US5010230A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser processor
Assignee: Nikon Corp
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Filing: 1990-07-20
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Granted: 1991-04-23
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Expires: 2010-07-20
Abstract
Abstract A laser processor provided with a pulse oscillating laser light source, an exciter for exciting the laser light source on a trigger signal for pusle oscillation, a beam quality adjusting device for adjusting a beam quality as monitoring the pulse-oscillated laser light partly at least, a working apparatus for exposing or processing a workpiece by projecting the adjusted laser light thereon. The laser light from a laser light source side is intercepted by a shutter while it is not used on a sequence on a working apparatus side, thereby operating the laser light source for self-oscillation at a low frequency of 1 to 2 hz, for example; the laser light source is then operated for self-oscillation at a frequency higher than that with the shutter closed therefor when a quality abnormal signal is generated from an abnormal detector upon detection of a beam quality coming outside a standard.
Inventors
- 👤 Tsunesaburo Uemura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 01:17
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/02; B23K26/03; B23K26/032; B23K26/06; G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/70008; G03F7/70041; G03F7/70483; G03F7/7055
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
226 words
In a laser processor provided with a pulse oscillating laser light source, excitation means for exciting said laser light source in response to a trigger signal for pulse oscillation, beam quality adjusting means for adjusting a beam quality of a laser light within a preset standard as monitoring the pulse-oscillated laser light at least partly, a working apparatus for exposing or processing a workpiece by projecting the adjusted laser light thereon, the improvement comprising: a screening member for cutting off an optical path of said laser light to the workpiece when said working apparatus interrupts an operation using said laser light for a predetermined period of time or over; trigger control means for impressing said trigger signal on said excitation means in a low frequency band necessary for said beam quality adjusting means to stabilize a beam quality of said laser light while the screening member cuts off the optical path; abnormal detecting means for generating a quality abnormal signal when detecting a beam quality of said laser light coming under a standard necessary for said exposure or processing; correction means for keeping a cut-off operation of said screening member when the quality abnormal signal is generated, and correcting a frequency band of the trigger signal to be impressed on said excitation means to the low frequency band set by said trigger control means or over.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
226 words
In a laser processor provided with a pulse oscillating laser light source, excitation means for exciting said laser light source in response to a trigger signal for pulse oscillation, beam quality adjusting means for adjusting a beam quality of a laser light within a preset standard as monitoring the pulse-oscillated laser light at least partly, a working apparatus for exposing or processing a workpiece by projecting the adjusted laser light thereon, the improvement comprising: a screening member for cutting off an optical path of said laser light to the workpiece when said working apparatus interrupts an operation using said laser light for a predetermined period of time or over; trigger control means for impressing said trigger signal on said excitation means in a low frequency band necessary for said beam quality adjusting means to stabilize a beam quality of said laser light while the screening member cuts off the optical path; abnormal detecting means for generating a quality abnormal signal when detecting a beam quality of said laser light coming under a standard necessary for said exposure or processing; correction means for keeping a cut-off operation of said screening member when the quality abnormal signal is generated, and correcting a frequency band of the trigger signal to be impressed on said excitation means to the low frequency band set by said trigger control means or over.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
288 words
In a laser processor provided with a pulse oscillating laser light source, excitation means for exciting said laser light source in response to a trigger signal for pulse oscillation, beam quality adjusting means for adjusting a beam quality of a laser light within a preset standard as monitoring the pulse-oscillated laser light at least partly, a working apparatus for exposing or processing a workpiece by projecting the adjusted laser light thereon, the improvement comprising: trigger signal generating means capable of impressing said trigger signal on said excitation means at an arbitrary frequency between a maximum oscillation frequency of said laser light source to be required during processing of said working apparatus and a minimum oscillation frequency necessary at the least for said beam quality adjusting means to stabilize a beam quality of said laser light; abnormal detecting means for generating a quality abnormal signal when detecting a beam quality of said laser light coming under a standard necessary for said exposure or processing; stop means for stopping an optical path of said laser light from reaching said workpiece, when said working apparatus interrupts an operation using said laser light for a predetermined period of time or over, or when said quality abnormal signal is generated; control means for controlling said trigger signal generating means so that a frequency of said trigger signal is set to said minimum oscillation frequency or thereabout during the period of time other than that in which the stop means is operating and said quality abnormal signal is generated, and that the frequency of said trigger signal is set to come between said minimum oscillation frequency and maximum oscillation frequency according to a degree of quality abnormity when said quality abnormal signal is generated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
288 words
In a laser processor provided with a pulse oscillating laser light source, excitation means for exciting said laser light source in response to a trigger signal for pulse oscillation, beam quality adjusting means for adjusting a beam quality of a laser light within a preset standard as monitoring the pulse-oscillated laser light at least partly, a working apparatus for exposing or processing a workpiece by projecting the adjusted laser light thereon, the improvement comprising: trigger signal generating means capable of impressing said trigger signal on said excitation means at an arbitrary frequency between a maximum oscillation frequency of said laser light source to be required during processing of said working apparatus and a minimum oscillation frequency necessary at the least for said beam quality adjusting means to stabilize a beam quality of said laser light; abnormal detecting means for generating a quality abnormal signal when detecting a beam quality of said laser light coming under a standard necessary for said exposure or processing; stop means for stopping an optical path of said laser light from reaching said workpiece, when said working apparatus interrupts an operation using said laser light for a predetermined period of time or over, or when said quality abnormal signal is generated; control means for controlling said trigger signal generating means so that a frequency of said trigger signal is set to said minimum oscillation frequency or thereabout during the period of time other than that in which the stop means is operating and said quality abnormal signal is generated, and that the frequency of said trigger signal is set to come between said minimum oscillation frequency and maximum oscillation frequency according to a degree of quality abnormity when said quality abnormal signal is generated.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-04-22 | 1994-10-22 | 1995-04-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-04-22 | 1998-10-22 | 1999-04-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-04-22 | 2002-10-22 | 2003-04-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |