UV Laser Ablation for High Resolution Gobo Pattern Generation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing gobos for stage lighting systems, such as those using near IR lasers, face issues with back reflections, low resolution, and high maintenance costs due to the need for water-cooled lasers, making them unsuitable for small, 'made-to-order' production runs and resulting in coarse imagery.
Innovation Solution
The use of a UV laser with a transparent substrate coated with specific layers such as a high efficiency anti-reflective coating, a release layer, and a dark mirror coating allows for higher resolution gobos by ablating the reflective material with a focused laser beam, enabling smaller spot sizes and more precise image formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a near IR laser is used to ablate reflective material, then the laser can remove material, but the resolution is low and spot size is large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the laser wavelength parameter from near IR (1.06 micrometers) to UV (355 nanometers). This parameter change enables smaller spot sizes and higher resolution ablation of the reflective layer, directly resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and spot size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical limitation of near IR lasers with UV laser technology that enables finer feature fabrication. The UV laser's shorter wavelength allows for smaller spot sizes and higher resolution images, substituting the inadequate near IR system with a superior UV system.
2Reliability
If a near IR laser is used, then material ablation is achieved, but back reflections occur and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful back reflections from near IR lasers into a beneficial feature by using UV lasers with appropriate wavelength selection. The UV laser system eliminates the back reflection problem entirely while maintaining material ablation capability, transforming a harmful effect into a non-issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a UV laser system that is more reliable and lower maintenance than near IR lasers. The UV laser eliminates the need for water cooling systems and reduces maintenance requirements, effectively replacing a high-maintenance system with a more reliable one.
3Manufacturing precision
If a photo mask and photo resist process is used, then high resolution images are achieved, but production time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the time-consuming photo mask and photo resist deposition process. By using direct UV laser ablation, the method removes the need for separate masking and resist coating steps, achieving high resolution images directly through laser writing, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the multi-step mechanical photoresist process with direct UV laser ablation. This substitution eliminates the need for photo mask fabrication, photo resist deposition, and solvent etching, reducing production time while maintaining high resolution capability.
4Temperature
If glass gobos with reflective layers are used, then heat resistance is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of heat-resistant glass gobos and applies it to UV-transparent substrates that can be directly laser-ablated. This eliminates the need for complex multi-layer coatings and glass substrate fabrication, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining heat resistance through the UV-transparent substrate selection.
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
This approach results in higher resolution ablated gobo images with smaller spot sizes, reducing maintenance costs and improving image clarity, making it suitable for smaller production runs and more efficient gobo production.
Implementation Method 1
A laser marking system writes an image onto the transparent plate having a reflective layer bonded thereto. The reflective layer is highly reflective to visible light and is absorptive of certain wavelengths of near infra-red radiation... The reflective layer of the blank gobo absorbs the energy of the laser beam and is ablated away from the transparent plate
Implementation Method 2
The reflective layer is highly reflective to visible light and is absorptive of certain wavelengths of near infra-red radiation... The reflective layer of the blank gobo absorbs the energy of the laser beam
Data Source
AI summary
A light pattern generator that can be used to form a gobo for use in a projection optical system. A transparent plate is coated with a stack that is absorptive and reflective. The stack is formed to be ablatable in the form of a pattern. The stack can have multiple different layers with multiple different characteristics, all of which are ablated by the laser.