, MXD10, biopolycarbonate, biopolyurethane, bioPE, bioPET100, bioPA11, bioPA1010, etc.

[0211] Among these, biodegradable resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, polybutylene adipate / terephthalate, and polyethylene terephthalate succinate are suitable because they reduce environmental impact. While it is desirable for the resin to be 100% biodegradable, partial biodegradability is also acceptable. For example, a combination of 5%, 10%, or 30% biodegradable resin with other proportions of conventional resin can also be expected to reduce environmental impact.

[0212] FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the first pattern and the second pattern formed on the container 1. The enlarged view 111 in FIG. 36 is an enlarged view of a portion of the character 11. As shown in FIG. 36, the character 11, "Labelless," is formed on the surface of the container 1, and as shown in the enlarged view 111, the character 11 is made up of a plurality of straight lines 12. In other words, the character 11 is made up of a collection of straight lines 12. Note that, in FIG. 36, the straight lines 12 are shown only in the area corresponding to the enlarged view 111, but the entire character 11 is made up of a collection of straight lines 12.

[0213] The white area in the collection of straight lines 12 indicates an area where the properties of the base material have changed, and the straight line 12 corresponding to one of the multiple straight lines indicated in the white area is an example of a second pattern and also an example of a second area. The multiple straight lines 12 are an example of a collection of straight lines 12. The straight lines 12 are a pattern that is smaller than the character 11. More specifically, the straight lines 12 are a pattern in which the area of ​​the straight line portion is smaller than the sum of the areas of the multiple line portions that make up the character 11. In this way, the character 11 is formed including a collection of straight lines 12 that are smaller (fine) than the character 11.

[0214] Figure 37 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross-sectional shape in the enlarged view 111 of Figure 36. An outer surface portion 121 indicates the substrate surface on the outside of the container 1. A recess 122 indicates a portion formed by evaporation of the surface of the substrate of the container 1 by irradiation with the processing laser beam 20, and corresponds to the line 12. An inner surface portion 123 indicates the substrate surface on the inside of the container 1 (the interior side of the container 1).

[0215] The thickness t indicates the thickness of the base material of the container 1, and the processing depth Hp indicates the depth of the recess 122. The non-processed portion depth Hb indicates the depth of the non-processed portion. The depth of the non-processed portion is the depth obtained by subtracting the processing depth Hp from the thickness t of the base material of the container 1.

[0216] Here, the interval between adjacent second patterns refers to the distance between the centers of adjacent second patterns. In Fig. 37, interval P indicates the interval between adjacent straight lines 12. Furthermore, width W indicates the thickness of straight lines 12. In this embodiment, straight lines 12 are formed periodically, so interval P also corresponds to the period at which straight lines 12 are formed.

[0217] Here, the spacing P is preferably set to 0.4 μm or more and 130 μm or less. By setting the spacing P to 0.4 μm or more, ambient light can be diffused without being restricted by the wavelength limit of visible light, and the contrast of the character 11 formed by a collection of straight lines 12 can be improved.

[0218] Furthermore, by setting the interval P to 130 μm or less, a resolution of 200 dpi (dots per inch) is guaranteed, the lines 12 themselves are prevented from being visible, and the characters 11 can be viewed with high contrast as a cloudy pattern. Setting the interval P to 50 μm or less is more preferable because it can reliably prevent the second pattern itself from being visible.

[0219] In the above example, the preferred values ​​for the interval P were described, but if the second pattern has periodicity, the preferred values ​​can also be applied to the period. While Fig. 37 shows an example in which the interval P is constant, it is also possible for there to be multiple different intervals P, rather than a constant interval. For example, P1 = 50 µm, P2 = 30 µm, P3 = 60 µm, and P4 = 100 µm.

[0220] It should be noted that Fig. 36 shows an example of a second pattern with narrower spacing than the processed data of the second pattern shown in Fig. 32. In other words, the character data 642 in Fig. 32 does not correspond to the character 11 in Fig. 36.

[0221] Furthermore, although the enlarged view 111 shows a collection of straight lines 12 formed periodically at equal intervals, the collection of the second pattern is not limited to this. The collection of the second pattern may be formed of a plurality of straight lines 12 formed non-periodically at different intervals, or may be formed of a plurality of dots formed periodically or non-periodically. If the second pattern is a dot pattern, the dot pattern should be smaller than the first pattern such as the characters 11.

[0222] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second pattern is formed in an uneven shape including outer surface portions 121 and recesses 122 corresponding to the protrusions. When forming the second pattern in an uneven shape like this, it is preferable to set the difference in depth between the outer surface portions 121 and the recesses 122 to 0.4 μm or more. By setting the difference to 0.4 μm or more, ambient light can be diffused without being restricted by the wavelength limit of visible light, and the contrast of the characters 11 formed by a collection of straight lines 12 can be improved. Note that although the outer surface portions 121 are shown as an example of protrusions, the protrusions may be the portions of the outer surface of the container 1 vaporized by irradiating the processing laser beam 20, as long as the protrusions are shallower than the recesses 122.

[0223] Next, FIG. 38 is a diagram showing various examples of the machining depth Hp.

[0224] 38(a) shows a case where the processing depth Hp is shallower than the non-processed portion depth Hb of the substrate. More specifically, this is the case where the ratio of the processing depth Hp to the non-processed portion depth Hb is from 1 to 9 or more to 3 to 7. In this case, the rigidity (mechanical strength) of the second pattern is improved. As an example, when the thickness of the substrate of the container 1 is 100 μm to 500 μm, the processing depth Hp is 10 μm.

[0225] 38(b) shows the case where the processing depth Hp is deeper than the non-processed portion depth Hb of the substrate. More specifically, this is the case where the ratio of the processing depth Hp to the non-processed portion depth Hb is from 7:3 to 9:1 or more.

[0226] 38(c) shows the case where the processing depth Hp and the non-processed portion depth Hb of the substrate are approximately the same. More specifically, this is the case where the ratio of the processing depth Hp to the non-processed portion depth Hb changes from 4:6 to 6:4.

[0227] FIG. 38(d) is a diagram showing the case where the processing depth Hp and the non-processed portion depth Hb of the substrate are changed.

[0228] The processing depth Hp as shown in FIGS. 38(a) to (d) can be adjusted by controlling the light intensity of the pulsed laser light emitted by the pulsed laser 21 with the light intensity control unit 651 in the laser irradiation control unit 65.

[0229] In the case of a bottle (container 1) for carbonated beverages, strength is required compared to a bottle (container 1) for non-carbonated beverages, and therefore the thickness of the base material may be thicker than that of a bottle (container 1) for non-carbonated beverages. In such cases, it is preferable to ensure a sufficient unprocessed portion depth Hb to obtain sufficient strength. For example, it is preferable to set the unprocessed portion depth Hb to 200 μm to 450 μm. Furthermore, if a processing depth Hp that ensures drawability is required, it is preferable to further increase the thickness of the resin to ensure a sufficient unprocessed portion depth Hb and processed portion depth Hp.

[0230] <Example of pulse laser and processing parameters> The pulse laser 21 used in the manufacturing apparatus 100 may have a wavelength of, for example, 355 nm, 532 nm, or 1064 nm, and the pulse width may be from several tens of fs to several hundreds of ns. A CW laser may also be used, and may be modulated before use.

[0231] The shorter the wavelength of the pulsed laser 21 used, the smaller the beam spot diameter can be, which is suitable for forming a first pattern made up of a collection of finer second patterns.

[0232] <Effects of container 1> Containers such as PET bottles are widely used due to their various advantages, such as their shelf life, in the distribution and sale of beverages and other products. Containers in circulation on the market are often affixed with labels displaying the product name, ingredients, expiration date, barcode, QR code, recycle mark, logo mark, etc. for management and sales promotion purposes. Labels can provide useful information to consumers. Furthermore, displaying designs on labels to appeal to consumers can help to demonstrate the individuality of the product and increase its competitiveness.

[0233] On the other hand, in recent years, the problem of marine plastic waste has come under scrutiny, and there has been a growing global movement to eliminate environmental pollution caused by plastic waste. Containers such as PET bottles are no exception, and measures to reduce plastic waste are being implemented from the perspective of environmentally friendly reduction.

[0234] Under these circumstances, there is a growing demand for closed-loop recycling of containers. Here, closed-loop recycling of containers means that recyclers convert used containers that have been separated and collected into flakes, which are the raw material for containers, and then manufacture containers again.

[0235] To smoothly advance this circular recycling, it is preferable to thoroughly separate and collect different materials, such as container bodies, labels, and caps, of PET bottles and other containers, during the recycling process. Separation requires consumers to separate the caps and labels from each container, and removing the labels is particularly time-consuming for both consumers and local government resource recovery companies, as it requires manual labor. Therefore, the task of removing labels from containers is one of the constraints to thoroughly implementing separate collection.

[0236] In response to this, research is being conducted into technologies to provide containers without labels, such as by printing patterns displaying information on the container body using an inkjet method.

[0237] However, if the ink applied by printing remains in the bottle during the recycling process after collection, impurities increase, which may be undesirable. Also, if the ink is removed from the container body during the recycling process to reduce impurities, the management information may be lost, which may be undesirable.

[0238] Another method being considered is to use a CO2 laser (carbon dioxide laser) to form a pattern that displays information on the container body.

[0239] However, because the wavelength of a pulsed laser such as a CO2 laser is long, the beam spot diameter becomes large, which reduces the resolution of the pattern formed on the container body. As a result, when a pattern with a large amount of information, such as an image, is formed on the container, the contrast of the pattern decreases, which can reduce visibility.

[0240] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a container 1 is provided in which a first pattern constituted by a second pattern is formed on at least one of the front surface, rear surface, or interior of the base material.

[0241] The first pattern formed by the second pattern has a higher diffusion of ambient light compared to a first pattern formed in a single stroke. The term "single stroke" used here refers to drawing a line or a figure while continuously irradiating the pulsed laser beam without interruption. As a result, the contrast of the first pattern relative to the area of ​​the container 1 where the first pattern is not formed is improved. In this embodiment, the light diffusion effect of the second pattern makes the first pattern appear cloudy compared to the area where the first pattern is not formed, and the improved contrast makes the cloudy area appear whiter.

[0242] As a result, even if the first pattern is a pattern with a large amount of information including fine lines, characters, etc., the first pattern can be clearly seen with high contrast, and a container 1 can be provided in which a pattern with a large amount of information is formed with good visibility. Also, in the material that serves as the base material of the container 1, a base material can be provided in which an image, drawing, etc. is formed with good visibility.

[0243] Furthermore, since the first pattern can be formed without applying impurities such as ink to the container 1 body, the process of removing impurities within the circular recycling process is unnecessary, and the loss of management information due to removing ink as an impurity can also be prevented.

[0244] Furthermore, by coloring, whitening, or opacifying the first pattern, the first pattern can be seen with good contrast even when transparent plastic or transparent glass that is transparent to visible light is used as the base material of the container 1.

[0245] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a first pattern consisting of a collection of second patterns is formed using a processing laser beam 20, but this is not limited to this, and other processing methods such as mechanical cutting processing can also be applied.

[0246] Furthermore, by changing at least one of the properties of the base material, such as the shape, crystallization state, or foaming state, a laser processing method in which a laser beam is irradiated can be applied as a means for changing the properties of the base material. Laser processing allows for high-speed processing and can suppress the generation of cutting dust, etc., so it is possible to form the first pattern composed of an aggregate of the second pattern in a cleaner environment.

[0247] In this embodiment, the processing depth Hp of the second pattern is adjusted by controlling the light intensity of the processing laser beam 20 based on the irradiation condition data, thereby optimizing the contrast of the first pattern or the rigidity of the second pattern.

[0248] It is also preferable to set the diameter of the processing laser beam 20 to 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less in the area where the properties of the base material are changed on the surface or inside of the container 1. This can improve the diffusion of ambient light by the first pattern formed by the collection of second patterns, and also ensure the efficiency of forming the first pattern.

[0249] If the beam spot diameter is smaller than 1 μm, it will be close to the wavelength of visible light, and the structure processed with that beam spot diameter will not be able to scatter light and will not become opaque. Furthermore, if it is larger than 200 μm, the structure will be visible to the human eye. For the above-mentioned purposes, it is preferable that the diameter of the processing laser beam 20 be 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less. Furthermore, to ensure that the structure is not visible even to people with good eyesight, it is even more preferable that the diameter of the processing laser beam be 1 to 100 μm or less.

[0250] Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent second patterns is preferably 0.4 μm or more and 130 μm or less. By setting the spacing to 0.4 μm or more, ambient light can be diffused without being restricted by the wavelength limit of visible light, improving the contrast of the first pattern. Furthermore, by setting the spacing to 130 μm or less, a resolution of 200 dpi (dots per inch) can be guaranteed, and the second pattern itself can be prevented from being visible, allowing the first pattern to be visible with high contrast as a cloudy pattern.

[0251] Furthermore, if the second pattern is formed at a predetermined period, period information can be used as a processing parameter, which is preferable because it simplifies the processing parameters for forming the second pattern.

[0252] Furthermore, when the second pattern is configured with a concave-convex shape, it is preferable that the difference in depth between the concave and convex parts in the concave-convex shape be 0.4 μm or more, which can ensure the second pattern's ability to diffuse ambient light and improve the contrast of the first pattern.

[0253] Furthermore, it is more preferable to configure the aggregate by including two or more and five or less second patterns, since this allows the second patterns to effectively achieve opacification.

[0254] Furthermore, using a biodegradable resin as the base material of the container 1 is more preferable because it does not generate resin waste and therefore reduces the environmental impact. In this case, it is preferable that the ratio of biodegradable resin in the resin constituting the container 1 is 100%, but even if it is around 30%, the environmental impact is significantly reduced.

[0255] The embodiment also includes a container configured to include the container 1 and an object contained in the container 1. Figure 39 is a diagram showing an example of such a container 7. The container 7 is configured to include the container 1, a sealing member 8 such as a cap, and an object 9 such as a liquid beverage contained in the container 1. The words "Labelless" 11 are printed on the surface of the container 1.

[0256] The contained object 9 is often black, brown, yellow, or the like. A threaded portion is provided at the mouth of the container 7 to be screwed onto and fixed to the sealing member 8. In addition, a threaded portion is provided inside the sealing member 8 to be screwed onto the threaded portion provided at the mouth of the container 7.

[0257] The method for manufacturing the container 7 includes the following three modes. Aspect 1: A manufacturing method of a container 7 in which a pattern is formed on a container 1, an object to be contained 9 is contained, and then the container 7 is sealed with a sealing member 8. Aspect 2: A method for manufacturing a container 7 in which an object to be contained 9 is contained, and then sealed with a sealing member 8, and a pattern is formed on the container 1. Aspect 3: A method for manufacturing a container 7 in which a pattern is formed on a container 1 while containing an object 9 to be contained, and then the container 1 is sealed with a sealing member 8.

[0258] [Fifth embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.

[0259] In the fifth embodiment, the first pattern formed on the container 1 is an image, and each of the multiple pixels that make up this image is made up of a collection of second patterns. Also, by varying the spacing between the pixels of the second patterns, the image as the first pattern can be expressed in multi-level gradation.

[0260] 40 is a diagram illustrating an example of gradation expression by varying the spacing of the second pattern between pixels, and shows processed image data 112 of an image corresponding to the first pattern to be formed on the container 1. Pixels 1121 shown as squares in FIG. 40 indicate pixels that make up the processed image data 112. The processed image data 112 is made up of a plurality of pixels 1121.

[0261] In this embodiment, the second pattern is a dot pattern, and each of the plurality of pixels 1121 is composed of a collection of point data 1122. The point data 1122 shown as a black area in the processing image data 112 corresponds to an area where the properties of the base material are changed by irradiation with the processing laser beam 20.

[0262] 40, the spacing between adjacent point data 1122 increases as the arrow moves upward, and decreases as the arrow moves downward. The greater the spacing between adjacent point data 1122, the lower the diffusion of ambient light when a dot pattern is formed on the container 1, and the lower the density of the clouded first pattern. On the other hand, the narrower the spacing between adjacent point data 1122, the higher the diffusion of ambient light when a dot pattern is formed on the container 1, and the higher the density of the clouded first pattern.

[0263] In this way, by varying the intervals of the second pattern between pixels, the gradation (shade) of the image is expressed.

[0264] Here, Figure 40 shows an example in which gradation is expressed by the spacing of a periodic dot pattern, but the method of expressing gradation is not limited to this. For example, gradation can be expressed by making the uneven shape at an angle rather than perpendicular to the surface of the container. Processing of such an uneven shape can be performed by irradiating the processing laser beam 20 at an angle rather than perpendicular to the surface of the container 1. This maintains the strength of the container 1 and makes it possible to emphasize the pattern depending on the angle (viewing direction).

[0265] Furthermore, not only can one container 1 be inclined in one direction, but it can also be inclined in multiple directions (such as processing the shoulder portion and the side surface). It is also possible to perform inclination in multiple directions in one processing step.

[0266] Figure 41 is a diagram illustrating another example of gradation expression using the second pattern. Figure 41(a) is a diagram illustrating processing data for a non-periodic second pattern. In Figure 41(a), pixel 180 represents one pixel, and pixel 180 is composed of rectangular point data arranged aperiodically. The direction of the arrow indicates the intensity of pixel density, and the greater the number of point data within pixel 180, the higher the density.

[0267] 41(a) indicate the intervals between adjacent point data in the arrangement of various point data within the pixel 180, and correspond to the intervals between point patterns when the point patterns are formed on the container 1.

[0268] On the other hand, Figure 41(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the second pattern formed by changing the crystallization state, and Figure 41(c) is a plan view of Figure 41(b).

[0269] 41(b) and (c) show an example in which the diffusion of ambient light by the second pattern is changed and the density of the first pattern is changed by changing the crystallization depth D at which the base material of the container 1 is crystallized. The deeper the crystallization depth D, the higher the diffusion of ambient light becomes, and the denser the density of the white of the cloudy white becomes (whittier).

[0270] Next, Fig. 42 is a diagram showing an example of a container 1a according to the fifth embodiment. Images 13 and 14 expressed in multi-level gradations are formed on the container 1a. Also, an image 15 in which characters are superimposed is formed.

[0271] Each of the images 13, 14, and 15 is composed of a plurality of pixels, and each pixel is composed of a collection of dot patterns as a second pattern. Gradation is expressed by varying the spacing between adjacent dot patterns between pixels. Each of these images 13, 14, and 15 is an example of a first pattern.

[0272] As described above, in this embodiment, the first pattern formed on the container 1 is an image, and each of the multiple pixels that make up this image is made up of a collection of second patterns, and the spacing between the second patterns is made different between pixels. This changes the diffusivity for each pixel, thereby changing the density of the first pattern formed on the container 1 for each pixel, and making it possible to express the first pattern in multi-level gradation.

[0273] The diffusion of ambient light is improved in the area other than the characters 220a, and the area other than the characters 220a is perceived as cloudy white. In the area of ​​the characters 220b, the black color of the background screen or the black color of the liquid in the container 1 is perceived. In this way, the first pattern such as the characters 220b can also be perceived.

[0274] Furthermore, in the embodiment, an example in which the container is cylindrical has been shown, but the container is not limited to this, and may be a box-shaped container, a cone-shaped container, or the like.

[0275] In addition, in the embodiment, an example is shown in which a first pattern consisting of an aggregate of second patterns is formed on the surface of a container, but it is also possible to form a first pattern consisting of an aggregate of second patterns inside a substrate that constitutes the container.

[0276] Furthermore, for the object contained in the container 1, by increasing the contrast of the first pattern with respect to the color of the object contained in the container that is transparent to visible light, it is possible to provide an object having a pattern with good visibility and a large amount of information. For example, if the object is black, forming a cloudy first pattern on the container makes the first pattern easier to see, and if the object is white, forming a blackened first pattern on the container makes the first pattern easier to see.

[0277] The container may have any shape, such as a cylindrical or rectangular prism without shoulders or slopes. The contents of the container may be any color, and may be cold or hot, carbonated, colloidal (such as yogurt), or anything that fits in the container. Examples of contents include, but are not limited to, coffee, tea, beer, water, juice, carbonated drinks, milk, etc., and anything that fits in the container may be used.

[0278] In addition, the processing state can be changed depending on the contents of the container. For example, depending on the contents of the container, the processing state can be changed to whiten or opaque by adjusting the laser intensity, etc., and the shade can be controlled.

[0279] The second pattern may be formed to match the shape of the embossed PET bottle.Furthermore, the above-mentioned inclined processing may also be used in combination to process the contours, interior, and periphery of the unevenness.

[0280] Note that ordinal numbers, quantitative numbers, and other figures used in the description of the embodiments are all provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated figures. Furthermore, the connection relationships between the components are provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present invention, and the connection relationships that realize the functions of the present invention are not limited to these.

[0281] The division of blocks in the functional block diagram is an example, and multiple blocks may be realized as a single block, one block may be divided into multiple blocks, and / or some functions may be moved to another block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software. [Explanation of symbols]

[0282] 1 container 10 Cylindrical shaft 11 characters 112 processed image data 1121 pixels 12 straight line 121 Outer surface 122 recess 2 Laser irradiation unit 20 Processing laser beam 21 Pulse laser (example of light source) 22 Beam Expander 221 Galvanometer mirror (first optical scanning unit) 23 Scanning unit 231 Polygon mirror (an example of the second optical scanning unit) 232 marks 233 Rotation origin sensor 24 Scanning Lens 241 fθ lens (an example of a light irradiation part) 25 Synchronous detection unit 3 Rotation mechanism 4 Moving mechanism 5 Dust collection section 6 Control Unit 61 First pattern data input section 62 Second pattern parameter specification section 621 Processing parameters 63 Storage area 631 Compatible Table 64 Processing data generation unit 641 Processing Data 65 Laser irradiation control unit 651 Light Intensity Control Unit 652 Pulse control section 66 Laser scanning control unit 67 Container rotation control unit 68 Container movement control unit 69 Dust collection control section 7 Containment Unit 8 Sealing member 9. Detainees 100 Manufacturing equipment (an example of a pattern forming device) 101 Mouth 102 Shoulder 103 Torso 104 Bottom 200 Pattern forming device 300 Conveyance detection unit 400 Irradiated surface 500 processing section 517 Pulse laser control unit 520 Synchronous detection control section 530 Polygon mirror control unit 541 Polygon mirror surface specific control unit 550 Galvanometer mirror control unit 560 Surface tilt information storage unit P interval Pd1, Pd2, Pd3, Pd4 intervals W width Hp processing depth Hb Depth of unprocessed part t: thickness of substrate D Crystallization depth [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0283] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5632662

Claims

1. A pattern forming apparatus that irradiates a substrate transported in a predetermined direction with laser light, a light source unit that emits the laser light; a first optical scanning unit that scans the laser light in the predetermined direction; a second optical scanning unit that scans the laser light at a plurality of positions in the predetermined direction in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction; a light irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate with the scanning light from the first or second light scanning unit, the pattern forming device forms a two-dimensional pattern on the substrate; the substrates are a plurality of substrates transported at predetermined intervals, When the size of the two-dimensional pattern in the predetermined direction is Lx and the predetermined interval is S, the following formula is satisfied: 0.4<Lx / (Lx+S)<1 ΔV≧V-Lx / (t Ｌ ×N) Patterning device. (where ΔV represents the scanning speed of the laser light by the first optical scanning unit in the predetermined direction, V represents the conveying speed of the base material, and t Ｌ represents the scanning time required for one scanning line of the intersecting scanning line corresponding to the scanning line in the intersecting direction, and N represents the number of the intersecting scanning lines required to form the two-dimensional pattern.

2. A two-dimensional pattern is formed on the substrate while the irradiation position of the scanning light from the second optical scanning unit is changed in the predetermined direction by the first optical scanning unit according to the position of the substrate being transported. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. After scanning in the predetermined direction, the first optical scanning unit returns the irradiation position of the scanning light from the second optical scanning unit to an initial position in the scanning in the predetermined direction in a shorter time than the time required for scanning in the predetermined direction.

3. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1.

4. the first optical scanning unit includes a galvanometer mirror, The second optical scanning unit includes a polygon mirror. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

5. the second optical scanning unit changes an angle of a reflecting surface to scan the laser light in the intersecting direction; The first optical scanning unit scans the laser light in the predetermined direction so as to correct a deviation in the irradiation position of the scanning light on the base material caused by tilting of the reflecting surface in the predetermined direction. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. The base material is the base material that constitutes the container. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

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