CN111805076B - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a laser processing device capable of performing efficient laser processing using the characteristics of a laser beam irradiation means. The laser processing device (1) comprises: two chuck tables (10) for holding the workpiece (100) by the holding surface (11); an X-axis feeding unit (20) for moving the chuck table (10) in a state of being aligned in the X-axis direction; a laser beam irradiation unit (31) for irradiating the workpiece (100) held by the chuck table (10) with laser beam to perform machining; and a pair of conveying areas (40) which are arranged on both sides of the laser beam irradiation unit (31) along the X-axis direction and convey the processed object (100) into or out of the chuck workbench (10). The laser beam irradiation unit (31) includes a laser oscillator, a condenser (38), and a laser beam scanning unit for shifting the irradiation position of the laser beam on the holding surface (11).

Description

Laser processing equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to a laser processing device.

Background Art

In the past, the following cutting device was used: it uses a cutting tool to cut and process various plate-shaped workpieces such as semiconductor wafers or sapphire substrates, SiC substrates, glass substrates, and resin-encapsulated substrates. Laser processing is also used to remove the substrate along the predetermined division line or form a modified layer inside by irradiating laser light (see Patent Document 1). The cutting device feeds the chuck table holding the workpiece relative to the tool fixed on the spindle in the X-axis direction to cut the workpiece. In addition, the spindle is configured to be indexed and fed in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis, so that all the spacing paths can be processed.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-179237

The laser processing device shown in Patent Document 1 is significantly different from the above-mentioned cutting device in that it can scan the laser beam on the laser beam irradiation unit side. Even without moving the chuck table, the focusing point (processing point) can be moved, so high-speed scanning that cannot be achieved by the moving speed of the chuck table can achieve high-speed processing.

However, the laser processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is designed based on the concept of the above-mentioned cutting device, and therefore has a problem in that an effective device structure utilizing the characteristics of the laser beam irradiation unit cannot be achieved.

Summary of the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of performing efficient laser processing utilizing the characteristics of a laser beam irradiation unit.

According to the present invention, a laser processing device is provided, which comprises: a first chuck worktable, which holds a workpiece by a holding surface; a second chuck worktable, which holds the workpiece by a holding surface; an X-axis feed unit, which moves the first chuck worktable and the second chuck worktable in a state of being arranged along the X-axis direction; a laser beam irradiation unit, which irradiates the workpiece held by the chuck worktable with laser beam to perform processing; and a pair of conveying areas, which are arranged along the X-axis direction on both sides of the laser beam irradiation unit to move the workpiece in or out relative to the chuck worktable, and the laser beam irradiation unit includes: a laser oscillator, which emits laser beam; a condenser, which converges the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator; and a laser beam scanning unit, which is arranged between the laser oscillator and the condenser to shift the irradiation position of the laser beam on the holding surface of the chuck worktable.

Preferably, the laser beam scanning unit includes any device selected from the group consisting of a current scanner, a resonance scanner, an acousto-optic deflection element, and a polygonal mirror.

Preferably, the first chuck table and the second chuck table each include a rotating unit that rotates the holding surface using a rotating axis that is perpendicular to the holding surface.

Preferably, the laser processing apparatus further includes a pair of carrying-in and carrying-out units, which are disposed in the transfer area and carry the workpiece in and out of the chuck table.

The laser processing apparatus of the present invention can perform efficient laser processing utilizing the characteristics of a laser beam irradiation unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a laser processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the laser beam irradiation unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the operation of the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the operation of the laser processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a laser processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

6(A) and (B) are plan views showing the operation of the laser processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

Description of symbols

1, 1-2: laser processing device; 10: chuck table; 11: holding surface; 14: rotation unit; 20: X-axis feed unit; 30: laser processing unit; 31, 31-2: laser beam irradiation unit; 341: laser oscillator; 37: laser beam scanning unit; 38, 38-2: condenser; 40: conveying area; 41: carrying in and out unit; 100: workpiece.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments. In addition, the constituent elements described below include contents that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art, and substantially the same contents. In addition, the structures described below can be appropriately combined. In addition, various omissions, substitutions or changes in the structure can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[First embodiment]

The laser processing device of the first embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a structural example of the laser processing device of the first embodiment. The laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a device for processing a workpiece 100 by irradiating a laser beam. In addition, the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction used in the following description are perpendicular to each other. In addition, in the following description, the X-axis direction is regarded as one direction in the horizontal direction, and the Y-axis direction is regarded as another direction in the horizontal direction, that is, other directions, but the Y-axis direction may be regarded as one direction in the horizontal direction, and the X-axis direction may be regarded as another direction in the horizontal direction, that is, other directions. In addition, in the following description, the XY plane coincides with the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction coincides with the vertical direction, but the XY plane may be offset from the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction may be offset from the vertical direction.

The object 100 to be processed by the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment includes a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer, and is, for example, a silicon substrate, a sapphire substrate, a gallium substrate, a SiC substrate, a glass substrate, a resin package substrate, or other plate-shaped substrates. The object 100 of the first embodiment is a semiconductor wafer or an optical device wafer having a constant thickness, but the object 100 of the present invention may be a so-called TAIKO wafer having a thin central portion and a thick wall portion formed at the outer peripheral portion.

In the first embodiment, for example, a plurality of devices (not shown) formed on the front surface of the workpiece 100 are divided into a grid shape by a plurality of predetermined dividing lines (not shown), and are divided into a plurality of device chips by laser processing performed along the predetermined dividing lines by the laser processing apparatus 1.

In the first embodiment, the workpiece 100 has a dicing tape 107, which is an adhesive tape having a larger diameter than the substrate, attached to the back surface, and an annular frame 108 is attached to the outer periphery of the dicing tape 107. That is, the workpiece 100 is supported by the dicing tape 107 at the opening of the annular frame 108. In addition, the workpiece 100 in the present invention is not limited to this form, and may be a form without the dicing tape 107 and the annular frame 108 attached.

In addition, the object to be processed 100 is not limited to the above-mentioned method having multiple predetermined dividing lines. In the present invention, it can also be constructed to include: an epitaxial substrate (not shown); an optical device layer (not shown), which is stacked on the front side of the epitaxial substrate via a buffer layer (not shown); and a transfer substrate (not shown), which is bonded to the front side of the optical device layer by means of a bonding layer (not shown), and the buffer layer is laser processed by the laser processing device 1 to enable the optical device layer to be peeled off.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment includes two (a pair of) chuck tables 10 , 10 , an X-axis feed unit 20 , a laser processing unit 30 , a pair of transfer areas 40 , 40 , and a control unit 50 .

The two chuck tables 10, 10 have the same structure except that one of them is arranged on the +X direction side relative to the other, that is, the other is arranged on the -X direction side relative to the one. In the first embodiment, one of the two chuck tables 10, 10 corresponds to the first chuck table of the present invention, and the other corresponds to the second chuck table of the present invention. In addition, the other of the two chuck tables 10, 10 may correspond to the first chuck table of the present invention, and one may correspond to the second chuck table of the present invention.

As shown in FIG1 , the chuck table 10 is in the shape of a disk and comprises: a holding portion 12, which is provided with a holding surface 11 for holding a workpiece 100 and is formed of porous ceramics or the like; and an annular frame portion 13, which surrounds the holding portion 12 and is formed of conductive metal. The chuck table 10 is provided to be movable in the X-axis direction by an X-axis feed unit 20.

The chuck table 10 is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown), and the chuck table 10 sucks and holds the workpiece 100. The chuck table 10 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown), and the gas supply source supplies pressurized gas to release the suction and holding of the workpiece 100.

The chuck table 10 has four clamps 15 which are arranged on the outer periphery of the holding surface 11 and hold and fix a frame 108 which supports the workpiece 100 via a dicing tape 107 .

The X-axis feed unit 20 is arranged on the upper surface of the horizontal part of the L-shaped base 2 along the X-axis direction, so that the two chuck tables 10, 10 are simultaneously moved along the X-axis direction in a state of being arranged along the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG1 , the X-axis feed unit 20 has: a pair of X-axis guide rails 21, which are substantially parallel to the X-axis direction; two (a pair of) X-axis moving tables 22, 22, which are mounted on the X-axis guide rails 21 in a manner that they can slide in the X-axis direction; an X-axis ball screw 23, which is screwed and commonly arranged with the lower surface side of the two X-axis moving tables 22, 22, and the X-axis ball screw 23 is parallel to the X-axis guide rail 21; and an X-axis pulse motor 24, which is connected to one end of the X-axis ball screw 23.

The two X-axis movable worktables 22, 22 have the same structure except that one of them is arranged on the +X direction side relative to the other, that is, the other is arranged on the -X direction side relative to the one. In the first embodiment, the X-axis movable worktable 22 on one side supports the chuck table 10 on one side so that it can rotate around the Z axis, and the X-axis movable worktable 22 on the other side supports the chuck table 10 on the other side so that it can rotate around the Z axis.

The X-axis ball screw 23 is rotated by the X-axis pulse motor 24, so that the two X-axis movable tables 22, 22 are simultaneously moved in the X-axis direction along the X-axis guide rail 21 in a state of being arranged in the X-axis direction. As a result, the chuck table 10 on one side supported by the X-axis movable table 22 and the chuck table 10 on the other side supported by the X-axis movable table 22 on the other side are simultaneously moved in the X-axis direction along the X-axis guide rail 21 in a state of being arranged in the X-axis direction. The X-axis feed unit 20 is provided with an X-axis measurement unit (not shown) for measuring the position of each of the two X-axis movable tables 22, 22 in the X-axis direction. By measuring the position of each of the two X-axis movable tables 22, 22 in the X-axis direction, the position of each of the two chuck tables 10, 10 in the X-axis direction can be measured.

As shown in FIG1 , a laser processing unit 30 is provided on a vertical portion provided upright from a horizontal portion of an L-shaped base 2, toward the upper side of a pair of X-axis guide rails 21 of an X-axis feed unit 20 and protruding toward the -Y direction. The laser processing unit 30 includes: a laser beam irradiation unit 31; and an imaging unit 32, which is separated from the laser beam irradiation unit 31 in the X-axis direction and arranged toward the -Z direction.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a laser beam irradiation unit 31 of the first embodiment. The laser beam irradiation unit 31 irradiates a workpiece 100 held by a chuck table 10 with a laser beam 301 to perform processing. As shown in Fig. 2, the laser beam irradiation unit 31 includes a laser beam generating unit 34, an optical system 35, a wavelength conversion element 36, a laser beam scanning unit 37, and a condenser 38.

The laser beam generating unit 34 includes a laser oscillator 341 and a repetition frequency setting unit 342. The laser oscillator 341 is a device that oscillates a laser beam 300 of a predetermined wavelength, and in the first embodiment, it is preferable to use a device that oscillates a laser beam of about 1 μm in wavelength by exciting a crystal such as YAG doped with neodymium (Nd) ions or the like through a laser diode (LASER Diode, LD).

The repetition frequency setting unit 342 is a unit for setting the repetition frequency of the laser light oscillating by the laser oscillator 341. In the first embodiment, the repetition frequency is set to 2 times. Based on the above-mentioned laser light with a wavelength of about 1 μm, it is preferred to use a laser light generating unit 34 that generates a laser light 300 with a wavelength of about 514 nm as its second harmonic.

In the first embodiment, the laser beam generating unit 34 is controlled by the control unit 50 to generate the laser beam 300, which is a pulsed laser beam having a repetition frequency of 50 kHz to 200 kHz, an average output of 0.1 W to 2.0 W, and a pulse width of 20 ps or less.

The optical system 35 includes at least one of predetermined optical devices such as a beam diameter adjuster and an output adjuster, and transmits the laser beam 300 generated by the laser beam generating unit 34. The wavelength conversion element 36 is an element that converts the wavelength of the laser beam 300 transmitted through the optical system 35. In the first embodiment, the laser beam 300 having a wavelength of about 514 nm generated by the laser beam generating unit 34 is converted into a laser beam 301 having a wavelength of about 257 nm, which is the second harmonic thereof, that is, the fourth harmonic of the original laser beam having a wavelength of about 1 μm.

