Laser machining apparatus

• US 6,087,625 A
• Filed: 03/17/1998
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Inventors: Iso, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELVE, MARIA ALEXANDRA
• Application Number:
  US09/042,949
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 219/121.8, 219/121.78, 219/121.6, 219/121.67, 219/121.83, 219/121.76, 219/121.82, 219/121.65, 264/1.77, 264/400, 264/482
• US Class Current: 219/121.8
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0673 into independently operating sub-beams, e.g. beam multiplexing to provide laser beams for several stations
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0026 by laser ablation

Abstract

A pulsed laser beam from a laser oscillator 10 is split into two by a beam splitter 13. The split laser beams are radiated by X-Y scanners 14 and 16 through working lenses 17 and 18 onto a work 20. Additionally on the work, the laser beams are swung in X-axis and Y-axis directions. These X-Y scanners simultaneously process a plurality of process regions which are divided and set on the work.

Claims

1. A laser machining apparatus which includes:

a laser oscillator for generating a pulsed laser beam;

splitting means for splitting said laser beam into a plurality of split laser beams; and

a plurality of X-Y scanners which swing and radiate the split laser beams in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, respectively, relative to a face of a work, and wherein;

a plurality of process regions which are divided and set on said work are processed simultaneously by said split laser beams, respectively.

2. The laser machining apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said apparatus is provided with two X-Y scanners and further includes a drive mechanism in which by moving horizontally at least one of said X-Y scanners, a distance between the two X-Y scanners being made variable.

3. The laser machining apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said apparatus further includes an X-Y stage movable horizontally in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as a stage on which said work is mounted.

4. The laser machining apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said work is a printed board in which in order to take multiple boards having predetermined sizes from a single mother board, the process regions having said predetermined sizes are set on said mother board in a matrix manner, and

said two X-Y scanners successively perform a hole making process in such a manner that the same process pattern can be obtained on each of said process regions with the predetermined sizes which are positioned symmetrically relative to an intermediate position between the X-Y scanners.

5. A laser machining apparatus which includes:

a laser oscillator for generating a pulsed laser beam;

a beam chopper for reflecting and penetrating said laser beam to produce a reflected laser beam and a penetrated laser beam; and

a plurality of X-Y scanners which swing and radiate said reflected and said penetrated laser beams in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, respectively, relative to a face of a work, and wherein;

a plurality of regions which are divided and set on said work are processed by said reflected and said penetrated laser beams,

said beam chopper being provided with a rotation body constituted by alternatively arranging laser beam reflecting mirrors and penetrating portions in areas equally divided around a central axis, a drive mechanism for rotating and operating the rotation body and control means for controlling said drive mechanism in such a manner that said pulsed laser beam is alternately and repeatedly reflected and penetrated.