Processing system

Abstract

This processing system comprises a processing device capable of performing removal processing for removing a portion of an object by emitting an energy beam onto the object, and a control device for controlling the processing device to remove a target processing part in the removal processing, wherein: the control device controls the processing device to execute a first operation for removing at least a portion of a first part of the target processing part by emitting an energy beam having a first fluence onto the first part, and a second operation for removing at least a portion of a second part of the target processing part by emitting an energy beam having a second fluence lower than the first fluence onto the second part; and the first part is adjacent to the second part in a first direction intersecting a direction of progress of the energy beam.

Description

Processing System

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a processing system and a processing method capable of processing an object with an energy beam.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 describes a processing system that processes an object by irradiating the object with laser light, which is an example of an energy beam. This type of processing system is required to process the object appropriately.

[0003] U.S. Patent Application No. 4,427,872

[0004] According to a first aspect, a processing system is provided that includes a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device controls the processing device to perform a first operation of removing at least a portion of a first portion of the target processing portion by irradiating the energy beam with a first fluence to the first portion, and a second operation of removing at least a portion of a second portion of the target processing portion by irradiating the energy beam with a second fluence lower than the first fluence to the second portion, and wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion along a first direction that intersects the traveling direction of the energy beam.

[0005] According to a second aspect, there is provided a processing system comprising a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device is switchable between a first mode in which removal processing of a portion of the target processing portion adjacent to a non-target processing portion is performed in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located on the boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion adjacent to the target processing portion on the surface of the object, and a second mode in which removal processing of a portion of the target processing portion adjacent to the non-target processing portion is performed in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located on the surface of the object inside the target processing portion and away from the boundary.

[0006] According to a third aspect, there is provided a processing system comprising a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, and a control device that controls the processing device so as to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device performs the removal processing in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam on the surface of the object is located only inside the target processing portion, away from the boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, a processing system is provided which comprises a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, an acquisition unit which acquires processing data regarding a target processing portion in the removal processing and information regarding the energy beam, a calculation unit which modifies the processing data based on the information regarding the energy beam and outputs modified processing data, and a control device which controls the processing device to remove a portion of the object based on the modified processing data, and in which the removal processing is performed while the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing portion.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect, a processing system is provided that includes a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device controls the processing device to perform a first operation to remove at least a portion of a first portion of the target processing portion by irradiating the energy beam under first conditions to the first portion, and a second operation to remove at least a portion of a second portion of the target processing portion by irradiating the energy beam under second conditions different from the first conditions, and wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a processing system comprising a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, and a control device that controls the processing device so as to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the center of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing portion.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect, a processing system is provided that includes a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, an acquisition unit that acquires modified processing data obtained by modifying processing data related to a target processing portion in the removal processing, and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a portion of the object based on the modified processing data, wherein the center of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing portion.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the appearance of a processing system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the processing system according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of an irradiation optical system. FIGS. 4(a) to 4(d) are cross-sectional views illustrating removal processing performed on a workpiece. FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating a workpiece from which a target processing portion has not been removed and a workpiece from which a target processing portion has been removed, and FIG. 5(b) is a top view illustrating a workpiece from which a target processing portion has not been removed and a workpiece from which a target processing portion has been removed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an enlarged wall portion (wall surface). FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an enlarged wall portion (wall surface). FIG. 8(a) is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a first portion and a second portion of a target processing portion, and FIG. 8(b) is a top view illustrating an example of a first portion and a second portion of a target processing portion. FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the fluence of processing light. FIG. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a processing light incident on the surface of a workpiece at a first incident angle, and FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a processing light incident on the surface of a workpiece at a second incident angle greater than the first incident angle. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the intensity of the processing light emitted from the processing light source. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the size of the beam spot of the processing light. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece on which a first removal processing operation has been performed. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece on which a second removal processing operation has been performed following the first removal processing operation shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece on which a first removal processing operation has been performed following the second removal processing operation shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece on which a second removal processing operation has been performed following the first removal processing operation shown in FIG. 15. FIG. 17 is a top view showing the movement trajectory of the irradiation position of the processing light during the first removal processing operation. FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b) are cross-sectional views showing a workpiece on which removal processing has been performed. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion of a target processing portion. Fig. 20(a) and Fig. 20(b) are cross-sectional views showing a workpiece that has been subjected to removal processing. Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece with unnecessary material adhering to its exposed surface. Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positional relationship between the boundary and the beam spot in the first mode.Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positional relationship between the boundary and the beam spot in the second mode. Fig. 24 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a machining system in a third modified example. Fig. 25(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece machined by the machining system in the first mode, and Fig. 25(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece machined by the machining system in the second mode.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a processing system and a processing method will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a processing system and a processing method will be described using a processing system SYS that processes a workpiece W, which is a specific example of an object, using processing light EL, which is a specific example of an energy beam. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0013] In the following description, the positional relationships of the various components constituting the machining system SYS will be described using an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system defined by mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes. For convenience of explanation, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are each assumed to be horizontal (i.e., a predetermined direction within a horizontal plane), and the Z-axis direction is assumed to be vertical (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, essentially an up-down direction). Furthermore, the rotation directions around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis (in other words, tilt directions) are referred to as the θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction, respectively. Here, the Z-axis direction may be the direction of gravity. Furthermore, the XY plane may be assumed to be horizontal.

[0014] (1) Configuration of Machining System SYS First, the configuration of the machining system SYS of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the machining system SYS of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the machining system SYS of this embodiment.

[0015] 1 and 2, the processing system SYS includes a processing unit 1, a measurement unit 2, a stage unit 3, and a control unit 4. The processing unit 1 may be called a processing device. The measurement unit 2 may be called a measurement device. The stage unit 3 may be called a stage device. The control unit 4 may be called a control device.

[0016] The machining unit 1, the measuring unit 2, and the stage unit 3 are housed in the internal space of a housing 5. The internal space of the housing 5 may or may not be purged with a purge gas (i.e., gas) such as nitrogen gas. The purge gas may be an inert gas. The internal space of the housing 5 may or may not be evacuated. However, at least a portion of the machining unit 1, the measuring unit 2, and the stage unit 3 may not be housed in the housing 5. The machining system SYS may not have a housing 5 that houses the machining unit 1, the measuring unit 2, and the stage unit 3. Furthermore, only the atmosphere around the workpiece W or only the atmosphere around the stage unit 3 may be purged with a purge gas.

[0017] The machining unit 1 is capable of machining the workpiece W under the control of the control unit 4. The workpiece W may be, for example, a metal, an alloy (e.g., duralumin, etc.), a semiconductor (e.g., silicon), a resin, a composite material such as CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), paint (for example, a paint layer applied to a substrate), ceramic, glass, or any other object made of any material.

[0018] The machining unit 1 irradiates the workpiece W with processing light EL in order to machine the workpiece W. The processing light EL may be any type of light as long as it can machine the workpiece W when irradiated thereon. In this embodiment, the processing light EL is described using an example in which the processing light EL is laser light, but the processing light EL may be a type of light other than laser light. Furthermore, the wavelength of the processing light EL may be any wavelength as long as it can machine the workpiece W when irradiated thereon. For example, the processing light EL may be visible light or invisible light (e.g., at least one of infrared light, ultraviolet light, and extreme ultraviolet light). The processing light EL may include pulsed light. Alternatively, the processing light EL may not include pulsed light. In other words, the processing light EL may be continuous light.

[0019] The processing unit 1 performs removal processing on the workpiece W. That is, the processing unit 1 performs removal processing to remove a portion of the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform processing on the workpiece W that is different from removal processing. For example, the processing unit 1 may perform additional processing on the workpiece W. That is, the processing unit 1 may perform additional processing to form a shaped object on the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform marking processing to form a desired mark on the surface of the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform peening processing to change the surface characteristics of the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform peeling processing to peel the surface of the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform welding processing to join one workpiece W to another workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform cutting processing to cut the workpiece W. The processing unit 1 may also perform flattening processing (in other words, remelt processing) to melt the surface of the workpiece W and solidify the melted surface to make the surface closer to a flat surface.

[0020] In order to perform removal processing on the workpiece W, the processing unit 1 is equipped with a processing light source 11, a processing head 12, and a head drive system 13.

[0021] The processing light source 11 generates the processing light EL. When the processing light EL is a laser beam, the processing light source 11 may include, for example, a laser diode. Furthermore, the processing light source 11 may be a light source capable of pulse oscillation. In this case, the processing light source 11 can generate pulsed light as the processing light EL. Note that the processing light source 11 may also be a CW (continuous wave) light source that generates a CW beam.

[0022] The machining head 12 processes the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with the machining light EL emitted by the machining light source 11 under the control of the control unit 4. The machining head 12 performs removal processing on the workpiece W placed on a stage 32 (described later). In this case, the machining head 12 may be disposed above the stage 32 on which the workpiece W is placed. For example, the machining head 12 may be attached to a gate-shaped support frame 6 disposed on a base plate 31 provided in the stage unit 3. The support frame 6 may include a pair of leg members 61 protruding from the base plate 31 along the Z-axis direction and a beam member 62 connecting the pair of leg members 61 via the upper ends of the pair of leg members 61. The beam member 62 may be disposed above the stage 32. The machining head 12 may be attached to this beam member 62. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the machining head 12 is attached to the beam member 62 via a head drive system 13 (described later). When the machining head 12 is disposed above the stage 32, the machining head 12 may emit the machining light EL downward from the machining head 12, thereby irradiating the workpiece W with the machining light EL. In other words, the machining head 12 may emit the machining light EL traveling along the Z-axis direction, thereby irradiating the workpiece W with the machining light EL traveling along the Z-axis direction. The machining head 12 may emit the machining light EL whose traveling direction is the Z-axis direction, thereby irradiating the workpiece W with the machining light EL whose traveling direction is the Z-axis direction.

[0023] The processing head 12 is equipped with an irradiation optical system 121 in order to irradiate the workpiece W with the processing light EL. Here, the irradiation optical system 121 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the irradiation optical system 121.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation optical system 121 may include, for example, a focus changing optical system 1211, a galvanometer mirror 1212, and an fθ lens 1213.

[0025] The focus-changing optical system 1211 is an optical element that can change the focus position of the processing light EL (i.e., the convergence position of the processing light EL) along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. The focus-changing optical system 1211 may include, for example, multiple lenses aligned along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. In this case, the focus position of the processing light EL may be changed by moving at least one of the multiple lenses along its optical axis direction.

[0026] The focus changing optical system 1211 may change the focus position of the processing light EL with respect to the surface of the workpiece W, thereby changing the size (e.g., diameter) of the beam spot BS formed by the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W. In this case, the focus changing optical system 1211 may be considered to function as an optical system that can change the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL.

[0027] The processing light EL that passes through the focus change optical system 1211 is incident on the galvanometer mirror 1212. The galvanometer mirror 1212 deflects the processing light EL (i.e., changes the emission angle of the processing light EL), thereby changing the emission direction of the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212. When the emission direction of the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 is changed, the position from which the processing light EL is emitted from the processing head 12 is changed. When the position from which the processing light EL is emitted from the processing head 12 is changed, the position of the target irradiation area EA onto which the processing light EL is irradiated on the surface of the workpiece W is changed. In other words, the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W is changed.

[0028] The galvanometer mirror 1212 includes, for example, an X-scanning mirror 1212X and a Y-scanning mirror 1212Y. Each of the X-scanning mirror 1212X and the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y is a tilt-angle variable mirror whose angle with respect to the optical path of the processing light EL incident on each mirror can be changed. The X-scanning mirror 1212X reflects the processing light EL toward the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y. The X-scanning mirror 1212X can swing or rotate about a rotation axis along the Y-axis. By swinging or rotating the X-scanning mirror 1212X, the processing light EL scans the surface of the workpiece W along the X-axis direction. By swinging or rotating the X-scanning mirror 1212X, the target irradiation area EA moves on the surface of the workpiece W along the X-axis direction. The Y-scanning mirror 1212Y reflects the processing light EL toward the fθ lens 1213. The Y-scanning mirror 1212Y can swing or rotate about a rotation axis along the X-axis. By swinging or rotating the Y scanning mirror 1212Y, the processing light EL scans along the Y-axis direction on the surface of the workpiece W. By swinging or rotating the Y scanning mirror 1212Y, the target irradiation area EA moves on the surface of the workpiece W along the Y-axis direction.

[0029] The galvanometer mirror 1212 allows the processing light EL to scan or sweep a processing area PSA determined based on the processing head 12. In other words, the galvanometer mirror 1212 allows the target irradiation area EA to move within the processing area PSA determined based on the processing head 12. The processing area PSA indicates the area (in other words, the range) in which removal processing is performed by the processing head 12 while the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the workpiece W is fixed (i.e., without change). Typically, the processing area PSA is set to coincide with or be narrower than the scanning range of the processing light EL deflected by the galvanometer mirror 1212 while the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the workpiece W is fixed. Furthermore, the processing area PSA (target irradiation area EA) can be moved relatively on the surface of the workpiece W by moving the processing head 12 using the head drive system 13 (described later) and / or moving the stage 32 using the stage drive system 33 (described later).

[0030] Note that the operation of changing the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W using the galvanometer mirror 1212 may be considered equivalent to the operation of changing the positional relationship between the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W and the workpiece W. In this case, the galvanometer mirror 1212 may be referred to as a position changing device.

[0031] The fθ lens 1213 is an optical system for emitting the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 toward the workpiece W. In particular, the fθ lens 1213 is an optical element that can focus the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 on a focusing surface. Therefore, the fθ lens 1213 may be referred to as a focusing optical system or an objective optical system. The focusing surface of the fθ lens 1213 may be set on, for example, the surface of the workpiece W. Furthermore, the focusing surface of the fθ lens 1213 may be set on a surface that is away from the surface of the workpiece W in a direction along the optical axis EX of the fθ lens 1213.

[0032] At least one of the X scanning mirror 1212X and the Y scanning mirror 1212Y constituting the galvanometer mirror 1212 may be disposed at the entrance pupil position of the fθ lens 1213 serving as the focusing optical system (objective optical system). At least one of the X scanning mirror 1212X and the Y scanning mirror 1212Y may be disposed at a conjugate position to the entrance pupil position of the fθ lens 1213 serving as the focusing optical system (objective optical system). When there are multiple scanning mirrors constituting the galvanometer mirror 1212, a relay optical system may be disposed between the scanning mirrors to make the scanning mirrors optically conjugate with each other.

[0033] 1 and 2 , the head drive system 13, under the control of the control unit 4, moves the machining head 12 along at least one of the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the head drive system 13 moves the machining head 12 along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the head drive system 13 may include, for example, a Z slider member 131 extending along the Z-axis direction. The Z slider member 131 is disposed on a support frame 6 disposed on a surface plate 31 via a vibration isolation device. The Z slider member 131 is disposed on a beam member 62 via a support member 63 extending along the Z-axis direction, for example. The machining head 12 is connected to the Z slider member 131 so as to be movable along the Z slider member 131.

[0034] When the machining head 12 moves, the positional relationship between the machining head 12 and the stage 32, which will be described later, changes. Furthermore, when the machining head 12 moves, the positional relationship between the machining head 12 and the workpiece W placed on the stage 32 changes. Therefore, moving the machining head 12 may be considered equivalent to changing the positional relationships between the machining head 12 and the stage 32 and between the machining head 12 and the workpiece W. Furthermore, when the machining head 12 moves, the target irradiation area EA and the processing area PSA onto which the processing light EL is irradiated on the surface of the workpiece W move relative to the surface of the workpiece W. In other words, the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W is changed.

[0035] The operation of changing the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W using the head drive system 13 may be considered equivalent to the operation of changing the positional relationship between the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W and the workpiece W. In this case, the head drive system 13 may be referred to as a position changing device.

[0036] The measuring unit 2 is capable of measuring the measurement object under the control of the control unit 4. The measurement object may include a workpiece W. Specifically, the measurement object may include at least one of a workpiece W that has not yet been subjected to removal processing by the processing unit 1, a workpiece W that is in the middle of being subjected to removal processing by the processing unit 1, and a workpiece W that has been subjected to removal processing by the processing unit 1. The measurement object may include a stage 32 on which the workpiece W can be placed. The measurement object may include any object that can be placed on the stage 32.

[0037] In order to measure the measurement object, the measurement unit 2 includes a measurement head 21 and a head drive system 22 .

[0038] The measurement head 21 is capable of measuring (in other words, measuring) the measurement object under the control of the control unit 4. Specifically, the measurement head 21 is capable of measuring any characteristic of the measurement object. One example of the characteristic of the measurement object is the position of the measurement object. Another example of the characteristic of the measurement object is the shape (e.g., two-dimensional shape or three-dimensional shape) of the measurement object. Another example of the characteristic of the measurement object is at least one of the reflectance of the measurement object, the transmittance of the measurement object, and the surface roughness of the measurement object.

[0039] The measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object using any measurement method. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object optically, electrically, magnetically, physically, chemically, or thermally. The measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object without contacting the measurement object. The measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object by contacting the measurement object.

[0040] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the measurement head 21 optically measures the measurement object by irradiating the measurement light ML onto the measurement object without contacting the measurement object. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object using a light-section method in which the measurement light ML, which is a slit light, is projected onto the surface of the measurement object and the shape of the projected slit light is measured. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object using a white light interferometry method in which the interference pattern between the measurement light ML, which is a white light that passes through the measurement object, and the white light that does not pass through the measurement object is measured. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the measurement object using a pattern projection method in which the measurement light ML draws a light pattern on the surface of the measurement object and measures the shape of the projected pattern, or a time-of-flight method in which the measurement light ML is projected onto the surface of the measurement object and the distance to the measurement object is measured from the time it takes for the projected measurement light ML to return, and these operations are performed at multiple positions on the measurement object. The measurement head 21 may measure the object to be measured using at least one of the moire topography method (specifically, the grating illumination method or the grating projection method), the holographic interferometry method, the autocollimation method, the stereo method, the astigmatism method, the critical angle method, the knife-edge method, the interferometry method, and the confocal method.

[0041] The measurement head 21 may be disposed above the stage 32 on which the workpiece W is placed. Specifically, the measurement head 21 may be attached to a beam member 62, similar to the processing head 12. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the measurement head 21 is attached to the beam member 62 via the head drive system 22. However, the measurement head 21 may be attached to a beam member different from the beam member 62 to which the processing head 12 is attached. When the measurement head 21 is disposed above the stage 32, the measurement head 21 may measure the workpiece W from above the workpiece W. The measurement head 21 may measure the stage 32 from above the stage 32. When the measurement head 21 is disposed above the stage 32, the measurement head 21 may irradiate the workpiece W with the measurement light ML by emitting the measurement light ML downward from the measurement head 21. In other words, the measurement head 21 may irradiate the workpiece W with the measurement light ML traveling along the Z-axis direction by emitting the measurement light ML traveling along the Z-axis direction. The measurement head 21 may emit measurement light ML whose traveling direction is the Z-axis direction, thereby irradiating the workpiece W with the measurement light ML whose traveling direction is the Z-axis direction.

[0042] The measurement head 21 may include a plurality of measuring instruments each capable of measuring a measurement target. The plurality of measuring instruments may include at least two measuring instruments with different measurement resolutions (in other words, different measurement accuracies). The plurality of measuring instruments may include at least two measuring instruments with different measurement area sizes. Furthermore, the plurality of measuring instruments may include two measuring instruments with different measurement principles.

[0043] Under the control of the control unit 4, the head drive system 22 moves the measurement head 21 along at least one of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, the θX direction, the θY direction, and the θZ direction. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the head drive system 22 moves the measurement head 21 along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the head drive system 22 may include, for example, a Z slider member 221 extending along the Z-axis direction. The Z slider member 221 is disposed on a support frame 6 that is disposed on a surface plate 31 via a vibration isolation device. The Z slider member 221 is disposed on a beam member 62 via, for example, a support member 64 that extends along the Z-axis direction. The measurement head 21 is connected to the Z slider member 221 so as to be movable along the Z slider member 221.

[0044] When the measurement head 21 moves, the positional relationship between the measurement head 21 and the stage 32, which will be described later, changes. Furthermore, when the measurement head 21 moves, the positional relationship between the measurement head 21 and the workpiece W placed on the stage 32 changes. Therefore, moving the measurement head 21 may be considered equivalent to changing the positional relationships between the measurement head 21 and the stage 32 and between the measurement head 21 and the workpiece W.

[0045] In addition to or instead of the measuring head 21, the processing head 12 may be provided with a measuring device capable of measuring the measurement object.

[0046] The stage unit 3 includes a base 31 , a stage 32 , and a stage drive system 33 .

[0047] The surface plate 31 is placed on the bottom surface of the housing 5 (or on a support surface such as a floor on which the housing 5 is placed). A stage 32 is placed on the surface plate 31. A vibration-isolating device (not shown) for reducing transmission of vibrations from the surface plate 31 to the stage 32 may be installed between the surface plate 31 and the bottom surface of the housing 5 or a support surface such as a floor on which the housing 5 is placed. Furthermore, the support frame 6 described above may be installed on the surface plate 31. Note that leg members may be provided between the surface plate 31 and the bottom surface of the housing 5 (or a support surface such as a floor on which the housing 5 is placed). In this case, vibration-isolating devices may be installed between the leg members and the surface plate 31 and / or between the leg members and the bottom surface (or support surface).

[0048] The stage 32 is a mounting device on which the workpiece W is placed. The stage 32 may be capable of holding the workpiece W placed on the stage 32. In this case, the stage 32 may be equipped with at least one of a mechanical chuck, an electrostatic chuck, a vacuum chuck, or the like to hold the workpiece W. Alternatively, the stage 32 may not be capable of holding the workpiece W placed on the stage 32. In this case, the workpiece W may be placed on the stage 32 in a clampless manner.

[0049] The stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32 under the control of the control unit 4. For example, under the control of the control unit 4, the stage drive system 33 may move the stage 32 along at least one of the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction.

[0050] In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32 along each of the X-axis and the Y-axis. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 1 , the stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32 along a direction along an XY plane that intersects with the propagation directions of the processing light EL and the measurement light ML. In this case, the stage drive system 33 may include, for example, an X-slide member 331 extending along the X-axis direction (two X-slide members 331 arranged parallel to each other in the example shown in FIG. 1 ) and a Y-slide member 332 extending along the Y-axis direction (one Y-slide member 332 in the example shown in FIG. 1 ). The two X-slide members 331 are arranged on the base 31 so as to be aligned along the Y-axis direction. The Y-slide member 332 is connected to the two X-slide members 331 so as to be movable along the two X-slide members 331. The stage 32 is connected to the Y-slide member 332 so as to be movable along the Y-slide member 332. The stage 32 may be supported by air bearings floating above the base 31.

[0051] When the stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32, the positional relationships change between the processing head 12 and the measurement head 21, and between the stage 32 and the workpiece W. Furthermore, when the stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32, the stage 32 and the workpiece W move relative to the processing area PSA where the processing head 12 performs removal processing and the measurement area where the measurement head 21 performs measurement.

[0052] The control unit 4 controls the operation of the machining system SYS. As an example, the control unit 4 may control the machining unit 1 and the stage unit 3 based on machining control data for controlling the machining system SYS to machine the workpiece W. The machining control data may include machining path data. The machining path data may indicate a relative movement trajectory of the target irradiation area EA of the machining light EL on the surface of the workpiece W relative to the surface of the workpiece W. In other words, the machining path data may indicate a relative movement trajectory (so-called machining path) of the irradiation position of the machining light EL on the surface of the workpiece W relative to the surface of the workpiece W. As another example, the control unit 4 may control the measurement unit 2 and the stage unit 3 based on measurement control data for controlling the machining system SYS to measure a measurement object.

[0053] The control unit 4 may include, for example, an arithmetic device and a storage device. The arithmetic device may include, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The storage device may include, for example, a memory. The control unit 4 functions as a device that controls the operation of the machining system SYS when the arithmetic device executes a computer program. This computer program is a computer program that causes the control unit 4 (e.g., the arithmetic device) to perform (i.e., execute) the operations to be performed by the control unit 4, which will be described later. In other words, this computer program is a computer program that causes the control unit 4 to function so as to cause the machining system SYS to perform the operations to be performed later. The computer program executed by the arithmetic device may be recorded in a storage device (i.e., a recording medium) included in the control unit 4, or may be recorded in any storage medium (e.g., a hard disk or a semiconductor memory) that is built into the control unit 4 or that can be externally attached to the control unit 4. Alternatively, the computing device may download the computer program to be executed from a device external to the control unit 4 via a network interface.

[0054] The control unit 4 does not have to be provided inside the machining system SYS. For example, the control unit 4 may be provided as a server or the like outside the machining system SYS. For example, the control unit 4 may be provided as a computer (e.g., a laptop computer) connectable to the machining system SYS. For example, the control unit 4 may be provided as a computer (e.g., a laptop computer) installed near the machining system SYS. In this case, the control unit 4 and the machining system SYS may be connected via a wired and / or wireless network (or a data bus and / or a communication line). For example, a network using a serial bus interface represented by at least one of IEEE 1394, RS-232x, RS-422, RS-423, RS-485, and USB may be used as the wired network. For example, a network using a parallel bus interface may be used as the wired network. The wired network may be a network using an interface conforming to Ethernet (registered trademark), such as at least one of 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T. The wireless network may be a network using radio waves. An example of a network using radio waves is a network conforming to IEEE 802.1x (e.g., at least one of wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The wireless network may be a network using infrared rays. The wireless network may be a network using optical communication. In this case, the control unit 4 and the machining system SYS may be configured to be able to transmit and receive various information via the network. Furthermore, the control unit 4 may be capable of transmitting information such as commands and control parameters to the machining system SYS via the network. The machining system SYS may be equipped with a receiving device that receives information such as commands and control parameters from the control unit 4 via the network.Alternatively, a first control device that performs part of the processing performed by the control unit 4 may be provided inside the processing system SYS, while a second control device that performs another part of the processing performed by the control unit 4 may be provided outside the processing system SYS.

[0055] A computational model that can be constructed by machine learning may be implemented in the control unit 4 by the computation device executing a computer program. An example of a computational model that can be constructed by machine learning is a computational model including a neural network (so-called artificial intelligence (AI)). In this case, learning of the computational model may include learning of parameters of the neural network (e.g., at least one of a weight and a bias). The control unit 4 may control the operation of the machining system SYS using the computational model. In other words, the operation of controlling the operation of the machining system SYS may include the operation of controlling the operation of the machining system SYS using the computational model. Note that a computational model that has been constructed by offline machine learning using training data may be implemented in the control unit 4. Furthermore, the computational model implemented in the control unit 4 may be updated on the control unit 4 by online machine learning. Alternatively, the control unit 4 may control the operation of the machining system SYS using a calculation model implemented in a device external to the control unit 4 (that is, a device provided outside the machining system SYS) in addition to or instead of the calculation model implemented in the control unit 4.

[0056] The recording medium for recording the computer program executed by the arithmetic device may be at least one of optical disks such as CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magnetic media such as magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory such as USB memory, and any other medium capable of storing a program. The recording medium may also include a device capable of recording a computer program (for example, a general-purpose device or dedicated device in which a computer program is implemented in an executable state in at least one form such as software or firmware). Furthermore, each process or function included in the computer program may be realized by a logical processing block realized within the control unit 4 when the control unit 4 (i.e., the computer) executes the computer program, or may be realized by hardware such as a predetermined gate array (FPGA, Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) provided in the control unit 4, or may be realized in a form that combines logical processing blocks and partial hardware modules that realize some elements of the hardware.

[0057] (2) Machining of the Workpiece W Performed by the Machining System SYS Next, the machining of the workpiece W performed by the machining system SYS will be described.

[0058] (2-1) Overview of Removal Processing As described above, the processing system SYS performs removal processing to remove a portion of the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with processing light EL. For this reason, an overview of removal processing using processing light EL will first be described with reference to Figures 4(a) to 4(c). Figures 4(a) to 4(c) are cross-sectional views showing the state of removal processing performed on the workpiece W.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4A , the processing system SYS irradiates a target irradiation area EA set (or formed) on the surface of the workpiece W with processing light EL. When the target irradiation area EA is irradiated with the processing light EL, the energy of the processing light EL is transmitted to an energy transmission portion including a portion of the workpiece W overlapping with the target irradiation area EA and a portion of the workpiece W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA. In this embodiment, the processing system SYS may process the workpiece W using the principle of non-thermal processing (e.g., ablation processing). That is, the processing system SYS may perform non-thermal processing (e.g., ablation processing) on ​​the workpiece W. For example, when light with a high photon density (in other words, fluence) is used as the processing light EL, the material constituting the energy transmission portion of the workpiece W instantaneously evaporates and disperses. That is, the material constituting the energy transmission portion of the workpiece W evaporates and disperses within a time period sufficiently shorter than the thermal diffusion time of the workpiece W. In this case, the material constituting the energy transmission portion of the workpiece W may be released from the workpiece W as at least one of ions, atoms, radicals, molecules, clusters, and solid fragments.

[0060] When non-thermal processing is performed, the processing light EL may include pulsed light having an emission time of picoseconds or less or femtoseconds or less. That is, the processing light EL may include pulsed light having a pulse width of picoseconds or less or femtoseconds or less. When pulsed light having an emission time of picoseconds or less or femtoseconds or less is used as the processing light EL, the material constituting the energy transmission portion of the workpiece W may sublimate without passing through a molten state.

[0061] As a result, the target irradiation area EA and a portion of the workpiece W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA are removed. That is, as shown in Fig. 4(b), a recess (in other words, a groove) having a depth corresponding to the unit processing amount Δz caused by the processing light EL is formed on the surface of the workpiece W. When the workpiece W is processed using the principle of non-thermal processing in this manner, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W while minimizing the effect on the workpiece W of heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL.

[0062] Here, when the processing light EL is pulsed light, the unit processing amount Δz may be the depth of removal of the workpiece W when the processing light EL is irradiated onto the workpiece W by a unit number of pulses. The unit pulse number may be 1 or a number greater than 1. When the processing light EL is continuous light, the unit processing amount Δz may be the amount of processing of the workpiece W (depth of removal) when the processing light EL of a unit energy is irradiated onto the workpiece W for a unit time.

[0063] Alternatively, the processing system SYS may perform removal processing of the workpiece W using the so-called thermal processing principle in addition to or instead of the non-thermal processing principle. When removal processing of the workpiece W is performed using the thermal processing principle, the processing light EL may include pulsed light or continuous light with an emission time of milliseconds or more or nanoseconds or more. That is, the processing light EL may include pulsed light or continuous light with a pulse width of milliseconds or more or nanoseconds or more. In this case, when heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL is transmitted to the energy transmission portion, the heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL melts the material constituting the energy transmission portion of the workpiece W. The molten material scatters as droplets. Alternatively, the molten material evaporates due to the heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL. As a result, the target irradiation area EA and portions of the workpiece W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA are removed. That is, as shown in FIG. 4B, a recess (in other words, a groove) having a depth corresponding to the unit processing amount Δz caused by the processing light EL is formed on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0064] The machining system SYS uses the above-described galvanometer mirror 1212 to move the target irradiation area EA on the surface of the workpiece W along the machining path indicated by the machining path data. That is, the machining system SYS scans the surface of the workpiece W with the machining light EL. The machining system SYS scans the surface of the workpiece W with the machining light EL along a scanning direction intersecting the traveling direction of the machining light EL. Furthermore, if necessary, the machining system SYS may move the target irradiation area EA on the surface of the workpiece W along the machining path indicated by the machining path data by moving the machining head 12 using the above-described head drive system 13 and / or moving the stage 32 using the above-described stage drive system 33. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4( c), at least a portion of the surface of the workpiece W is removed along the scanning trajectory of the machining light EL (i.e., the movement trajectory of the target irradiation area EA). Therefore, the machining system SYS can appropriately remove the portion of the workpiece W to be removed by scanning the surface of the workpiece W with the machining light EL along a desired scanning trajectory corresponding to the area to be removed. The machining system SYS can appropriately remove the portion of the workpiece W that is to be removed by causing the machining light EL to scan the surface of the workpiece W along a desired scanning trajectory corresponding to the region that is to be removed (i.e., the machining path indicated by the machining path data). The machining system SYS can remove the removal layer SL, which has a thickness equivalent to the unit machining amount Δz and is the portion that is to be removed, from the workpiece W by causing the machining light EL to scan the surface of the workpiece W along the desired scanning trajectory that corresponds to the region that is to be removed.

[0065] The machining system SYS may process the workpiece W so that the shape of the workpiece W becomes a desired shape by repeating the operation of removing a removal layer SL having a thickness corresponding to the unit machining amount Δz as necessary. In other words, the machining system SYS may process the workpiece W so that the shape of the workpiece W becomes a desired shape by removing a plurality of removal layers SL. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4( d ), under the control of the control unit 4, the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W so as to remove a target machining portion TP of the workpiece W that should be removed by the removal machining. On the other hand, under the control of the control unit 4, the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W so as not to remove a non-target machining portion NP of the workpiece W that should not be removed by the removal machining.

[0066] 4(d), the target machining portion TP is removed from the workpiece W, and a non-target machining portion NP remains in the workpiece W. In this case, the machining system SYS may machine the workpiece W under the control of the control unit 4 so that the shape (e.g., three-dimensional shape) of the remaining non-target machining portion NP becomes the target shape.

[0067] (2-2) Wall formation operation using removal processing In this embodiment, the processing system SYS may perform a wall formation operation to form a wall portion WP having a wall shape in a part of the workpiece W by performing the above-mentioned removal processing.

[0068] (2-2-1) Overview of the wall portion WP First, the wall portion WP will be described with reference to Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b). Fig. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece W from which the target machining portion TP has not been removed and a workpiece W from which the target machining portion TP has been removed, and Fig. 5(b) is a top view showing a workpiece W from which the target machining portion TP has not been removed and a workpiece W from which the target machining portion TP has been removed.

[0069] 5(a) and 5(b), the machining system SYS may machine the workpiece W so that at least a part of the non-target machining part NP remaining after the target machining part TP is removed forms a wall part WP. In the example shown in Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b), the machining system SYS machines the workpiece W so that at least a part of the non-target machining part NP forms a wall part WP that surrounds, on all sides, a recess formed in the workpiece W by removing the target machining part TP.

[0070] The wall portion WP may extend along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. That is, the wall portion WP may include a structure extending along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. As described above, in this embodiment, the traveling direction of the processing light EL is the Z-axis direction. In this case, the wall portion WP may extend along the Z-axis direction. That is, the wall portion WP may include a structure extending along the Z-axis direction.

[0071] The wall WP (e.g., at least a portion of the wall WP) may be substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. In other words, the wall WP may include a structure that is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. The state in which the wall WP is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include a state in which the wall WP is literally completely parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. Furthermore, the state in which the wall WP is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include a state in which the wall WP is not completely parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL, but can be considered to be parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. The state in which the wall WP can be considered to be parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include a state in which the angle θ1 between the wall WP and the propagation direction of the processing light EL is equal to or smaller than a first predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view of an enlarged wall WP. The first predetermined angle may be 12 degrees or less. The first predetermined angle may be 8 degrees or less. Note that the state in which "the wall portion WP is completely parallel to the traveling direction of the processing light EL" may also mean the state in which "the angle θ1 between the wall portion WP and the traveling direction of the processing light EL is 0 degrees." The angle θ1 between the wall portion WP and the traveling direction of the processing light EL may also mean the angle between the wall portion WP and an axis along the traveling direction of the processing light EL.

[0072] The wall portion WP may include a wall surface WS extending along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. That is, the wall portion WP may include a structure including a wall surface WS extending along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. As described above, in this embodiment, the traveling direction of the processing light EL is the Z-axis direction. In this case, the wall portion WP may include a wall surface WS extending along the Z-axis direction. That is, the wall portion WP may include a structure including a wall surface WS extending along the Z-axis direction.

[0073] At least a portion of the wall surface WS may be an exposed surface Se that is exposed by removing the target processing portion TP from the workpiece W. In other words, at least a portion of the wall surface WS may be an exposed surface Se that was not visible from outside the workpiece W before the target processing portion TP was removed from the workpiece W. At least a portion of the wall surface WS may be an exposed surface Se that becomes visible from outside the workpiece W after the target processing portion TP is removed from the workpiece W.

[0074] The wall surface WS (e.g., at least a portion of the wall surface WS) may be substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. In other words, the wall surface WS may include a surface substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. Note that the state in which the wall surface WS is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include the state in which the wall surface WS is literally completely parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. Furthermore, the state in which the wall surface WS is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include the state in which the wall surface WS is not completely parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL, but can be considered to be parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL. The state in which the wall surface WS can be considered to be parallel to the propagation direction of the processing light EL may include the state in which the angle θ2 between the wall surface WS and the propagation direction of the processing light EL is equal to or smaller than a second predetermined angle, as shown in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view of an enlarged wall portion WP. The second predetermined angle may be 12 degrees or less. The second predetermined angle may be an angle of 8 degrees or less. Note that the state in which "the wall surface WS is completely parallel to the traveling direction of the processing light EL" may also mean the state in which "the angle θ2 between the wall surface WS and the traveling direction of the processing light EL is 0 degrees."

[0075] 6, the angle θ2 between the wall surface WS and the traveling direction of the processing light EL may be considered equivalent to the angle θ1 between the wall portion WP and the traveling direction of the processing light EL. In this case, the state in which the wall portion WP is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the processing light EL may be considered equivalent to the state in which the wall surface WS is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the processing light EL. The state in which the wall portion WP extends along the traveling direction of the processing light EL may be considered equivalent to the state in which the wall surface WS is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the processing light EL.

[0076] When the wall surface WS extends along the propagation direction of the processing light EL, as shown in FIG. 6 , which is a cross-sectional view of an enlarged view of the wall surface WS, the normal line NL of the wall surface WS may intersect with the propagation direction of the processing light EL. For example, the normal line NL of the wall surface WS may intersect with the Z-axis direction. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6 , the angle θz formed between the normal line of the wall surface WS and an axis AXz extending along the Z-axis direction may be larger than the angle formed between the normal line of the wall surface WS and an axis extending along the X-axis direction and the angle θy formed between the normal line of the wall surface WS and an axis extending along the Y-axis direction. Note that in FIG. 6 , for simplicity, the axis extending along the X-axis direction and the angle formed between the normal line of the wall surface WS and the axis extending along the X-axis direction are omitted.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 7 , which is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the wall portion WP, the wall portion WP may satisfy the condition that the angle θ3 between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is approximately 90 degrees. The condition "the angle θ3 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ3 is literally exactly 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ3 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ3 is smaller than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ3 smaller than 90 degrees can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ3 is greater than a third predetermined angle." The third predetermined angle may be an angle of 78 degrees or greater. The third predetermined angle may be an angle of 82 degrees or greater. Furthermore, the condition "the angle θ3 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ3 is greater than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The state in which "angle θ3 greater than 90 degrees can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include a state in which "angle θ3 is smaller than a fourth predetermined angle." The fourth predetermined angle may be an angle of 102 degrees or less. The fourth predetermined angle may be an angle of 98 degrees or less.

[0078] The upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP may be a surface facing upward (e.g., toward the +Z side). The upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP may be the upper surface of the non-target machining portion NP. The upper surface of the non-target machining portion NP may be a surface located higher than other surfaces of the surface of the non-target machining portion NP. In particular, the upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP may be a surface connected to the upper end (e.g., the end on the +Z side) of the wall portion WP. The upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP may include a surface that was exposed before the target machining portion TP was removed from the workpiece W.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7 , which is a cross-sectional view of the wall portion WP in an enlarged scale, the wall portion WP may satisfy the condition that the angle θ4 between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is approximately 90 degrees. The condition "the angle θ4 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ4 is literally exactly 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ4 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ4 is smaller than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ4 can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ4 is greater than a fifth predetermined angle." The fifth predetermined angle may be an angle of 78 degrees or greater. The fifth predetermined angle may be an angle of 82 degrees or greater. Furthermore, the condition "the angle θ4 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ4 is greater than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The state in which "angle θ4 greater than 90 degrees can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include a state in which "angle θ4 is smaller than a sixth predetermined angle." The sixth predetermined angle may be an angle of 102 degrees or less. The sixth predetermined angle may be an angle of 98 degrees or less.

[0080] The bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP may be a surface facing upward (for example, toward the +Z side). In particular, the bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP may be a surface connected to the lower end of the wall portion WP (for example, the end on the -Z side). The bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP may include an exposed surface Se that is exposed by removing the target machining portion TP from the workpiece W. The bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP may include a surface that forms the bottom of a depression that is formed by removing the target machining portion TP from the workpiece W.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 7 , which is a cross-sectional view of the wall surface WS enlarged, the wall surface WS of the wall portion WP may satisfy the condition that the angle θ5 between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall surface WS is approximately 90 degrees. The condition "the angle θ5 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ5 is literally exactly 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ5 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ5 is smaller than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ5 is smaller than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ5 is greater than a seventh predetermined angle." The seventh predetermined angle may be an angle of 78 degrees or greater. The seventh predetermined angle may be an angle of 82 degrees or greater. Furthermore, the condition "the angle θ5 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ5 is greater than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The state in which "an angle θ5 greater than 90 degrees can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include a state in which "the angle θ5 is smaller than an eighth predetermined angle." The eighth predetermined angle may be an angle of 102 degrees or less. The eighth predetermined angle may be an angle of 98 degrees or less. Note that the above-mentioned state in which "the angle θ3 formed between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is approximately 90 degrees" may be considered equivalent to a state in which "the angle θ5 formed between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall surface WS is approximately 90 degrees."

[0082] As shown in FIG. 7 , which is a cross-sectional view of the wall surface WS enlarged, the wall surface WS may satisfy the condition that the angle θ6 formed between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP and the wall surface WS is approximately 90 degrees. The condition "the angle θ6 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ6 is literally exactly 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ6 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ6 is smaller than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The condition "the angle θ6 can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ6 is greater than a ninth predetermined angle." The ninth predetermined angle may be an angle of 78 degrees or greater. The ninth predetermined angle may be an angle of 82 degrees or greater. Furthermore, the condition "the angle θ6 is approximately 90 degrees" may include the condition "the angle θ6 is greater than 90 degrees but can be considered to be 90 degrees." The state in which "an angle θ6 greater than 90 degrees can be considered to be 90 degrees" may include a state in which "the angle θ6 is smaller than a tenth predetermined angle." The tenth predetermined angle may be an angle of 102 degrees or less. The tenth predetermined angle may be an angle of 98 degrees or less. The above-mentioned state in which "the angle θ4 formed between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP and the wall portion WP is approximately 90 degrees" may be considered equivalent to a state in which "the angle θ6 formed between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP and the wall surface WS is approximately 90 degrees."

[0083] (2-2-1) Details of the Wall Forming Operation for Forming the Wall Portion WP To form the wall portion WP described above, the processing system SYS may divide the target processing portion TP into a first portion WTP1 and a second portion WTP2 under the control of the control unit 4. That is, under the control of the control unit 4, the processing system SYS may set a portion of the target processing portion TP as the first portion WTP1 and a remaining portion of the target processing portion TP as the second portion WTP2. Then, under the control of the control unit 4, the processing system SYS may remove the target processing portion TP by performing a first removal processing operation in which at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 is irradiated with the processing light EL to remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1, and a second removal processing operation in which at least a portion of the second portion WTP2 is irradiated with the processing light EL to remove at least a portion of the second portion WTP2. That is, the processing system SYS may form the wall portion WP by performing the first removal processing operation and the second removal processing operation.

[0084] 8(a) and 8(b) show an example of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 set to form the wall portion WP shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8(a) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 of the target processing portion TP, and Fig. 8(b) is a top view showing an example of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 of the target processing portion TP.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 8A , the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the second portion WTP2. In particular, the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the second portion WTP2 along an adjacent direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. As described above, in this embodiment, the traveling direction of the processing light EL is the Z-axis direction. In this case, the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the second portion WTP2 along an adjacent direction intersecting the Z-direction. That is, the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the second portion WTP2 along an adjacent direction that is a direction along the XY plane. In other words, the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the second portion WTP2 along an adjacent direction that includes a directional component along at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0086] The first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP along the adjacent direction. In this case, the boundary between the first portion WTP1 and the non-target processing portion NP may form a boundary BD between the target processing portion TP and the non-target processing portion NP. In particular, the first portion WTP1 may be adjacent to a portion of the non-target processing portion NP that will become a wall portion WP along the adjacent direction. In this case, the boundary between the first portion WTP1 and the non-target processing portion NP (in particular, the wall portion WP) may form a boundary BD between the target processing portion TP and the non-target processing portion NP (in particular, the wall portion WP).

[0087] On the other hand, the second portion WTP2 may not be adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP along the adjacent direction. In particular, the second portion WTP2 may not be adjacent to the portion of the non-target processing portion NP that will become the wall portion WP along the adjacent direction. In this case, the second portion WTP2 may be located farther away from the non-target processing portion NP along the adjacent direction than the first portion WTP1. That is, the distance between the second portion WTP2 and the non-target processing portion NP along the adjacent direction may be longer than the distance between the first portion WTP1 and the non-target processing portion NP along the adjacent direction. In particular, the second portion WTP2 may be located farther away from the portion of the non-target processing portion NP that will become the wall portion WP along the adjacent direction than the first portion WTP1. That is, the distance between the second portion WTP2 and the portion of the non-target processing portion NP that will become the wall portion WP along the adjacent direction may be longer than the distance between the first portion WTP1 and the portion of the non-target processing portion NP that will become the wall portion WP along the adjacent direction. Note that a part of the second portion WTP2 may be adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP.

[0088] The control unit 4 may identify characteristics (e.g., at least one of the position and the shape) of the wall portion WP in the workpiece W based on shape data (e.g., three-dimensional model data) indicating the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W after machining, and may determine the first portion WTP1 based on the identified characteristics of the wall portion WP. For example, the control unit 4 may determine, as the first portion WTP1, a portion of the workpiece W whose distance along at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction from the position of the identified wall portion WP is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance.

[0089] The control unit 4 may determine the first portion WTP1 based on the shape of the target processing portion TP. For example, the control unit 4 may determine (in other words, set) the range of the first portion WTP1 based on the shape of the target processing portion TP.

[0090] Note that once the first portion WTP1 is determined, the second portion WTP2 is automatically determined because the second portion WTP2 is the portion of the workpiece W excluding the first portion WTP1. For this reason, the operation of determining the first portion WTP1 may be considered to be substantially equivalent to the operation of determining the second portion WTP2.

[0091] Conversely, the control unit 4 may determine the second portion WTP2 based on the shape of the target processing portion TP. Even in this case, once the second portion WTP2 is determined, the first portion WTP1 is automatically determined. That is, the control unit 4 may indirectly determine the first portion WTP1 by determining the second portion WTP2. Therefore, the operation of determining the second portion WTP2 may be substantially included in the operation of determining the first portion WTP1.

[0092] The shape of the target processing portion TP may include a distance Dis1 (in other words, a length or depth) along the wall WP of the target processing portion TP (see FIG. 8A). The distance Dis1 along the wall WP of the target processing portion TP may refer to the distance (length or depth) along the wall surface WS of the target processing portion TP. In this case, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 based on the distance Dis1 along the wall WP of the target processing portion TP. For example, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 such that the width of the first portion WTP1 (specifically, the size along the adjacent direction) increases as the distance Dis1 increases.

[0093] The shape of the target processing portion TP may include an angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) formed between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP. In this case, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 based on the angle θ3. For example, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 such that the width of the first portion WTP1 (specifically, the size along the adjoining direction) increases as the angle θ3 decreases.

[0094] In addition to or instead of the angle θ3, the shape of the target processing portion TP may include at least one of the angle θ1 (see FIG. 6) between the wall portion WP and the traveling direction of the processing light EL, the angle θ2 (see FIG. 6) between the wall surface WS and the traveling direction of the processing light EL, the angle θ4 (see FIG. 6) between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP, the angle θ5 (see FIG. 7) between the top surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall surface WS, and the angle θ6 (see FIG. 7) between the bottom surface Sb of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall surface WS. For example, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 so that the width of the first portion WTP1 increases as the angle θ5 decreases. For example, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 so that the width of the first portion WTP1 increases as at least one of the angles θ1, θ2, θ4, and θ6 increases.

[0095] The shape of the target processing portion TP may include a distance Dis2 (see FIG. 6 ) between the upper end of the wall portion WP and the lower end of the wall portion WP in the adjoining direction. In this case, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 based on the distance Dis2. For example, the control unit 4 may determine at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 such that the width of the first portion WTP1 (specifically, the size along the adjoining direction) increases as the distance Dis2 increases.

[0096] Typically, the width of the first portion WTP1 is several tens of micrometers. For example, the width of the first portion WTP1 is 20 to 30 micrometers. However, the width of the first portion WTP1 is not limited to the size exemplified here.

[0097] Thereafter, the control unit 4 may generate processing control data for controlling the processing system SYS (particularly, the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3) to process the determined first part WTP1 and second part WTP2. That is, the control unit 4 may generate processing control data for controlling the processing system SYS (particularly, the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3) to process a target processing part TP including the determined first part WTP1 and second part WTP2. Thereafter, the processing system SYS (particularly, the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3) may remove the target processing part TP based on the processing control data.

[0098] As described above, the processing control data may include processing path data. The processing path data may indicate a relative movement trajectory of the target irradiation area EA of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W relative to the surface of the workpiece W. In other words, the processing path data may indicate a relative movement trajectory (so-called processing path) of the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W relative to the surface of the workpiece W. In this case, the control unit 4 may generate processing control data indicating a relative movement trajectory (so-called processing path) of the irradiation position of the processing light EL irradiated onto the workpiece W so as to process the determined first portion WTP1 and second portion WTP2 relative to the surface of the workpiece W.

[0099] The control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the processing conditions for removing the first portion WTP1 and the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 are different. For example, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the processing conditions for removing the first portion WTP1 are first processing conditions, and the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 are second processing conditions different from the first conditions.

[0100] The processing conditions may include light conditions for the processing light EL irradiated onto the workpiece W. In this case, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the light conditions for the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1 are different from the light conditions for the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the light conditions for removing the first portion WTP1 are first light conditions, and the light conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 are second light conditions different from the first light conditions. As a result, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 by irradiating the first portion WTP1 with the processing light EL under first light conditions. On the other hand, the processing system SYS may perform a second removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the second portion WTP2 by irradiating the second portion WTP2 with the processing light EL under second light conditions.

[0101] The light conditions related to the processing light EL may include conditions related to the fluence of the processing light EL. In this case, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1 is different from the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the processing light EL with a first fluence is irradiated onto the workpiece W to remove the first portion WTP1, and the processing light EL with a second fluence different from the first fluence is irradiated onto the workpiece W to remove the second portion WTP2.

[0102] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 , which is a graph showing the fluence of the processing light EL, the control unit 4 may generate processing control data such that the processing light EL is irradiated onto the workpiece W at a first fluence when removing the first portion WTP1, and the processing light EL is irradiated onto the workpiece W at a second fluence lower than the first fluence when removing the second portion WTP2. As an example, the control unit 4 may generate processing control data such that the first fluence is several to several tens of times (e.g., 20 times) the second fluence. As a result, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 by irradiating the first portion WTP1 with the processing light EL at the first fluence. On the other hand, the processing system SYS may perform a second removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the second portion WTP2 by irradiating the second portion WTP2 with the processing light EL at a second fluence lower than the first fluence.

[0103] Here, the reason why the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is made higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b). FIG. 10(a) shows the processing light EL incident on the surface of the workpiece W at a first incident angle. On the other hand, FIG. 10(b) shows the processing light EL incident on the surface of the workpiece W at a second incident angle greater than the first incident angle. As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the larger the incident angle of the processing light EL, the larger the area on the surface of the workpiece W actually irradiated with the processing light EL. Therefore, if the fluence of the processing light EL is fixed, the larger the incident angle of the processing light EL, the smaller the amount of energy transferred from the processing light EL to the workpiece W per unit area or per unit time. Therefore, if the fluence of the processing light EL is fixed, the larger the incident angle of the processing light EL, the greater the possibility that the amount of energy transferred to the workpiece W will be insufficient.

[0104] Here, when the first portion WTP1 adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed, the processing light EL is more likely to be irradiated onto the wall portion WP (i.e., the exposed surface Se) along the traveling direction of the processing light EL, compared to when the second portion WTP2 not adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed. Therefore, when the first portion WTP1 adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed, the incident angle of the processing light EL is more likely to be larger, compared to when the second portion WTP2 not adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed. As a result, when the first portion WTP1 adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed, the processing light EL is more likely to be irradiated onto the workpiece W in the state shown in FIG. 10( b) , compared to when the second portion WTP2 not adjacent to the wall portion WP is processed. Therefore, when the fluence of the processing light EL is fixed, the amount of energy transmitted to the first portion WTP1 per unit area or per unit time may be smaller than the amount of energy transmitted to the second portion WTP2 per unit area or per unit time. As a result, the amount of processing of the first portion WTP1 may be insufficient, and an appropriate wall portion WP may not be formed. For example, if the amount of processing of the first portion WTP1 is insufficient, a wall portion WP may be unintentionally formed in which the angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is smaller than the desired angle. For example, if the amount of processing of the first portion WTP1 is insufficient, under circumstances in which a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) is to be formed, a wall portion WP that is inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction (i.e., not rising vertically) may be unintentionally formed.

[0105] Therefore, in this embodiment, the machining system SYS sets the fluence of the machining light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 higher than the fluence of the machining light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. As a result, the amount of energy transferred to the first portion WTP1 per unit area or per unit time is less likely to be smaller than the amount of energy transferred to the second portion WTP2 per unit area or per unit time. As a result, the possibility of an insufficient machining amount of the first portion WTP1 is reduced. Therefore, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W to form an appropriate wall portion WP. For example, the machining system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP such that the angle θ3 between the upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP and the wall portion WP is a desired angle. For example, the machining system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) under conditions in which a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) is to be formed.

[0106] The processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by controlling the processing light source 11. Specifically, the processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by controlling the processing light source 11 to change the intensity of the processing light EL emitted from the processing light source 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , which is a graph showing the intensity of the processing light EL emitted from the processing light source 11, the processing system SYS may control the processing light source 11 so that the intensity of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is higher than the intensity of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. As a result, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2.

[0107] The processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by controlling the focus-changing optical system 1211. Specifically, the processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by controlling the focus-changing optical system 1211 to change the size (e.g., diameter) of the beam spot BS formed by the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , which is a graph showing the size of the beam spot BS, the processing system SYS may control the focus-changing optical system 1211 so that the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is smaller than the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. As a result, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2.

[0108] The processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by controlling the head drive system 13 that moves the processing head 12. For example, when the processing head 12 moves along the Z-axis direction, the size of the beam spot BS formed by the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W changes. Therefore, the processing system SYS may change the fluence of the processing light EL by moving the processing head 12 along the Z-axis direction using the head drive system 13 to change the size of the beam spot BS.

[0109] 12, the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 can be considered larger than the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1. Here, the larger the size of the beam spot BS, the larger the area on the workpiece W irradiated with the processing light EL per unit time. As a result, the throughput of processing the workpiece W is improved. Therefore, in this embodiment, the processing system SYS may prioritize improving throughput over forming an appropriate wall portion WP in the second portion WTP2 where no wall portion WP needs to be formed by making the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2, where no wall portion WP needs to be formed, larger than the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1.

[0110] The light conditions related to the processing light EL may include conditions related to the overlap rate of the processing light EL. The overlap rate of the processing light EL may refer to the overlap rate between the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the workpiece W at one timing and the beam spot BS of the processing light EL irradiated onto the workpiece W at another timing subsequent to the one timing. In this case, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the overlap rate of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1 is different from the overlap rate of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the processing light EL having an overlap rate set to a first rate is irradiated onto the workpiece W to remove the first portion WTP1, and the processing light EL having an overlap rate set to a second rate different from the first rate is irradiated onto the workpiece W to remove the second portion WTP2.

[0111] The light conditions related to the processing light EL may include conditions related to the number of times the processing light EL is irradiated. The number of times the processing light EL is irradiated may refer to the number of times a region on the workpiece W is irradiated with the processing light EL. In this case, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the number of times the processing light EL is irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1 differs from the number of times the processing light EL is irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the control unit 4 may generate the processing control data so that the number of times the processing light EL is irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 is a predetermined first number of times when the first portion WTP1 is removed, and the number of times the processing light EL is irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 is a predetermined second number of times different from the first number of times when the second portion WTP2 is removed.

[0112] The control unit 4 may generate processing control data based on the results of test processing on a test workpiece (hereinafter referred to as a "test workpiece"). For example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing with the processing conditions set to predetermined test conditions. As one example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing with the fluence of the processing light EL set to a predetermined test fluence. As another example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing with the overlap of the processing light EL set to a predetermined test overlap rate. As another example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing with the number of irradiations of the processing light EL set to a predetermined test number. Alternatively, for example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing while changing the processing conditions. As one example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing while changing the fluence of the processing light EL. As another example, the processing system SYS may perform test processing while changing the overlap rate of the processing light EL. The processing system SYS may perform test processing while changing the number of irradiations of the processing light EL. The machining system SYS may then measure machining marks (e.g., the depth of the machining marks) from the test machining using the measurement unit 2. The control unit 4 may then generate machining control data based on the measurement results of the machining marks from the test machining. For example, the control unit 4 may generate machining control data based on the measurement results of the machining marks from the test machining so that the fluence of the machining light EL is a desired fluence. For example, the control unit 4 may generate machining control data based on the measurement results of the machining marks from the test machining so that the overlap rate of the machining light EL is a desired overlap rate. For example, the control unit 4 may generate machining control data based on the measurement results of the machining marks from the test machining so that the number of irradiations of the machining light EL is a desired number.

[0113] The control unit 4 may set processing conditions for the processing light EL for performing the second removal processing operation (i.e., the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2) based on the measurement results of the processing marks from the test processing. Furthermore, the control unit 4 may set processing conditions for the processing light EL for performing the first removal processing operation (i.e., the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1) based on the processing conditions for the processing light EL for performing the second removal processing operation. For example, the control unit 4 may set the fluence of the processing light EL for performing the second removal processing operation (i.e., the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2) based on the measurement results of the processing marks from the test processing. Furthermore, the control unit 4 may automatically set the fluence of the processing light EL for performing the first removal processing operation (i.e., the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1) to a value higher than the fluence of the processing light EL for performing the second removal processing operation.

[0114] The processing system SYS may remove at least a portion of the target processing portion TP by alternately repeating a first removal processing operation that removes at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 and a second removal processing operation that removes at least a portion of the second portion WTP2.

[0115] For example, as shown in FIG. 13 , the processing system SYS may remove a portion of the first portion WTP1 by performing a first removal processing operation. Specifically, the processing system SYS may remove a portion of the first portion WTP1 by scanning the surface of the first portion WTP1 with the processing light EL. That is, the processing system SYS may remove a removal layer SL that is a portion of the first portion WTP1. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove a single removal layer SL in a single first removal processing operation. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove a single removal layer SL by scanning the first portion WTP1 once with the processing light EL in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. Alternatively, the processing system SYS may remove multiple removal layers SL in a single first removal processing operation. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove multiple removal layers SL by scanning the first portion WTP1 multiple times with the processing light EL in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL.

[0116] After a portion of the first portion WTP1 has been removed, the processing system SYS may perform a second removal processing operation to remove a portion of the second portion WTP2, as shown in FIG. 14 . Specifically, the processing system SYS may remove a portion of the second portion WTP2 by scanning the surface of the second portion WTP2 with the processing light EL. That is, the processing system SYS may remove a removal layer SL that is a portion of the second portion WTP2. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove a single removal layer SL in one second removal processing operation. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove a single removal layer SL by scanning the second portion WTP2 once with the processing light EL in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. Alternatively, the processing system SYS may remove multiple removal layers SL in one second removal processing operation. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove a plurality of removal layers SL by scanning the second portion WTP2 with the processing light EL multiple times in a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL.

[0117] The number of removal layers SL removed by one first removal processing operation may be the same as the number of removal layers SL removed by one second removal processing operation. For example, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation to remove N (where N is a variable indicating an integer greater than or equal to 1) removal layers SL that are part of the first portion WTP1, and a second removal processing operation to remove N removal layers SL that are part of the second portion WTP2. In other words, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation including an operation to remove removal layers SL that are part of the first portion WTP1 N times, and a second removal processing operation including an operation to remove removal layers SL that are part of the second portion WTP2 N times.

[0118] Alternatively, the number of removal layers SL removed by one first removal processing operation may be different from the number of removal layers SL removed by one second removal processing operation. For example, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation to remove N removal layers SL that are part of the first portion WTP1, and a second removal processing operation to remove M (note that M is a variable indicating an integer greater than or equal to 1, different from the variable N) removal layers SL that are part of the second portion WTP2. In other words, the processing system SYS may perform a first removal processing operation including an operation to remove removal layers SL that are part of the first portion WTP1 N times, and a second removal processing operation including an operation to remove removal layers SL that are part of the second portion WTP2 M times.

[0119] As described above, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 may be different from the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. That is, the fluence of the processing light EL used in the first removal processing operation may be different from the fluence used in the second removal processing operation. In this case, the thickness of the removal layer SL removed by the first removal processing operation (i.e., the unit processing amount Δz shown in FIG. 4 ) may be different from the thickness of the removal layer SL removed by the second removal processing operation. In this case, the number of removal layers SL removed by one first removal processing operation may be different from the number of removal layers SL removed by one second removal processing operation. For example, the processing system SYS may perform the first and second removal processing operations so that the sum of the thicknesses of the N removal layers SL removed by one first removal processing operation is the same as the sum of the thicknesses of the M removal layers SL removed by one second removal processing operation.

[0120] As an example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 may be higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. That is, the fluence of the processing light EL used in the first removal processing operation may be higher than the fluence used in the second removal processing operation. In this case, the thickness of the removal layer SL removed by the first removal processing operation (i.e., the unit processing amount Δz shown in FIG. 4 ) is thicker than the thickness of the removal layer SL removed by the second removal processing operation. In this case, the number of removal layers SL removed by one first removal processing operation may be smaller than the number of removal layers SL removed by one second removal processing operation.

[0121] After a portion of the second portion WTP2 is removed, the processing system SYS may perform the first removal processing operation again. That is, as shown in FIG. 15 , the processing system SYS may perform the first removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the remaining first portion WTP1. Specifically, the processing system SYS may remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 by scanning the surface of the remaining first portion WTP1 with processing light EL. That is, the processing system SYS may remove a removal layer SL that is at least a portion of the remaining first portion WTP1.

[0122] After at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 is removed, the processing system SYS may perform the second removal processing operation again. That is, as shown in FIG. 16 , the processing system SYS may perform the second removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the remaining second portion WTP2. Specifically, the processing system SYS may remove at least a portion of the remaining second portion WTP2 by scanning the surface of the remaining second portion WTP2 with processing light EL. That is, the processing system SYS may remove a removal layer SL that is a portion of the remaining second portion WTP2.

[0123] Thereafter, the machining system SYS repeats the same operation until the removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is completed. That is, the machining system SYS repeats the same operation until the removal of the target machining portion TP is completed.

[0124] During at least a portion of the period during which the first removal processing operation for removing the first portion WTP1 is performed, as shown in FIG. 17 , the processing system SYS may scan the first portion WTP1 with the processing light EL so that the scanning direction of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W is aligned with the direction in which the boundary BD between the target processing portion TP and the non-target processing portion NP extends on the surface of the workpiece W. That is, the processing system SYS may scan the first portion WTP1 with the processing light EL so that the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the irradiation position of the processing light EL is changed in the direction in which the boundary BD extends. In this case, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W to form an appropriate wall portion WP, compared to when the first portion WTP1 is scanned with the processing light EL along a direction different from the direction in which the boundary BD extends. For example, the processing system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP such that the angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is a desired angle. For example, the processing system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP that extends in the Z-axis direction (i.e., that stands vertically) under circumstances in which a wall portion WP that extends in the Z-axis direction (i.e., that stands vertically) is formed.

[0125] The processing system SYS may control (e.g., change) the aperture angle of the processing light EL so that the aperture angle of the processing light EL when irradiating the first portion WTP1 differs from the aperture angle of the processing light EL when irradiating the second portion WTP2. The processing system SYS may also control (e.g., change) the overlap rate of the processing light EL so that the overlap rate of the processing light EL when processing the first portion WTP1 differs from the overlap rate of the processing light EL when processing the second portion WTP2. The processing system SYS may also control (e.g., change) the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL so that the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL when processing the first portion WTP1 differs from the size of the beam spot BS of the processing light EL when processing the second portion WTP2. The processing system SYS may control (e.g., change) the scanning direction of the processing light EL so that the scanning direction of the processing light EL when processing the first part WTP1 is different from the scanning direction of the processing light EL when processing the second part WTP2.

[0126] (3) Technical Effects of the Machining System SYS As described above, the machining system SYS of this embodiment performs a first removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 of the target processing portion TP and a second removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the second portion WTP2 of the target processing portion TP to form the wall portion WP by removing the target processing portion TP. Therefore, compared to the machining system of the first comparative example, which removes the target processing portion TP without dividing the target processing portion TP into the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W to form an appropriate wall portion WP. For example, the machining system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP such that the angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) formed between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is a desired angle. As an example, in a situation where a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., standing vertically) as shown in FIG. 18(a) is to be formed, the machining system SYS can appropriately form a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., standing vertically) as shown in FIG. 18(a). In a situation where a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., standing vertically) as shown in FIG. 18(a) is to be formed, the machining system SYS is less likely to form a wall portion WP that is inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction (i.e., does not stand vertically) as shown in FIG. 18(b). In this way, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W to form an appropriate wall portion WP. In other words, the machining system SYS can remove the target machining portion TP from the workpiece W so as to leave a non-target machining portion NP that can appropriately function as a wall portion WP.

[0127] In particular, the processing system SYS can set the fluence of the processing light EL used in the first removal processing operation (i.e., the processing conditions) to be different from the fluence used in the second removal processing operation (i.e., the processing conditions). In particular, the processing system SYS can set the fluence of the processing light EL used in the first removal processing operation to be higher than the fluence used in the second removal processing operation. Therefore, as already described in detail, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W to form an appropriate wall portion WP.

[0128] (4) Modifications Next, modifications of the machining system SYS will be described.

[0129] (4-1) First Modification In the above description, the machining system SYS divides the target machining portion TP into a first portion WTP1 and a second portion WTP2 under the control of the control unit 4. On the other hand, in the first modification, the machining system SYS may divide the target machining portion TP into a first portion WTP1, a second portion WTP2, and a third portion WTP3 under the control of the control unit 4. That is, under the control of the control unit 4, the machining system SYS may set a part of the target machining portion TP to the first portion WTP1, set another part of the target machining portion TP to the second portion WTP2, and set the remaining part of the target machining portion TP to the third portion WTP3.

[0130] An example of the first portion WTP1, the second portion WTP2, and the third portion WTP3 set to form the wall portion WP shown in Fig. 5 is shown in Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the first portion WTP1, the second portion WTP2, and the third portion WTP3 of the target processing portion TP.

[0131] 19 , the third portion WTP3 may be adjacent to both the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2. Specifically, the third portion WTP3 may be adjacent to the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. In particular, the third portion WTP3 may be located below the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2.

[0132] The control unit 4 may set the third portion WTP3 so that the size of the third portion WTP3 in the traveling direction of the processing light EL (in this case, the height and thickness in the Z-axis direction) is a predetermined size. For example, the control unit 4 may set the third portion WTP3 to have a predetermined size so that a target processing portion TP of the predetermined size remains when removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is completed.

[0133] The control unit 4 may set the predetermined size based on the size of the target processing portion TP. The size of the target processing portion TP may include the distance (in other words, the length or depth) Dis1 of the target processing portion TP in the direction along the wall portion WP (see FIG. 8A). For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined size so that the predetermined size is a predetermined percentage of the size of the target processing portion TP. For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined size so that the predetermined size is 20% of the size of the target processing portion TP or a size equivalent to 20% or more of the size of the target processing portion TP. In this case, the processing system SYS may process the workpiece W so that, upon completion of removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2, the target processing portion TP remains with a size equivalent to 20% or more of its original size. For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined size so that the predetermined size is 10% of the size of the target processing portion TP or a size equivalent to 10% or more of the size of the target processing portion TP. In this case, the machining system SYS may machine the workpiece W so that a target machining portion TP having a size equivalent to 10% or more of the original size remains when removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is complete. For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined size so that the predetermined size is a size equivalent to 5% of the size of the target machining portion TP or a size equivalent to 10% or more of the size of the target machining portion TP. In this case, the machining system SYS may machine the workpiece W so that a target machining portion TP having a size equivalent to 5% or more of the original size remains when removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is complete.

[0134] Then, under the control of the control unit 4, the processing system SYS may remove the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 of the target processing portion TP by performing a first removal processing operation in which the processing light EL is irradiated onto at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 to remove at least a portion of the first portion WTP1, and a second removal processing operation in which the processing light EL is irradiated onto at least a portion of the second portion WTP2 to remove at least a portion of the second portion WTP2. In particular, the processing system SYS may remove the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 of the target processing portion TP by alternately repeating the first removal processing operation and the second removal processing operation. Thereafter, after the removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is completed, the processing system SYS may remove the third portion WTP3 of the target processing portion TP by performing a third removal processing operation in which the processing light EL is irradiated onto at least a portion of the third portion WTP3 to remove at least a portion of the third portion WTP3. In particular, the processing system SYS may remove the third portion WTP3 of the target processing portion TP by repeating the third removal processing operation. In this way, in the first modified example, the processing system SYS may remove the target processing portion TP by removing the third portion WTP3 after removing the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2.

[0135] In this way, when the third portion WTP3 is removed after the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 are removed, the possibility of unintentionally processing the non-target processing portion NP is reduced compared to when the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 are removed without setting the third portion WTP3. The reason for this will be explained below with reference to FIGS.

[0136] FIG. 20A is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece W in which the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 are removed without forming the third portion WTP3. When a wall portion WP is formed, at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 may be unintentionally processed at a timing different from the timing at which at least one of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 is originally processed. As an example, as shown in FIG. 20A , when the processing light irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 adjacent to the wall portion WP is reflected by the exposed wall surface WS, the processing light EL intended to be irradiated onto a portion of the first portion WTP1 may be irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 (or another portion of the first portion WTP1; hereinafter, the same applies in the first modified example). As a result, the second portion WTP2 may be processed at a timing different from the timing at which the second portion WTP2 is originally processed. In this case, since the second portion WTP2 is further processed at the timing when the second portion WTP2 is originally processed, the amount of processing of the second portion WTP2 may become larger than the originally intended amount of processing, which may result in a technical problem in which the non-target processing portion NP located below the second portion WTP2 may be unintentionally processed.

[0137] In particular, the smaller the thicknesses of the remaining first portion WTP1 and second portion WTP2, the higher the possibility that the non-target processing portion NP will be unintentionally processed. In other words, if the thicknesses of the remaining first portion WTP1 and second portion WTP2 are below a certain size, the non-target processing portion NP may be unintentionally processed. Conversely, if the thicknesses of the remaining first portion WTP1 and second portion WTP2 are above a certain size, the possibility that the non-target processing portion NP located below the first portion WTP1 or second portion WTP2 will be unintentionally processed is low, even if the first portion WTP1 or second portion WTP2 is processed at a timing different from the timing at which the first portion WTP1 or second portion WTP2 would normally be processed.

[0138] In the first modified example, in consideration of such technical problems, a third portion WTP3 is set in addition to the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 20(b), which is a cross-sectional view showing the workpiece W in which the first portion WTP1, the second portion WTP2, and the third portion WTP3 are set, even if the first portion WTP1 or the second portion WTP2 is machined at a timing different from the timing at which the first portion WTP1 or the second portion WTP2 is originally machined, the possibility of unintentionally machining the non-target machining portion NP is low. This is because, as shown in Figure 20(b), the third portion WTP3, which is part of the target machining portion TP, is further present below the first portion WTP1 or the second portion WTP2. Taking into consideration such technical effects, the control unit 4 may set the size of the third portion WTP3 in the direction of travel of the processing light EL (in this case, the height and thickness in the Z-axis direction) so that the third portion WTP3 has a size that can realize a situation in which the non-target processing portion NP is not processed even if the first portion WTP1 or the second portion WTP2 is processed at a timing different from the timing at which the first portion WTP1 or the second portion WTP2 is originally processed.

[0139] The processing conditions for removing the third portion WTP3 may be the same as the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 described above. For example, the light conditions of the processing light EL irradiated onto the third portion WTP3 to remove the third portion WTP3 may be the same as the light conditions of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the third portion WTP3 to remove the third portion WTP3 may be the same as the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the third portion WTP3 to remove the third portion WTP3 may be lower than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1. In this case, compared to when the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated to the third portion WTP3 is higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated to the second portion WTP2, the possibility of the non-target processing portion NP being unintentionally processed by the processing light EL reflected by the wall surface WS of the wall portion WP is reduced.

[0140] The processing conditions for removing a portion of the third portion WTP may be different from the processing conditions for removing another portion of the third portion WTP. For example, the processing conditions for processing a portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP may be different from the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP. As an example, the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP may be the same as the processing conditions for removing the first portion WTP1 described above. The processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP may be the same as the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 described above. In this case, the processing system SYS can more appropriately form a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., standing vertically) compared to when the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP and the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP are the same. However, the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP may be the same as the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP. In this case, the processing system SYS can more appropriately form the bottom surface Sb having the desired flatness, compared to when the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP are different from the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP. Therefore, when priority is given to forming the bottom surface Sb having the desired flatness over forming a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically), the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP may be the same as the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP. On the other hand, if forming a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) is prioritized over forming a bottom surface Sb with the desired flatness, the processing conditions for processing the portion of the third portion WTP adjacent to the non-target processing portion NP may be different from the processing conditions for processing the remaining portion of the third portion WTP.

[0141] After completing the removal of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2, the processing system SYS may measure the third portion WTP3 (i.e., a portion of the remaining target processing portion TP) using the measurement unit 2. For example, the processing system SYS may measure the shape of the third portion WTP3 (i.e., the remaining target processing portion TP). Thereafter, the processing system SYS may perform a third removal processing operation to remove at least a portion of the third portion WTP3 based on the measurement results of the third portion WTP3 (i.e., the remaining target processing portion TP). As a result, the processing system SYS can perform the third removal processing operation with high accuracy.

[0142] For example, the processing system SYS may measure the shape of the third portion WTP3 (i.e., the remaining target processing portion TP) even after starting the third removal processing operation to remove at least a part of the third portion WTP3. Thereafter, the processing system SYS may continue the third removal processing operation based on the measurement result of the third portion WTP3 (i.e., the remaining target processing portion TP). As a result, the processing system SYS can perform the third removal processing operation with high accuracy.

[0143] Note that the smaller the ratio of the size of the third portion WTP3 to the target processing portion TP before removal (for example, the above-mentioned 20%, 10%, or 5% is an example ratio), the smaller the size of the third portion WTP3 to be removed by the third removal processing operation. Therefore, the smaller the size of the third portion WTP3 to be removed by the third removal processing operation, the less frequently the shape of the third portion WTP3 needs to be measured after the start of the third removal processing operation. This improves the throughput of the processing system SYS.

[0144] Conversely, the larger the ratio of the size of the third portion WTP3 to the target processing portion TP before removal (for example, the above-mentioned 20%, 10%, or 5%), the more likely it is that the throughput of the processing system SYS will deteriorate. However, the larger the ratio of the size of the third portion WTP3 to the target processing portion TP before removal, the less likely it is that the non-target processing portion NP will be unintentionally processed by the processing light EL reflected by the wall surface WS of the wall portion WP.

[0145] Therefore, the control unit 4 may automatically set the size of the third portion WTP3 (e.g., the ratio of the size of the third portion WTP3 to the target processing portion TP before removal) while considering the trade-off between the effect of improving the throughput of the processing system SYS and the effect of reducing the possibility of unintentionally processing the non-target processing portion NP. Alternatively, an operator of the processing system SYS may manually set the size of the third portion WTP3 (e.g., the ratio of the size of the third portion WTP3 to the target processing portion TP before removal).

[0146] On the other hand, during the period when the first and second removal processing operations are being performed to remove the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2, the processing system SYS does not need to measure the remaining target processing portion TP (e.g., at least a part of the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2) using the measurement unit 2. This improves the throughput related to processing of the workpiece W.

[0147] However, during at least a part of a period during which the first and second removal processing operations are being performed to remove the first and second parts WTP1 and WTP2, the processing system SYS may measure the remaining target processing parts TP (e.g., at least parts of the first and second parts WTP1 and WTP2) using the measurement unit 2. In this case, the processing system SYS may remove at least parts of the first and second parts WTP1 and WTP2 based on the measurement results of at least parts of the first and second parts WTP1 and WTP2 (i.e., the remaining target processing parts TP).

[0148] The machining system SYS may perform the operation described in the first modified example for a purpose other than preventing unexpected machining of the non-target machining portion NP associated with machining of the first portion WTP1. For example, the machining system SYS may perform the operation described in the first modified example for the purpose of improving the aesthetic appearance of the bottom surface Sb of the non-target machining portion NP. As one example, the machining system SYS may perform the operation described in the first modified example for the purpose of reducing color unevenness of the bottom surface Sb. As another example, the machining system SYS may perform the operation described in the first modified example for the purpose of reducing the surface roughness of the bottom surface Sb.

[0149] (4-2) Second Modification While the first and second removal operations are being performed to form the wall portion WP, unwanted material generated from the workpiece W (particularly, the target processing portion TP) due to the first and second removal operations may adhere to the exposed surface Se that is exposed by removing a portion of the target processing portion TP. The unwanted material may include material (so-called debris) generated by melting, evaporating, or sublimating a portion of the workpiece W (particularly, the target processing portion TP).

[0150] In this case, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with processing light EL in order to remove unnecessary substances adhering to the exposed surface Se from the exposed surface Se, as shown in Fig. 21. For example, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with processing light EL so that the unnecessary substances adhering to the exposed surface Se are irradiated with the processing light EL. As a result, the unnecessary substances adhering to the exposed surface Se are melted, evaporated, or sublimated by the processing light EL, and therefore the unnecessary substances are removed from the exposed surface Se.

[0151] The processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL after completing removal of the target processing portion TP. Alternatively, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL before completing removal of the target processing portion TP. In this case, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL at a stage where a predetermined amount of the target processing portion TP has been removed.

[0152] The processing conditions for removing unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se may be the same as the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 described above. For example, the light conditions for the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se to remove unnecessary material may be the same as the light conditions for the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se to remove unnecessary material may be the same as the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se to remove unnecessary material may be lower than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the first portion WTP1 to remove the first portion WTP1. In this case, the possibility of the exposed surface Se being unintentionally processed by the processing light EL for removing unnecessary material is reduced compared to when the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se is higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2.

[0153] Alternatively, the processing conditions for removing unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se may be different from the processing conditions for removing the second portion WTP2 described above. For example, the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se to remove unnecessary material may be lower than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2 to remove the second portion WTP2. For example, the intensity of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se may be lower than the intensity of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2. In this case, the possibility of unintentionally processing the exposed surface Se by the processing light EL for removing unnecessary material is reduced compared to when the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the exposed surface Se is higher than the fluence of the processing light EL irradiated onto the second portion WTP2.

[0154] The processing system SYS may remove unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se using the principle of non-thermal processing. For example, the processing system SYS may remove unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se by irradiating the exposed surface Se with processing light EL including pulsed light having an emission time of picoseconds or less or femtoseconds or less. In this case, the impact of heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL on the exposed surface Se is reduced compared to when unnecessary material is removed from the exposed surface Se using the principle of thermal processing. Therefore, the processing system SYS can remove unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se while reducing the impact of heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL on the exposed surface Se.

[0155] The processing system SYS may measure the exposed surface Se using the measurement unit 2 before irradiating the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL. The control unit 4 may then calculate the position on the exposed surface Se where the unnecessary material is attached based on the measurement results of the exposed surface Se. As an example, the control unit 4 may calculate the position on the exposed surface Se where the unnecessary material is attached by calculating the difference between the actual shape of the exposed surface Se indicated by the measurement results of the measurement unit 2 and the design shape of the exposed surface Se. Alternatively, a user of the processing system SYS may input information regarding the position on the exposed surface Se where the unnecessary material is attached to the processing system SYS. The control unit 4 may then control the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3 to irradiate the position on the exposed surface Se where the unnecessary material is attached with the processing light EL. That is, the control unit 4 may control the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3 to irradiate the position on the exposed surface Se calculated as the position on the exposed surface Se where the unnecessary material is attached with the processing light EL. As a result, the processing system SYS can appropriately remove unnecessary substances adhering to the exposed surface Se.

[0156] Before irradiating the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL or after starting to irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL, the processing system SYS may use the stage drive system 33 to rotate the stage 32 around a rotation axis extending along a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 21 , because the traveling direction of the processing light EL is the Z-axis direction, the processing system SYS may use the stage drive system 33 to rotate the stage 32 around at least one of a rotation axis along the X-axis and a rotation axis along the Y-axis. In particular, the processing system SYS may rotate the stage 33 so that the exposed surface Se becomes a plane intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. Then, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL. As a result, the processing system SYS can more easily irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL compared to when the exposed surface Se is a plane along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. This allows the processing system SYS to appropriately remove unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se.

[0157] Before irradiating the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL or after starting to irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL, the processing system SYS may use the head drive system 13 to rotate the processing head 12 around a rotation axis extending along a direction intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 21 , because the traveling direction of the processing light EL is the Z-axis direction, the processing system SYS may use the head drive system 13 to rotate the processing head 12 around at least one of a rotation axis along the X-axis and a rotation axis along the Y-axis. In particular, the processing system SYS may rotate the processing head 12 so that the exposed surface Se becomes a surface intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. Then, the processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL. As a result, the processing system SYS can more easily irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL compared to when the exposed surface Se is a surface along the traveling direction of the processing light EL. Therefore, the processing system SYS can appropriately remove unnecessary material from the exposed surface Se.

[0158] The processing system SYS may irradiate the exposed surface Se with the processing light EL while supplying gas to the exposed surface Se using a gas supply device (not shown). In this case, the unnecessary material removed from the exposed surface Se by the processing light EL is blown away from the exposed surface Se by the gas. This reduces the possibility that the unnecessary material removed from the exposed surface Se by the processing light EL will reattach to the exposed surface Se. This allows the processing system SYS to appropriately remove the unnecessary material adhering to the exposed surface Se.

[0159] (4-3) Third Modification In the third modification, the machining system SYS may set the operation mode of the machining system SYS to a desired mode under the control of the control unit 4 when removing an adjacent portion AP of the target machining portion TP that is adjacent to a non-target machining portion NP. Note that the first portion WTP1 of the target machining portion TP described above is adjacent to the non-target machining portion NP. Therefore, the first portion WTP1 of the target machining portion TP is a specific example of the adjacent portion AP.

[0160] Specifically, the machining system SYS may set the operation mode of the machining system SYS to a first mode. Alternatively, the machining system SYS may set the operation mode of the machining system SYS to a second mode different from the first mode. The machining system SYS may switch the operation mode of the machining system SYS between the first mode and the second mode.

[0161] The first mode and the second mode may be distinguished based on the position of the beam spot BS formed by the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W relative to the boundary BD between the target processing portion TP and the non-target processing portion NP. In other words, the first mode and the second mode may be distinguished based on the positional relationship between the boundary BD and the beam spot BS. The first mode and the second mode may differ in that the positional relationship between the boundary BD and the beam spot BS in the first mode is different from the positional relationship between the boundary BD and the beam spot BS in the second mode.

[0162] The beam spot BS formed on the surface of the workpiece W by the processing light EL may refer to an area determined based on the intensity distribution of the processing light EL on the surface of the workpiece W. For example, the beam spot BS may refer to an area irradiated with a light component of the processing light EL having a predetermined intensity or higher. In other words, the beam spot BS may refer to at least a portion of the area irradiated with the processing light EL and an area irradiated with a light component of the processing light EL having a predetermined intensity or higher. In other words, the beam spot BS may refer to an area that satisfies the condition that the intensity of the light component of the processing light EL within the beam spot BS is a predetermined intensity or higher.

[0163] The predetermined intensity may be set based on the intensity of the processing light EL capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W. For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined intensity based on the intensity of the processing light EL capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W. Alternatively, a user of the processing system SYS may set the predetermined intensity based on the intensity of the processing light EL capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W. Alternatively, the predetermined intensity as a fixed value may be set in advance based on the intensity of the processing light EL capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W.

[0164] The predetermined intensity may be set to the intensity of the processing light EL capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W. For example, the predetermined intensity may be set to a threshold value that allows for a distinction between an intensity of the processing light EL strong enough to perform removal processing on the workpiece W and an intensity of the processing light EL that is not strong enough to perform removal processing on the workpiece W, from the intensity of the processing light EL. In other words, the predetermined intensity may be set to a threshold value that allows for a distinction between an intensity of the processing light EL strong enough to perform removal processing on the workpiece W and an intensity of the processing light EL that is too weak to perform removal processing on the workpiece W, from the intensity of the processing light EL. Alternatively, the predetermined intensity may be set based on the peak intensity in the intensity distribution of the processing light EL. For example, the predetermined intensity may be set to an intensity obtained by multiplying the peak intensity by K (note that K is a variable indicating a real number greater than 0 and less than 1). An example of the variable K is 1 / e when the processing EL is a Gaussian beam. ２(Note that e represents Napier's constant) and 0.135 are examples of the variable K. As another example of the variable K, when the processing EL is a Gaussian beam, 0.135 is given.

[0165] An example of the positional relationship between the boundary BD and the beam spot BS in the first mode is shown in Fig. 22. As shown in Fig. 22, the first mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS is located on the boundary BD on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0166] To set the operation mode of the machining system SYS to the first mode, the control unit 4 may generate first machining control data for machining the workpiece W with the center of the beam spot BS located on the boundary BD. For example, the control unit 4 may generate first machining control data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS moves along the boundary BD on the surface of the workpiece W. Specifically, the control unit 4 may generate the first machining control data including first machining path data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS moves along a first machining path on the boundary BD on the surface of the workpiece W. As a result, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W in the first mode based on the first machining control data generated by the control unit 4.

[0167] On the other hand, an example of the positional relationship between the boundary BD and the beam spot BS in the second mode is shown in Fig. 23. As shown in Fig. 23, the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined with the center of the beam spot BS on the surface of the workpiece W spaced apart from the boundary BD by a predetermined distance.

[0168] In particular, the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS on the surface of the workpiece W is spaced away from the boundary BD toward the inside of the target processing portion TP. In this case, as shown in FIG. 23 , the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS is located only inside the target processing portion TP and away from the boundary BD. The second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS is located only inside the boundary BD. In other words, the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS is not located on the boundary BD. The second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the center of the beam spot BS is not located on the non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD.

[0169] The predetermined distance may be set based on the size of the beam spot BS. For example, the control unit 4 may set the predetermined distance based on the size of the beam spot BS. Alternatively, a user of the processing system SYS may set the predetermined distance based on the size of the beam spot BS. Alternatively, the predetermined distance as a fixed value may be set in advance based on the size of the beam spot BS.

[0170] The "size of the beam spot BS" may refer to the size of the beam spot BS within a plane intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. The "size of the beam spot BS" may refer to the size of the beam spot BS within the surface of the workpiece W intersecting the traveling direction of the processing light EL. When the beam spot BS is circular, the size of the beam spot BS may typically be the diameter or radius of the beam spot BS. When the beam spot BS is elliptical, the size of the beam spot BS may typically be the length of the major axis or minor axis of the beam spot BS.

[0171] The "size of the beam spot BS" may refer to the distance between two points where the intensity of the processing light EL is the above-mentioned predetermined intensity. The "size of the beam spot BS" may refer to the distance between two points where the intensity of the processing light EL is half the peak intensity. The "size of the beam spot BS" may refer to the diameter of a circle that includes a predetermined proportion of the beam energy and is centered on the center of gravity of the intensity distribution of the processing light EL.

[0172] As an example, as shown in FIG. 23 , the predetermined distance may be a distance corresponding to the radius of the beam spot BS. In other words, the predetermined distance may be a distance corresponding to half the diameter of the beam spot BS. In this case, as shown in FIG. 23 , the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the beam spot BS itself is located only inside the target processing portion TP away from the boundary BD. The second mode may be an operation mode in which the beam spot BS itself is located only inside the boundary BD. In other words, the second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the beam spot BS itself is not located on the boundary BD. The second mode may be an operation mode in which the workpiece W is machined in a state in which the beam spot BS itself is not located on the non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD.

[0173] As mentioned above, the beam spot BS may refer to an area where light components of the processing light EL having a predetermined intensity or higher are irradiated. Therefore, the state where "the beam spot BS is located only inside the target processing portion TP away from the boundary BD" may also refer to an area where light components of the processing light EL having a predetermined intensity or higher are irradiated only inside the target processing portion TP away from the boundary BD. In this case, light components of the processing light EL having a lower intensity than the predetermined intensity may be irradiated onto the boundary BD. Light components of the processing light EL having a lower intensity than the predetermined intensity may be irradiated onto the non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD. In either case, since light components of the processing light EL having a predetermined intensity or higher are irradiated only inside the target processing portion TP away from the boundary BD, it can be said that the beam spot BS is located only inside the target processing portion TP away from the boundary BD.

[0174] To set the operation mode of the machining system SYS to the second mode, the control unit 4 may generate second machining control data for machining the workpiece W with the center of the beam spot BS spaced apart from the boundary BD. For example, the control unit 4 may generate second machining control data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS moves away from the boundary BD on the surface of the workpiece W. Specifically, the control unit 4 may generate second machining control data including second machining path data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS moves along a second machining path away from the boundary BD on the surface of the workpiece W. For example, the control unit 4 may generate second machining control data including second machining path data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS is located only inside the target machining portion TP spaced apart from the boundary BD. For example, the control unit 4 may generate second machining control data including second machining path data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS is located only inside the target machining portion TP spaced apart from the boundary BD. In other words, the control unit 4 may generate second processing control data including second processing path data for controlling the center position of the beam spot BS so that the center of the beam spot BS is located outside the boundary BD (i.e., on the non-target processing portion NP). As a result, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W in the second mode based on the second processing control data generated by the control unit 4.

[0175] In this case, typically, the volume of the portion to be removed from the workpiece W based on the second processing control data may be smaller than the volume of the portion to be removed from the workpiece W based on the first processing control data. In other words, the volume of the portion to be removed from the workpiece W indicated by the second processing control data may be smaller than the volume of the portion to be removed from the workpiece W indicated by the first processing control data.

[0176] Alternatively, the machining system SYS may machine the workpiece W in the second mode based on first machining control data for setting the operating mode of the machining system SYS to the first mode. Specifically, as described above, the first machining control data is machining control data for moving the center of the beam spot BS along the first machining path on the boundary BD. In this case, the control unit 4 may modify (in other words, correct) the first machining path so that the first machining path moves away from the boundary BD toward the inside of the target machining portion TP, thereby generating the modified first machining path as the second machining path. The control unit 4 may modify the first machining control data so that the first machining path moves away from the boundary BD toward the inside of the target machining portion TP, thereby generating the modified first machining control data as the second machining control data. As a result, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W in the second mode based on the first machining path modified by the control unit 4 (i.e., the second machining path generated by the control unit 4 from the first machining path). In other words, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W in the second mode based on the first processing control data changed by the control unit 4 (i.e., the second processing control data generated by the control unit 4 from the first processing control data).

[0177] When the machining system SYS machines the workpiece W in the second mode based on the first machining control data, as shown in Fig. 24 which shows an example of the configuration of the machining system SYS in the third modified example, the machining system SYS may include an acquisition unit 41, an output unit 42, and a control unit 43 as part of the control unit 4. Note that the machining system SYS may include at least one of the acquisition unit 41, the output unit 42, and the control unit 43 as a device different from the control unit 4.

[0178] The acquiring unit 41 may acquire the first processing control data. For example, the acquiring unit 41 may acquire the first processing control data by newly generating the first processing control data. For example, the acquiring unit 41 may acquire the first processing control data by reading out the first processing control data stored in a storage device provided in the control unit 4. For example, the acquiring unit 41 may acquire the first processing control data from an external device that generates the first processing control data.

[0179] The acquisition unit 41 may further acquire information about the processing light EL. For example, the acquisition unit 41 may acquire information about the size of the beam spot BS as at least part of the information about the processing light EL.

[0180] The output unit 42 may modify the first processing control data acquired by the acquisition unit 41 to generate second processing control data. In this case, the output unit 42 may modify the first processing control data based on information about the processing light EL acquired by the acquisition unit 41. For example, if the acquisition unit 41 acquires information about the size of the beam spot BS as at least part of the information about the processing light EL, the output unit 42 may modify the first processing control data so that the first processing path indicated by the first processing control data is spaced from the boundary BD by a predetermined distance based on the size of the beam spot BS. The output unit 42 may then output the modified first processing control data to the control unit 43 as second processing control data.

[0181] The control unit 43 may control at least one of the processing unit 1 and the stage unit 3 to process the workpiece W based on the second processing control data (i.e., the modified first processing control data) output from the output unit 42.

[0182] The operation mode of the machining system SYS may be automatically selected (in other words, determined or set) by the control unit 4. For example, the control unit 4 may select either the first or second mode as the operation mode of the machining system SYS based on the characteristics (e.g., type) of the workpiece W to be machined by the machining system SYS. In this case, the control unit 4 may select either the first or second mode as the operation mode of the machining system SYS based on the characteristics (e.g., type) of the workpiece W using information that defines the relationship between the characteristics of the workpiece W and the operation mode.

[0183] The operation mode of the machining system SYS may be manually selected (in other words, determined or set) by a user of the machining system SYS. For example, the user may select either the first or second mode as the operation mode of the machining system SYS based on the characteristics (e.g., type) of the workpiece W to be machined by the machining system SYS.

[0184] As described above, in the third modified example, the machining system SYS can set the operating mode of the machining system SYS to the first mode or the second mode, and then remove an adjacent portion AP (e.g., the first portion WTP1) of the target machining portion TP that is adjacent to the non-target machining portion NP.

[0185] Here, the first mode is an operating mode in which the center of the beam spot BS is located on the boundary BD, as shown in FIG. 22 . Therefore, there is a possibility that the beam spot BS will be formed on a non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD. As a result, there is a possibility that the non-target processing portion NP, which should not be processed, will be unintentionally processed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 25( a), which shows a workpiece W processed by the processing system SYS in the first mode, there is a possibility that a portion of the non-target processing portion NP, which should not be processed, will be unintentionally removed in order to remain as a wall portion WP. As a result, there is a possibility that the size of the remaining wall portion WP will differ from the designed size.

[0186] On the other hand, the second mode is an operating mode in which the center of the beam spot BS moves away from the boundary BD toward the inside of the target processing portion TP, as shown in FIG. 23 . Therefore, when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the second mode, the area of ​​the spot portion of the beam spot BS formed on the non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD is smaller than when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the first mode. In some cases, the beam spot BS is not formed on the non-target processing portion NP outside the boundary BD. As a result, as shown in FIG. 25( b ), which shows the workpiece W processed by the machining system SYS in the second mode, when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the second mode, the volume of the portion of the workpiece W removed by removal processing is smaller than when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the first mode. Therefore, the volume of the portion of the non-target processing portion NP that should not be processed that is unintentionally removed is smaller. In some cases, the non-target processing portion NP that should not be processed is not removed. Therefore, when the machining system SYS machines the workpiece W in the second mode, the deviation between the size of the remaining wall portion WP and the designed size is smaller than when the machining system SYS machines the workpiece W in the first mode. In some cases, the size of the remaining wall portion WP matches the designed size. Therefore, the machining system SYS can appropriately remove the target machining portion TP so that the non-target machining portion NP, which should not have been machined, remains as the wall portion WP.

[0187] However, when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the second mode, the degree of overlap of the beam spots BS changes during the process of scanning the processing light EL along the boundary BD in the adjacent portion AP (particularly near the boundary BD) compared to when the machining system SYS processes the workpiece W in the first mode. As a result, the amount of energy transmitted from the processing light EL to the workpiece W may be insufficient during the process of scanning the processing light EL along the boundary BD in the adjacent portion AP (particularly near the boundary BD). As a result, a wall portion WP may be unintentionally formed in which the angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) between the upper surface Su of the non-target machining portion NP and the wall portion WP is smaller than the desired angle. For example, under circumstances in which a wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) is to be formed, a wall portion WP inclined with respect to the Z-axis direction (i.e., not rising vertically) may be unintentionally formed. Even in this case, by dividing the target processing portion TP into the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2 as described above and alternately repeating the first removal processing operation for removing at least a portion of the first portion WTP1 and the second removal processing operation for removing at least a portion of the second portion WTP2, the processing system SYS can appropriately form the wall portion WP such that the angle θ3 (see FIG. 7 ) formed between the upper surface Su of the non-target processing portion NP and the wall portion WP is a desired angle. For example, the processing system SYS can appropriately form the wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) under circumstances in which the wall portion WP extending in the Z-axis direction (i.e., rising vertically) is to be formed.

[0188] (4-4) Other Modifications The machining system SYS may form the wall portion WP by using the head drive system 13 to rotate the machining head 12 around at least one of the rotation axes along the X-axis and the Y-axis. The machining system SYS may form the wall portion WP by using the stage drive system 33 to rotate the stage 32 around at least one of the rotation axes along the X-axis and the Y-axis. That is, the machining system SYS may form the wall portion WP by tilting the stage 32 relative to the machining head 12. In this case, the machining system SYS may form the wall portion WP without dividing the target machining portion TP into the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2. However, even when the stage 32 is tilted relative to the machining head 12, the machining system SYS may form the wall portion WP by dividing the target machining portion TP into the first portion WTP1 and the second portion WTP2.

[0189] In the above description, the processing system SYS processes the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with the processing light EL. However, the processing system SYS may process the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with an arbitrary energy beam. In this case, the processing system SYS may be provided with a beam source capable of irradiating the arbitrary energy beam in addition to or instead of the processing light source 11. Examples of the arbitrary energy beam include at least one of a charged particle beam and an electromagnetic wave. Examples of the charged particle beam include at least one of an electron beam and an ion beam.

[0190] (5) Supplementary Notes The following supplementary notes are further disclosed with respect to the above-described embodiments. [Supplementary Note 1] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam; and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target portion to be processed in the removal processing, wherein the control device controls the processing device to perform a first operation of removing at least a portion of the first portion of the target portion to be processed by irradiating a first portion of the target portion to be processed with the energy beam at a first fluence, and a second operation of removing at least a portion of the second portion of the target portion to be processed by irradiating a second portion of the target portion to be processed with the energy beam at a second fluence lower than the first fluence, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion along a first direction intersecting a traveling direction of the energy beam. [Supplementary Note 2] The processing system described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the first portion is adjacent to a non-target portion to be processed of the object along the first direction, and the second portion is adjacent to the first portion along the first direction and is located at a position farther from the non-target portion to be processed than the first portion. [Supplementary Note 3] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes a wall portion extending in the traveling direction. [Supplementary Note 4] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes at least an upper surface and a wall portion, and wherein an angle formed between the upper surface and the wall portion is greater than 82 degrees. [Supplementary Note 5] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes at least an upper surface and a wall portion, and wherein an angle formed between the upper surface and the wall portion is greater than 78 degrees. [Supplementary Note 6] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes at least an upper surface and a wall portion, and wherein an angle formed between the upper surface and the wall portion is approximately 90 degrees. [Supplementary Note 7] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes at least a wall portion, and wherein an angle formed between the wall portion and an axis along the traveling direction of the processing light is 8 degrees or less. [Supplementary Note 8] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target processing portion includes at least a wall portion, and an angle formed between an axis along a traveling direction of the processing light and the wall portion is 12 degrees or less.[Supplementary Note 9] The machining system according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the non-target machining portion includes at least a wall portion, and an angle between the upper surface and the wall portion is approximately 0 degrees. [Supplementary Note 10] The machining system according to any one of Supplements 3 to 9, wherein the wall portion is approximately parallel to the traveling direction. [Supplementary Note 11] The machining system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 3 and 10, wherein the control device determines the first portion based on a shape of the target machining portion. [Supplementary Note 12] The machining system according to any one of Supplements 4 to 6, wherein the control device determines the first portion based on a shape of the target machining portion. [Supplementary Note 13] The machining system according to Supplementary Note 12, wherein the shape of the target machining portion includes a distance along the wall portion of the target machining portion or an angle between the upper surface and the wall portion. [Supplementary Note 14] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 13, wherein a third operation is performed to remove at least a portion of a third portion of the target processing portion adjacent to the first portion in the traveling direction by irradiating the energy beam with a third fluence lower than the first fluence. [Supplementary Note 15] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 14, wherein the first operation includes an operation of removing a first portion to be removed that is part of the first portion by scanning the energy beam a plurality of times in a direction intersecting the traveling direction, and the second operation includes an operation of removing a second portion to be removed that is part of the second portion by scanning the energy beam a plurality of times in a direction intersecting the traveling direction. [Supplementary Note 16] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 15, wherein the first operation includes an operation of removing a first portion to be removed that is part of the first portion N times (N is a variable indicating an integer greater than or equal to 1), and the second operation includes an operation of removing a second portion to be removed that is part of the second portion N times. [Supplementary Note 17] The machining system described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 16, wherein the first operation includes an operation of removing a first removal portion that is part of the first portion N times (N is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1), and the second operation includes an operation of removing a second removal portion that is part of the second portion M times (M is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1).[Supplementary Note 18] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 17, wherein a thickness of the first removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the first operation is different from a thickness of the second removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the second operation. [Supplementary Note 19] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 18, further comprising a position changer capable of changing a positional relationship between the object and an irradiation position of the energy beam on the surface of the object, wherein the control device controls the position changer so that the positional relationship is changed on the surface of the first portion along a direction extending of a boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion of the object, during at least a part of a period during which the first operation is performed. [Supplementary Note 20] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 19, wherein the processing device comprises a light source that emits the energy beam, and the control device is capable of changing a fluence of the energy beam by controlling the light source. [Supplementary Note 21] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 20, wherein the processing device includes an optical system capable of changing a spot size of the energy beam on the surface of the object, and the control device is capable of changing the fluence of the energy beam by controlling the optical system. [Supplementary Note 22] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 3 to 10, wherein after the target processing portion is removed, a normal to an exposed surface of the wall portion exposed by the removal of the target processing portion intersects with a traveling direction of the energy beam. [Supplementary Note 23] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 22, wherein the control device removes at least a portion of the target processing portion by alternately repeating the first and second operations. [Supplementary Note 24] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 1 to 23, wherein the control device controls the processing device so that, after alternately repeating the first and second operations, the second operation is repeated to remove at least another portion of the target processing portion.[Supplementary Note 25] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 23 or 24, further comprising a measuring device that measures another part of the target processing portion after a part of the target processing portion is removed by alternately repeating the first and second operations, and the control device controls the processing device to repeat the second operation to remove the other part of the target processing portion based on the measurement result by the measuring device. [Supplementary Note 26] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 3 to 10, wherein the control device controls the processing device to irradiate the energy beam onto at least a part of an exposed surface of the wall portion that is exposed by the removal of the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 27] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 26, wherein the intensity of the energy beam irradiated onto at least a part of the exposed surface is lower than the intensity of the energy beam irradiated onto the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 28] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 26 or 27, wherein the processing device removes deposits adhering to the exposed surface from the exposed surface by irradiating the energy beam onto at least a part of the exposed surface. [Supplementary Note 29] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 28, wherein the deposit includes debris generated from a target processing portion by irradiating the energy beam onto the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 30] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam; and a control device that controls the processing device to remove the target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device is switchable between a first mode in which removal processing of a part of the target processing portion adjacent to a non-target processing portion of the object is performed in a state where the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located on the surface of the object at a boundary between the target processing portion and the non-target processing portion, and a second mode in which removal processing of the part of the target processing portion adjacent to the non-target processing portion is performed in a state where the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located on the surface of the object inside the target processing portion and away from the boundary.[Supplementary Note 31] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 30, wherein the control device, in the second mode, performs removal processing of a portion adjacent to the non-target processing portion with the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object located at a position a predetermined distance away from the boundary. [Supplementary Note 32] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 30 or 31, wherein the control device, in the second mode, removes the portion adjacent to the non-target processing portion by moving the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object along a first pass that is a predetermined distance away from the boundary. [Supplementary Note 33] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 30 to 32, wherein the control device, in the first mode, removes the portion adjacent to the non-target processing portion by moving the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object along a second pass on the boundary. [Supplementary Note 34] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 30 to 33, wherein the control device, in the second mode, controls the center position of the beam spot of the energy beam so that the beam spot is not located on the non-target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 35] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 31 or 32, wherein the predetermined distance is set based on the size of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 36] The size of the beam spot is the distance from the center of the energy beam to the point where the intensity of the energy beam is 1 / e. ２The processing system according to Supplementary Note 35, wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a position where the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 337] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 35 or 36, wherein the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 38] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of the object by irradiating the object with an energy beam; and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing, wherein the control device performs the removal processing in a state where the center of the beam spot of the energy beam on the surface of the object is located only inside the target processing portion and away from the boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 39] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 38, wherein the control device performs the removal processing in a state where the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object is located at a position away from the boundary by a predetermined distance. [Supplementary Note 40] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 38 or 39, wherein the control device moves the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object along a first path away from the boundary by a predetermined distance. [Supplementary Note 41] The processing system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 38 to 40, wherein the control device controls the center position of the beam spot of the energy beam so that the beam spot is not positioned on the non-target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 42] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 39 or 40, wherein the predetermined distance is set based on the size of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 43] The size of the beam spot is determined by measuring the distance from the center of the energy beam to the point where the intensity of the energy beam is 1 / e ２a processing system according to Supplementary Note 42, wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a position where the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 44] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 42 or 43, wherein the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 45] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of the object by irradiating the object with an energy beam; an acquisition unit that acquires processing data related to a target processing part in the removal processing and information about the energy beam; a calculation unit that changes the processing data based on the information about the energy beam and outputs changed processing data; and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a part of the object based on the changed processing data, wherein the removal processing is performed in a state where the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing part. [Supplementary Note 46] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 38 to 45, further comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires processing data related to the target processing portion in the removal processing and information related to the energy beam; and a calculation unit that changes the processing data based on the information related to the energy beam and outputs changed processing data, wherein the control device controls the processing device to remove a portion of the object based on the changed processing data. [Supplementary Note 47] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 45 or 46, wherein the volume of the portion to be removed indicated by the changed processing data is smaller than the volume of the portion to be removed indicated by the processing data. [Supplementary Note 48] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 45 to 47, wherein the calculation unit changes the processing data so that the removal processing is performed in a state where the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object is located at a position a predetermined distance away from the boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion adjacent to the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 49] The processing system described in any one of Supplementary Notes 45 to 48, wherein the calculation unit changes the processing data so that the center of the beam spot on the surface of the object moves along a first path that is a predetermined distance away from a boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion adjacent to the target processing portion.[Supplementary Note 50] The processing system according to any one of Supplements 45 to 49, wherein the calculation unit changes the processing data so that the beam spot of the energy beam is not positioned on a non-target processing portion adjacent to the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 51] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 48 or 49, wherein the predetermined distance is set based on the size of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 52] The size of the beam spot is determined by measuring the distance from the center of the energy beam when the intensity of the energy beam is 1 / e. ２[Supplementary Note 53] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 51, wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a position where [Supplementary Note 54] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 52, wherein the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 55] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 53, wherein the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 56] The processing system according to Supplementary Note 56, wherein the predetermined distance is half the diameter of the beam spot on the surface of the object. [Supplementary Note 57] The processing system comprises: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of the object by irradiating an object with an energy beam; and a control device that controls the processing device to remove a target processing part in the removal processing, wherein the control device controls the processing device to perform a first operation to remove at least a part of the first part by irradiating a first part of the target processing part with the energy beam under a first condition, and a second operation to remove at least a part of the second part by irradiating a second part of the target processing part with the energy beam under a second condition different from the first condition, and the first part is adjacent to the second part. [Supplementary Note 55] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating an energy beam onto the object; and a control device that controls the processing device so as to remove a target processing part in the removal processing, wherein the center of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing part. [Supplementary Note 56] A processing system comprising: a processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating an energy beam onto the object; an acquisition unit that acquires changed processing data obtained by changing processing data related to the target processing part in the removal processing; and a control device that controls the processing device so as to remove a part of the object based on the changed processing data, wherein the center of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing part.[Supplementary Note 57] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating an object with an energy beam, comprising: irradiating a first portion of a target processing portion in the removal processing with the energy beam at a first fluence to remove at least a portion of the first portion; and irradiating a second portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam at a second fluence lower than the first fluence to remove at least a portion of the second portion, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion along a first direction that intersects the direction of travel of the energy beam. [Supplementary Note 58] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a portion of an object by irradiating an object with an energy beam, comprising: irradiating a first portion of a target processing portion in the removal processing with the energy beam under first conditions to remove at least a portion of the first portion; and irradiating a second portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam under second conditions different from the first conditions to remove at least a portion of the second portion, wherein the first portion is adjacent to the second portion. [Supplementary Note 59] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, comprising switching a processing mode of the removal processing between a first mode and a second mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which the removal processing is performed in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam on the surface of the object is located at the boundary between a target processing part in the removal processing and a non-target processing part adjacent to the target processing part, and the second mode is a mode in which the removal processing is performed in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam on the surface of the object is located inside the target processing part. [Supplementary Note 60] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, wherein the removal processing is performed in a state in which the center of the beam spot of the energy beam on the surface of the object is located only inside the target processing part in the removal processing.[Supplementary Note 61] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, comprising: acquiring processing data for a target processing portion in the removal processing and information about the energy beam, modifying the processing data based on the processing data and the information about the energy beam to output modified processing data, and removing a part of the object based on the modified processing data, wherein the center of the beam spot of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing portion. [Supplementary Note 62] A processing method for performing removal processing to remove a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, comprising: acquiring modified processing data obtained by modifying processing data for a target processing portion in the removal processing, and removing a part of the object based on the modified processing data, wherein the center of the energy beam is located only inside the target processing portion.

[0191] The requirements of the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Some of the requirements of the above-described embodiments may not be used. The requirements of the above-described embodiments may be replaced with requirements of other embodiments as appropriate. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by law, the disclosures of all publications and U.S. patents relating to the devices, etc. cited in the above-described embodiments are incorporated herein by reference.

[0192] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or idea of ​​the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and processing systems and processing methods that involve such modifications are also included in the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0193] SYS Machining system 1 Machining unit 12 Machining head 2 Measurement unit 3 Stage unit 4 Control unit EL Machining light W Workpiece TP Target machining part WTP1 First part WTP2 Second part WTP3 Third part NP Non-target machining part BD Boundary WP Wall part WS Wall surface Se Exposed surface

Claims

1. a processing device capable of performing a removal process for removing a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam; A control device that controls the processing device so as to remove a target processing portion in the removal processing; Equipped with the control device controls the processing device to perform a first operation of removing at least a portion of the first portion by irradiating a first portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam at a first fluence, and a second operation of removing at least a portion of the second portion by irradiating a second portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam at a second fluence lower than the first fluence, The first portion is adjacent to the second portion along a first direction intersecting a traveling direction of the energy beam. Processing system.

2. the first portion is adjacent to a non-target portion of the object along the first direction; The second portion is adjacent to the first portion along the first direction and is located at a position farther from the non-target processing portion than the first portion. The processing system of claim 1 .

3. The non-target processing portion includes a wall portion extending in the traveling direction. The processing system of claim 2 .

4. The non-target processing portion includes at least a surface portion and a wall portion, The angle between the top surface and the wall is greater than 82 degrees. The processing system of claim 2 .

5. The non-target processing portion includes at least a surface portion and a wall portion, The angle between the top surface and the wall is greater than 78 degrees. The processing system of claim 2 .

6. The non-target processing portion includes at least a surface portion and a wall portion, The angle between the top surface and the wall is approximately 90 degrees. The processing system of claim 2 .

7. The non-target processing portion includes at least a wall portion, The angle between the axis along the direction of travel of the energy beam and the wall is 8 degrees or less. The processing system of claim 2 .

8. The non-target processing portion includes at least a wall portion, The angle between the axis along the direction of travel of the energy beam and the wall is 12 degrees or less. The processing system of claim 2 .

9. The non-target processing portion includes at least a wall portion, The angle between the axis along the traveling direction of the energy beam and the wall portion is approximately 0 degrees. The processing system of claim 2 .

10. The wall portion is substantially parallel to the traveling direction. The processing system of claim 3 .

11. The control device determines the first portion based on a shape of the target processing portion. The processing system of claim 1 .

12. The control device determines the first portion based on a shape of the target processing portion. The processing system according to claim 4 .

13. The shape of the target processing portion includes a distance along the wall of the target processing portion or an angle between the top of the surface and the wall. The processing system of claim 12.

14. A third operation is performed to remove at least a part of the third portion by irradiating a third portion of the target processing portion adjacent to the first portion in the traveling direction with the energy beam at a third fluence lower than the first fluence. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. the first operation includes an operation of removing a first removal portion that is a part of the first portion by scanning the energy beam a plurality of times in a direction intersecting the traveling direction; The second operation includes an operation of removing a second removal portion that is a part of the second portion by scanning the energy beam a plurality of times in a direction intersecting the traveling direction. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. The first operation includes an operation of removing a first removal portion, which is a part of the first portion, N times (N is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1); The second operation includes removing a second removal portion, which is a portion of the second portion, N times. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. The first operation includes an operation of removing a first removal portion, which is a part of the first portion, N times (N is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1); The second operation includes an operation of removing a second removal portion, which is a part of the second portion, M times (M is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1). The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

18. N is greater than M 20. The processing system of claim 17.

19. A thickness of the first removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the first operation is different from a thickness of the second removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the second operation.

20. The processing system of claim 17.

20. The thickness of the first removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the first operation is thicker than the thickness of the second removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the second operation.

20. The processing system of claim 19.

21. a position changing device capable of changing a positional relationship between the irradiation position of the energy beam on the surface of the object and the object, The control device controls the position changing device so that, during at least a portion of a period during which the first operation is performed, the positional relationship is changed along a direction in which a boundary between the target processing portion and a non-target processing portion of the object extends on a surface of the first portion. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

22. The processing device includes a light source that emits the energy beam, The control device is capable of varying the fluence of the energy beam by controlling the light source. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

23. the processing device includes an optical system capable of changing a spot size of the energy beam on a surface of the object; The control device is capable of changing the fluence of the energy beam by controlling the optical system. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

24. After the target processing portion is removed, a normal line of an exposed surface of the wall portion exposed by removing the target processing portion intersects with a traveling direction of the energy beam. The processing system according to any one of claims 3 to 10.

25. The control device removes at least a portion of the target processing portion by alternately repeating the first and second operations. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

26. The control device controls the processing device so that, after alternately repeating the first and second operations, the second operation is repeated to remove at least another part of the target processing portion. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

27. The method further includes a measuring device that measures another part of the target processing portion after a part of the target processing portion is removed by alternately repeating the first and second operations, The control device controls the processing device so as to repeat the second operation to remove another part of the target processing portion based on a measurement result by the measuring device.

26. The processing system of claim 25.

28. The control device controls the processing device so as to irradiate the energy beam onto at least a part of an exposed surface of the wall portion that is exposed by removing the target processing portion. The processing system according to any one of claims 3 to 10.

29. The intensity of the energy beam irradiated to at least a portion of the exposed surface is lower than the intensity of the energy beam irradiated to the target processing portion.

30. The processing system of claim 28.

30. The processing device irradiates at least a part of the exposed surface with the energy beam, thereby removing any deposit adhering to the exposed surface from the exposed surface.

30. The processing system of claim 29.

31. The deposit includes debris generated from the target processing portion by irradiating the target processing portion with the energy beam.

31. The processing system of claim 30.

32. A processing method for performing a removal process of removing a part of an object by irradiating the object with an energy beam, comprising the steps of: removing at least a portion of a target processing portion in the removal process by irradiating a first portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam at a first fluence; irradiating a second portion of the target processing portion with the energy beam at a second fluence lower than the first fluence to remove at least a portion of the second portion; Including, The first portion is adjacent to the second portion along a first direction that is a direction intersecting a traveling direction of the energy beam. Processing method.

33. The method further includes removing at least a part of the third portion of the target processing portion adjacent to the first portion in the traveling direction by irradiating the energy beam with a third fluence lower than the first fluence. The processing method according to claim 32.

34. Removing at least a portion of the first portion includes an operation of removing a first removal portion, which is a part of the first portion, N times (N is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1); Removing at least a portion of the second portion includes removing a second removal portion that is a portion of the second portion N times.

34. The processing method according to claim 32 or 33.

35. Removing at least a portion of the first portion includes an operation of removing a first removal portion, which is a part of the first portion, N times (N is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1); Removing at least a portion of the second portion includes removing a second removal portion that is a part of the second portion M times (M is a variable indicating an integer equal to or greater than 1).

34. The processing method according to claim 32 or 33.

36. N is greater than M. The processing method according to claim 35.

37. The thickness of the first removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the first operation is thicker than the thickness of the second removal portion removed by scanning the energy beam once in a direction intersecting the traveling direction in the second operation. The processing method according to claim 35.