In the first embodiment, regarding the laser light irradiation unit 31, the wavelength conversion element 36 is arranged on the downstream side of the optical system 35 in the traveling direction of the laser lights 300 and 301, so that the wavelength of the laser light passing through the optical system 35 can be made longer than the wavelength of the laser light finally irradiated, thereby preventing damage to the optical system 35.

As shown in Fig. 2, the laser beam scanning unit 37 is arranged between the laser oscillator 341 and the condenser 38 described later. More specifically, the optical system 35 and the wavelength conversion element 36 are arranged at a position downstream of the laser beam generating unit 34 having the laser oscillator 341, and the laser beam scanning unit 37 is arranged at a position further downstream than the optical system 35 and the wavelength conversion element 36. The laser beam scanning unit 37 shifts the irradiation position of the laser beam 301 in the XY plane on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10.

In the first embodiment, the laser beam scanning unit 37 includes any one of a current scanner, a resonance scanner, an acousto-optic deflection element, or a polygon mirror. The laser beam scanning unit 37 is controlled by the control unit 50 to swing the laser beam 301 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and introduce it into the condenser 85.

The condenser 38 is a circular shape having a diameter equal to or larger than the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 in the XY plane, and is provided to cover the upper portion of the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 when the chuck table 10 is located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31. The condenser 38 condenses the laser beam 301 emitted from the laser oscillator 341 and scanned by the laser beam scanning unit 37.

The condenser 38 may be exemplified by a larger Fθ lens having the above diameter or a larger image-side telecentric objective lens having the above diameter, and in either case, the optical axis is set along the Z-axis direction. The condenser 38 irradiates the laser beam 301 in a direction parallel to the Z-axis direction as the optical axis direction, that is, perpendicular to the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10, regardless of the incident angle of the laser beam 301 derived from the laser beam scanning unit 37.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the imaging unit 32 is disposed in the -Z direction at a position outside the condenser 38 of the laser beam irradiation unit 31 on the XY plane. Therefore, the imaging unit 32 can image the X-axis movable table 22 supporting the chuck table 10 located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31 without being obstructed by the condenser 38. The imaging unit 32 images the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 located below the imaging unit 32, obtains an image for performing alignment, which performs alignment between the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 and the irradiation position of the laser beam 301 of the laser beam irradiation unit 31, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 50. In the first embodiment, for example, before the laser processing of the laser beam irradiation unit 31, the chuck table 10 may be positioned below the imaging unit 32 and the alignment may be performed, and then the chuck table 10 may be moved to the lower side of the condenser 38, and then the laser processing of the laser beam irradiation unit 31 may be performed.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a pair of transport regions 40, 40 are arranged along the X-axis direction on both sides of the laser beam irradiation unit 31 of the laser processing unit 30. Specifically, the pair of transport regions 40, 40 are provided on both sides of the X-axis direction of the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided. That is, one transport region 40 is provided on the +X direction side of the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided, and the other transport region 40 is provided on the -X direction side of the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided. The pair of transport regions 40, 40 have the same structure except that one of the transport regions 40, 40 is provided on the +X direction side relative to the other, that is, the other is provided on the -X direction side relative to the one.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the interval in the X-axis direction between the transport region 40 on one side and the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided, and the interval between the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided and the transport region 40 on the other side are both set to be equal to the interval in the X-axis direction between the two X-axis movable tables 22, 22 in the X-axis feed unit 20, that is, the interval in the X-axis direction between the two chuck tables 10, 10. Therefore, in the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment, when the chuck table 10 on one side is located in the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided, the chuck table 10 on the other side is located in the transport region 40 on the other side, and when the chuck table 10 on the other side is located in the region where the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is provided, the chuck table 10 on one side is located in the transport region 40 on one side.

As shown in FIG1 , a loading and unloading unit 41, a pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 substantially parallel to the Y-axis direction, a cassette elevator 44, and a cassette 45 are provided in the transport area 40. The loading and unloading unit 41 loads and unloads the workpiece 100 relative to the chuck table 10 located in the transport area 40. The loading and unloading unit 41 has a gripping portion 42 that grips a frame 108 that supports the workpiece 100 via a dicing tape 107. The loading and unloading unit 41 is controlled by a control unit 50 and moves along the Y-axis direction by a driving mechanism (not shown).

As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 are supported at the ends of the upper surface of the cassette elevator 44 in the +Y direction, and are provided to protrude in the +Y direction above the pair of X-axis guide rails 21 of the X-axis feed unit 20. The pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 are controlled by the control unit 50 to move away from each other in the X-axis direction, or to move toward each other in the X-axis direction, so that the distance width between each other can be changed.

As shown in Fig. 1, the cassette elevator 44 is provided adjacent to the end surface on the -Y direction side of the horizontal portion of the L-shaped base 2. The cassette elevator 44 is a cassette placement area on which a cassette 45 for storing the workpiece 100 before and after laser processing is placed on the upper surface and the cassette 45 is moved up and down in the Z-axis direction by control by the control unit 50.

The cassette 45 stores the workpiece 100 before laser processing and the workpiece 100 after laser processing separately. The cassette 45 is placed on the upper surface of the cassette elevator 44 and is moved up and down by the cassette elevator 44 to change the workpiece 100 carried out by the loading and unloading unit 41.

The unloading operation of the workpiece 100 by the unloading and loading unit 41 will be described. The unloading and loading unit 41 moves in the -Y direction and uses the gripping unit 42 to grip the frame 108 of the workpiece 100 before laser processing in the box 45 placed in the box elevator 44. Then, the unloading and loading unit 41 moves in the +Y direction while gripping the frame 108 of the workpiece 100 by the gripping unit 42, thereby unloading the workpiece 100 before laser processing from the box 45. When the workpiece 100 is unloaded while the frame 108 is gripped by the gripping unit 42, both ends of the frame 108 in the X-axis direction are supported and guided by a pair of Y-axis guide rails 43, and is unloaded in the +Y direction. Then, the unloading and loading unit 41 releases the gripping unit 42 from gripping the frame 108 of the workpiece 100. As a result, the frame 108 of the workpiece 100 that has been gripped by the gripping portion 42 is supported by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 .

Then, the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 narrow the interval between each other, thereby performing a centering operation to position the frame 108 at a predetermined position in the X-axis direction. Then, the unloading and loading unit 41 uses a vacuum pad (not shown) provided below the unloading and loading unit 41 to attract and hold the frame 108 positioned at a predetermined position and move it upward, thereby raising the workpiece 100 from the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43. Then, the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 expand the interval between each other, and the unloading and loading unit 41 that attracts and holds the frame 108 descends, thereby allowing the workpiece 100 and the frame 108 to pass between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 and be placed on the chuck table 10.

The loading operation of the workpiece 100 by the loading and unloading unit 41 is described. After the loading and unloading unit 41 moves in the +Y direction, it moves downward and passes between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43, and the frame 108 of the laser-processed workpiece 100 on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 is sucked and held by a vacuum pad (not shown) provided below the loading and unloading unit 41, so that it moves to a position above the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43. Then, the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 narrow the interval between each other, and the loading and unloading unit 41 that sucks and holds the frame 108 descends, so that the workpiece 100 and the frame 108 are placed between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43. As a result, the frame 108 of the laser-processed workpiece 100 is supported by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43.

Then, after the loading and unloading unit 41 further moves in the +Y direction, the frame 108 of the laser-processed workpiece 100 supported by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43 is gripped by the gripping unit 42. Then, the loading and unloading unit 41 moves in the -Y direction while gripping the frame 108 of the workpiece 100 by the gripping unit 42, thereby loading the laser-processed workpiece 100 into the box 45. When the workpiece 100 is loaded while the frame 108 is gripped by the gripping unit 42, both ends of the frame 108 in the X-axis direction are supported and guided by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 43, and loaded along the -Y direction. Then, the loading and unloading unit 41 releases the gripping unit 42 from gripping the frame 108 of the workpiece 100, thereby enabling the laser-processed workpiece 100 to be stored in the box 45.

In the present embodiment, the carry-in/carry-out unit 41 automatically carries out and carries in the workpiece 100 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the carry-in/carry-out operation of the workpiece 100 may be carried out and carried in manually by an operator.

The control unit 50 controls each unit of the laser processing device 1 to make the laser processing device 1 perform the following operations: an operation of moving the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis feed unit 20; an operation of laser processing the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 by the laser processing unit 30; an operation of carrying out the workpiece 100 before laser processing from the box 45 to the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 in the conveying area 40; and an operation of carrying out the workpiece 100 after laser processing from the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 into the box 45. The control unit 50 is a computer, and the control unit 50 has: an operation processing device having a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit); a storage device having a memory such as a ROM (read only memory) or a RAM (random access memory); and an input/output interface device. The arithmetic processing device of the control unit 50 performs arithmetic processing according to a computer program stored in a storage device, and outputs a control signal for controlling the laser processing device 1 to each unit of the laser processing device 1 via an input/output interface device.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the control unit 50 includes an X-axis feed control unit 51 and a processing and transport control unit 52. The X-axis feed control unit 51 rotates the X-axis ball screw 23 by using the X-axis pulse motor 24, thereby moving the two X-axis movable tables 22, 22 supporting the two chuck tables 10, 10 in the X-axis direction while being arranged in the X-axis direction. The processing and transport control unit 52 irradiates the laser beam 301 to the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 10 located on one side below the laser processing unit 30 through the laser processing unit 30, and at the same time, carries the laser-processed workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 10 located on the other side of the transport area 40 into the box 45 through the carry-in/carry-out unit 41, and places the workpiece 100 before laser processing from the box 45 on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 on the other side.

Next, the operation of the laser processing device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are both plan views for explaining the operation of the laser processing device 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in Figure 3, when the chuck table 10 on one side is positioned under the laser processing unit 30 and the chuck table 10 on the other side is positioned in the conveying area 40 on the other side (the situation after the second moving step described later), the processing and conveying control unit 52 irradiates the laser beam 301 on the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 10 on one side through the laser processing unit 30 to perform laser processing, and at the same time, the workpiece 100 after laser processing held by the chuck table 10 on the other side is moved into the box 45 through the carry-in/carry-out unit 41, and the workpiece 100 before laser processing is placed from the box 45 on the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 on the other side (the first processing and conveying step).

As shown in FIG3 , when the chuck table 10 on one side is positioned below the laser processing unit 30 and the chuck table 10 on the other side is positioned at the conveying area 40 on the other side and the above-mentioned first processing and conveying step is completed (the situation after the above-mentioned first processing and conveying step), the X-axis feed control unit 51 causes the two X-axis movable worktables 22, 22 supporting the two chuck tables 10, 10, respectively, to maintain the X-axis direction interval between each other while being arranged along the X-axis direction and to move in the +X direction along the X-axis guide rail 21 at the same time, thereby positioning the chuck table 10 on one side in the conveying area 40 on one side and positioning the chuck table 10 on the other side below the laser processing unit 30 (the first moving step), as shown in FIG4 .

As shown in Figure 4, when the chuck worktable 10 on one side is positioned in the conveying area 40 on one side and the chuck worktable 10 on the other side is positioned below the laser processing unit 30 (the situation after the above-mentioned first moving step), the processing and transport control unit 52 irradiates the laser beam 301 on the workpiece 100 held by the chuck worktable 10 on the other side through the laser processing unit 30 to perform laser processing, and at the same time, the workpiece 100 after laser processing held by the chuck worktable 10 on one side is moved into the box 45 through the carry-in/carry-out unit 41, and the workpiece 100 before laser processing is placed from the box 45 on the holding surface 11 of the chuck worktable 10 on one side (the second processing and transport step).

As shown in FIG4 , when the chuck table 10 on one side is positioned at the conveying area 40 on one side and the chuck table 10 on the other side is positioned below the laser processing unit 30 and the above-mentioned second processing and conveying step is completed (the situation after the above-mentioned second processing and conveying step), the X-axis feed control unit 51 causes the two X-axis movable worktables 22, 22 supporting the two chuck tables 10, 10, respectively, to maintain the X-axis direction interval between each other while being arranged along the X-axis direction and to move in the -X direction along the X-axis guide rail 21 at the same time, thereby positioning the chuck table 10 on one side below the laser processing unit 30 and positioning the chuck table 10 on the other side in the conveying area 40 on the other side as shown in FIG3 (the second moving step).

In the first embodiment, the processing and conveying control unit 52 can scan the laser beam 301 on the entire surface in the XY plane direction of the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck worktable 10 covered by the condenser 38 through the laser beam scanning unit 37 in the first processing and conveying step and the second processing and conveying step. Therefore, there is no need to move the chuck worktable 10 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, and the desired laser processing can be performed along the entire surface in the XY plane direction of the workpiece 100 through the laser processing unit 30.

The laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can perform desired laser processing along the entire surface of the workpiece 100 in the XY plane direction by the laser processing unit 30 without moving the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, so the movement of the chuck table 10 can be used in the loading and unloading of the workpiece 100 relative to the bottom of the laser processing unit 30. In addition, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is provided with a pair of transport areas 40 arranged in the X-axis direction on both sides of the laser beam irradiation unit 31, so the two chuck tables 10, 10 are moved simultaneously in a state of being arranged in the X-axis direction by the X-axis feed unit 20, so that the workpiece 100 can be loaded and unloaded relative to the bottom of the laser processing unit 30 at one time. In addition, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can carry out the laser processing of the chuck table 10 located below the laser processing unit 30, and at the same time, carry out the laser processed workpiece 100 into the box 45 and carry out the laser processed workpiece 100 from the box 45 for the chuck table 10 located in the transfer area 40 retreated from the bottom of the laser processing unit 30. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can perform efficient laser processing using the characteristic that the irradiation area of the laser beam 301 of the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is wide.

In addition, the laser beam scanning unit 37 of the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment has a current scanner, a resonance scanner, an acousto-optic deflection element, or a polygon mirror. Therefore, the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment can appropriately scan the laser beam 301 along the entire surface of the workpiece 100 in the XY plane direction to perform a desired laser processing.

In addition, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment has a loading and unloading unit 41 for loading and unloading the workpiece 100 in and out of the chuck table 10 in the transport area 40. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment can automatically load the workpiece 100 after laser processing into the box 45 and unload the workpiece 100 before laser processing from the box 45 with respect to the chuck table 10 in the transport area 40 through the loading and unloading unit 41, thereby enabling more efficient laser processing of the workpiece 100.

[Second embodiment]

The laser processing device 1-2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a structural example of the laser processing device 1-2 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a top view for explaining the operation of the laser processing device 1-2 according to the second embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the laser processing device 1-2 of the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the chuck table 10 has a rotating unit 14 and a laser processing unit 30-2 instead of the laser processing unit 30. In the second embodiment, the chuck table 10 is provided so that the holding surface 11 is rotatable around the axis along the Z-axis direction by the rotating unit 14.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the laser processing unit 30 - 2 includes a laser beam irradiation unit 31 - 2 and an imaging unit 32 - 2 which is separated from the laser beam irradiation unit 31 - 2 in the X-axis direction and disposed toward the −Z direction.

The laser beam irradiation unit 31-2 is the same as the laser beam irradiation unit 31 except that the condenser 38-2 is provided instead of the condenser 38. The condenser 38-2 is a change in shape and size of the condenser 38, and is rectangular in the XY plane, and is provided to cover the upper part of the area of about half of the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 when it is located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31-2.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the photographing unit 32-2 is arranged so that the optical axis in photographing passes through the remaining half of the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31 that is not covered by the condenser 38-2. Therefore, the photographing unit 32-2 can photograph the remaining half of the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31 that is not covered by the condenser 38-2 without being hindered by the condenser 38-2. The photographing unit 32-2 photographs the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31 to obtain an image for performing alignment, which performs alignment between the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 and the irradiation position of the laser beam 301 of the laser beam irradiation unit 31, and outputs the obtained image to the control unit 50.

Next, the operation of the laser processing device 1-2 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the second embodiment, the processing and transport control unit 52 can scan the laser beam 301 along the half surface on the -X direction side of the XY plane direction of the workpiece 100 held by the holding surface 11 of the chuck table 10 covered by the condenser 38-2 through the laser beam scanning unit 37. Therefore, the processing and transport control unit 52 first arranges the half surface 100-1 of one side of the workpiece 100 in the area covered by the condenser 38-2 as shown in FIG. 6 (A), and performs the desired laser processing along the entire surface of the half surface 100-1 of one side of the workpiece 100. In addition, the processing and transport control unit 52 rotates the chuck table 10 by 180 degrees (half turn) around the Z axis through the rotating unit 14, so that the other half surface 100-2 of the workpiece 100 is arranged in the area covered by the condenser 38-2 as shown in FIG. 6 (B). Then, the processing and transport control unit 52 performs the desired laser processing along the entire surface of the other half surface 100-2 of the workpiece 100. In this way, in the second embodiment, the processing and transport control unit 52 performs the laser processing on the half surfaces 100-1 and 100-2 of the workpiece 100 while driving the rotation unit 14.

The laser processing device 1-2 of the second embodiment rotates the chuck table 10 once by 180 degrees by the rotating unit 14, so that the desired laser processing can be performed along the entire surface of the workpiece 100 in the XY plane direction by the laser processing unit 30 without moving the chuck table 10 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, so that the movement of the chuck table 10 can be utilized when the workpiece 100 is moved in and out from below the laser processing unit 30. With regard to other structures and operations, the laser processing device 1-2 of the second embodiment is the same as the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment, so that the following effects can be achieved in the same manner as the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment: effective laser processing can be performed by utilizing the characteristic that the irradiation area of the laser beam 301 of the laser beam irradiation unit 31 is wide.

In addition, in the laser processing device 1-2 of the second embodiment, the imaging unit 32-2 will not be hindered by the condenser 38-2 and can image a portion of the holding surface 11 of the chuck worktable 10 located below the laser beam irradiation unit 31, so that the alignment accuracy can be further improved compared to the laser processing device 1 of the first embodiment.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made and implemented within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

In addition, the X-axis feed unit 20 of the present invention is not limited to the structure using the X-axis pulse motor 24 and the X-axis ball screw 23. For example, the X-axis feed unit 20 can also be a structure of a direct-acting mechanism using a linear servo motor as follows: each has a drive source and can independently control the X-axis feed of the first chuck table and the second chuck table. In this way, while the chuck table on one side is stopped, the chuck table on the other side can be controlled to move, and the restrictions on conveying and processing are significantly reduced.

Claims (5)

1. A laser processing device, comprising: A first chuck worktable, which uses a holding surface to hold the workpiece; A second chuck table, which uses a holding surface to hold the workpiece; An X-axis feeding unit moves the first chuck table and the second chuck table in a state of being arranged along the X-axis direction; a laser beam irradiation unit for irradiating a workpiece held by the chuck table with a laser beam to perform processing; and A pair of conveying areas are arranged on both sides of the laser beam irradiation unit along the X-axis direction to convey the workpiece into or out of the chuck table. The laser beam irradiation unit comprises: a laser oscillator that emits laser light; a condenser that condenses the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator; and A laser beam scanning unit is disposed between the laser oscillator and the condenser to shift the irradiation position of the laser beam on the holding surface of the chuck table. One of the first chuck worktable and the second chuck worktable is positioned in any transport area of the pair of transport areas to move the workpiece in or out, and the other of the first chuck worktable and the second chuck worktable is positioned below the laser beam irradiation unit to process the workpiece held by the other. 2. The laser processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The X-axis feed units are direct-acting mechanisms each having a drive source and capable of independently performing X-axis feed control on the first chuck table and the second chuck table. 3. The laser processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The laser beam scanning unit includes any device selected from the group consisting of a current scanner, a resonance scanner, an acousto-optic deflection element, and a polygonal mirror. 4. The laser processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first chuck table and the second chuck table each include a rotating unit that rotates the holding surface using a rotating axis that is perpendicular to the holding surface. 5. The laser processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The laser processing device further includes a pair of carrying-in and carrying-out units, which are disposed in the conveying area and carry the workpiece in and out relative to the chuck table.