DOE Beam Shaping for Sharp-Corner Laser Drilling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Laser processing apparatuses struggle to accurately drill holes with corners, as circular laser beams result in rounded corners due to insufficient energy intensity at the corners of the rectangular beam, making it difficult to form quadrilateral holes with right-angled corners.
Innovation Solution
A laser processing apparatus that uses a diffractive optical element-type beam shaper to convert a circular laser beam into a polygonal beam, with the outer peripheral diameter of the circular beam being larger than the standard incident beam diameter, ensuring high energy intensity at the corners, allowing for accurate micromachining of quadrilateral holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a conventional beam shaper is used to convert circular laser beam into rectangular beam, then the beam shape is rectangular, but the energy intensity is not sufficiently high at the corners, causing rounded corners in the drilled hole
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter of incident beam diameter to be larger than the standard value for the diffractive optical element. This parameter change modifies the energy intensity distribution at the corners of the rectangular beam, making the corners sufficiently sharp to achieve right-angled corners in the drilled hole while maintaining the rectangular beam shape.
2Ease of operation
If circular laser beam is used for drilling, then the processing is simple, but the corners of the drilled hole become rounded due to the circular beam shape
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a diffractive optical element-type beam shaper as an intermediary component between the circular laser beam source and the workpiece. This beam shaper converts the circular beam into a rectangular beam with enhanced corner energy intensity, enabling right-angled hole corners while maintaining processing simplicity through automated beam shaping.
3Shape
If rectangular laser beam is used to form quadrilateral hole, then the beam shape matches the desired hole shape, but the energy intensity at corners is insufficient, causing rounded corners
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the incident beam diameter parameter to exceed the standard value for the diffractive optical element. This modification adjusts the energy intensity distribution across the rectangular beam profile, specifically enhancing the energy concentration at the corners to achieve sufficient sharpness for right-angled hole formation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables the precise drilling of quadrilateral holes with sharp, right-angled corners by enhancing energy intensity at the corners of the beam, improving the accuracy of corner formation in laser-processed workpieces.
Implementation Method 1
a beam shaper that converts a circular Gaussian beam into a rectangular beam utilizing diffraction, refraction, total reflection, or the like of light
Implementation Method 2
a focusing optical system that condenses the polygonal beam emitted from the polygonal beam shaping unit on the workpiece
Data Source
AI summary
A laser processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by applying laser beam to the workpiece, including: a laser oscillator capable of emitting laser beam; a beam rotator that converts the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator into a circular beam having a predetermined diameter; a beam shaper on which the circular beam emitted from the beam rotator is incident and from which a polygonal beam is emitted; and a focusing optical system that focuses the polygonal beam emitted from the beam shaper on the workpiece, wherein the beam shaper is a DOE-type beam shaper, and the outer peripheral diameter of the circular beam incident on the DOE-type beam shaper is larger than a standard incident beam diameter preset for the DOE-type beam shaper.