Patent EP0103148B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5229569A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Laser machining apparatus and method of the same
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1991-05-30
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Granted: 1993-07-20
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Expires: 2011-05-30
Abstract
Abstract A laser machining apparatus includes a laser beam source, such as of excimer laser, which produces a laser beam to be projected on a work piece or a sample, first and second illumination light sources which have wavelengths substantially equal to the wavelength of the laser beam and illuminate the entire image and the laser beam, respectively, a first beam splitter which guides the image produced by the illumination light to an observation unit, a second beam splitter which guides the laser beam from the laser beam source to an objective lens, and a controller which controls the machining condition including the relative positioning between the sample and the laser beam depending on the result of observation. The laser beam guide path structure from the laser beam source to the sample has its interior wall made of laser-transparent material such as glass, and the transparent material is enclosed by a laser blocking material such as a metal or water.
Inventors
- 👤 Tateoki Miyauchi
- 👤 Shigenobu Maruyama
- 👤 Katsurou Mizukoshi
- 👤 Mikio Hongo
- 👤 Koyo Morita
- 👤 Kaoru Katayama
- 👤 Minoru Suzuki
- 👤 Kazuo Mera
- 👤 Haruhisa Sakamoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 10:28
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/02; B23K26/03; B23K26/032
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
170 words
A laser machining apparatus comprising a laser source which produces a laser beam; mirror means for reflecting the laser beam thereby to vary a light path of the laser beam; objective lens means for converging the laser beam reflected by said mirror means and projecting the laser beam on to a work piece; first illumination light means for producing illumination light for illuminating the entireness of said work piece through said objective lens means; a first beam splitter which receives an image of said illuminated work piece through said objective lens means and reflects the image thereby to vary a light path of the image; beam absorbing means for absorbing part of the laser beam reflected by said first beam splitter; and observation means for focusing the image reflected by said first beam splitter thereby to display the image, said laser beam produced by said laser source and said illumination light produced by said illumination light means being set to have wavelengths determined to be substantially equal to each other.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
170 words
A laser machining apparatus comprising a laser source which produces a laser beam; mirror means for reflecting the laser beam thereby to vary a light path of the laser beam; objective lens means for converging the laser beam reflected by said mirror means and projecting the laser beam on to a work piece; first illumination light means for producing illumination light for illuminating the entireness of said work piece through said objective lens means; a first beam splitter which receives an image of said illuminated work piece through said objective lens means and reflects the image thereby to vary a light path of the image; beam absorbing means for absorbing part of the laser beam reflected by said first beam splitter; and observation means for focusing the image reflected by said first beam splitter thereby to display the image, said laser beam produced by said laser source and said illumination light produced by said illumination light means being set to have wavelengths determined to be substantially equal to each other.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
86 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising beam shaping means disposed between said mirror means and said objective lens means, said beam shaping means shaping the laser beam to have a desired shape; second illumination light means for producing second illumination light for illuminating a beam image of said beam shaping means thereby to produce a projection image; and second beam absorbing means for absorbing the laser beam which transmits said mirror means, said mirror means being formed of a second beam splitter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said beam splitter has proportions of splitting for said laser beam and said observation light ranging from 5%-to-90% to 30%-to-70%.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said laser beam has a wavelength of invisible light range.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said observation means comprises an infrared imaging tube.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said observation means comprises an image intensifier.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said image intensifier has a resultant image thereof imaged with said infrared imaging tube.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said observation means comprises an image processor which implements such signal processings as multiplication and background noise removal for an image signal produced by said infrared imaging tube.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said laser source is tuned to a vacuum ultraviolet range, and wherein as optical enclosure is filled with inert gas.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wavelength is an wavelength of vacuum ultraviolet rays.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wavelength is an wavelength of far-infrared rays.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said wavelength is an wavelength of soft X rays.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said beam shaping means comprises a slit member made of laser beam refracting material and disposed on the light path of the laser beam, said slit member blocking an unnecessary portion of the laser beam thereby to shape the laser beam to have a desired cross-sectional shape.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
83 words
A laser machining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said beam shaping means comprises a slit plate member made of laser beam transmitting material and disposed on the light path of the laser beam, and a prism section which is formed in the periphery of said slit and tapered toward the inside of said slit, said slit plate member and said prism section blocking the peripheral portion of the laser beam thereby to shape the laser beam to have a desired cross-sectional shape.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
85 words
A laser machining method of machining a work piece using a laser machining apparatus comprising the steps of: generating an observation light beam having a wavelength substantially equal to the wavelength of a laser beam which is projected to the work piece; letting an operator to observe the work piece by using the generated observation light; and controlling machining conditions of the work piece based on the result of observation so that the work piece is machining accurately through the projection of the laser beam.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
85 words
A laser machining method of machining a work piece using a laser machining apparatus comprising the steps of: generating an observation light beam having a wavelength substantially equal to the wavelength of a laser beam which is projected to the work piece; letting an operator to observe the work piece by using the generated observation light; and controlling machining conditions of the work piece based on the result of observation so that the work piece is machining accurately through the projection of the laser beam.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
105 words
A laser machining method of machining a work piece using a laser machining apparatus comprising the steps of: generating an observation light beam having a wavelength close to the wavelength of a laser beam which is projected on the work piece; letting an operator to observe the work piece by using the generated observation light and an objective lens which is tuned to the color of said wavelength; and controlling operating parameters between the work piece and the laser beam depending on the result of observation so that the work piece is machined accurately through the projection of the laser beam through said objective lens.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
105 words
A laser machining method of machining a work piece using a laser machining apparatus comprising the steps of: generating an observation light beam having a wavelength close to the wavelength of a laser beam which is projected on the work piece; letting an operator to observe the work piece by using the generated observation light and an objective lens which is tuned to the color of said wavelength; and controlling operating parameters between the work piece and the laser beam depending on the result of observation so that the work piece is machined accurately through the projection of the laser beam through said objective lens.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
A laser machining method according to claim 16, wherein said wavelength is of vacuum ultraviolet rays.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
A laser application apparatus comprising a laser projection section enclosure at the final stage of a laser beam guide section which guides a laser beam from a laser oscillator to a work piece, said enclosure having a side nearer to the laser beam made of material that transmits the laser beam.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
51 words
A laser application apparatus comprising a laser projection section enclosure at the final stage of a laser beam guide section which guides a laser beam from a laser oscillator to a work piece, said enclosure having a side nearer to the laser beam made of material that transmits the laser beam.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said laser beam transmitting material is glass.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said glass comprises synthesized quartz or fusion quartz.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said laser beam enclosure has the opposite side farther than the laser beam made of laser beam blocking material.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said laser beam blocking material comprises an inorganic material.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said inorganic material comprises a metal.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
14 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said inorganic material comprises water.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
37 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 18, wherein both said projection section enclosure and said laser beam guide section have a side nearer to the laser beam made of a material that transmits the laser beam.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
30 words
A laser application apparatus according to claim 25, wherein each of said laser beam guiding section and said enclosure includes a laser beam blocking material covering an outer side thereof.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-07-19 | 1997-01-18 | 1997-07-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-07-19 | 2001-01-18 | 2001-07-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-07-19 | 2005-01-18 | 2005-07-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |