Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masayuki Nishiwaki

Sadayuki Sugama

Genji Inada

Junichiro Iri

Akira Goto

Tsuyoshi Orikasa

Jun Koide

Takashi Watanabe

Hiroshi Sugitani

Kazuaki Masuda

Hiroyuki Morimoto

Masaki Inaba

Toshio Tsuda

Fumio Ichikawa

Hiroshi Kohno

At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a laser cutting method where a laser beam is condensed at internal points inside a substrate forming processing regions, and where the laser is swept along a cutting line, where the cutting line is associated with a recess on the substrate and where the recess can be formed contemporaneously with the formation of the processing regions.

Laser cutting method

A laser cutting apparatus and a laser cutting method are provided which are adapted to concentrate laser light into a silicon substrate to produce a plurality of internal cracks. A light concentrating position, to which laser beams included in the laser light are concentrated, is temporally and spatially displaced to appropriately change lengths of the cracks according to positions in a direction of depth of the substrate. Consequently, the lengths of the internal cracks are controlled to surely lead a crack opening, the starting point of which is the internal crack formed by laser processing, to a predetermined cutting line on a surface of the substrate.

Laser cutting apparatus and laser cutting method

A laser processing apparatus, in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment, is configured to contemporaneously perform the functions of observing a surface of a substrate and concentrating laser light to a given position inside the substrate. The laser processing apparatus can include an optical system having an afocal optical subsystem configured to concentrate laser light inside the substrate. Adjustment of the position of a laser light concentrating point can be achieved independent of adjustment of a focal point by the automatic focusing mechanism to observe the surface of the substrate irradiated with laser light.

Laser processing apparatus and laser processing method

At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a laser processing apparatus that can use the shape of a plurality of reflected light fluxes to adjust the position of workpiece relative to an optical system, where the laser processing apparatus facilitates both the viewing of the workpiece and a focusing of a processing laser into the workpiece.

Automatic focusing apparatus, laser processing apparatus, and laser cutting apparatus

A laser splitting method for splitting off a segment from an object to be split using a laser beam, includes a surface processing step of processing the object by forming a linear recessed portion in a surface of the object, the linear recessed portion being effective to cause a stress concentration at the surface of the object; an internal processed-region forming step of forming an internal processed-regions at a depth of the object in a line along which a laser beam scans the surface of the object by a relative motion therebetween, the laser beam being converged adjacent the depth, wherein the thus formed internal processed-regions extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the object; and an external force applying step of applying an external force to the object to form cracks between the recessed portion and the internal processed-regions.

Laser based splitting method, object to be split, and semiconductor element chip

An illumination system for illuminating a particular surface, to be illuminated, with light from a light source, includes a first optical component having an optical power with respect to a predetermined plane, and a second optical component having an optical power with respect to the predetermined plane, wherein the particular surface is illuminated through Koehler illumination with respect to a plane orthogonal to the predetermined plane and is illuminated approximately through critical illumination with respect to the predetermined plane, wherein the first and second optical components are adapted to provide an afocal system, and wherein the condition for the afocal system is disconnected when a relative position between the first and second optical components is changed, whereby an illumination range with respect to the predetermined plane, upon the particular surface, is changed.

Illumination device and optical processing apparatus using the same

An ink jet printer comprises a nozzle member manufactured by a method including the step of splitting light from a light source by amplitude splitting to form a plurality of illumination beams, and the step of illuminating a plurality of mask patterns formed on a mask with corresponding split illumination beams so as to expose a workpiece via the mask patterns.

Method of manufacturing nozzle member, and work apparatus

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a nozzle member, having the step of splitting light from a light source by amplitude splitting to form a plurality of illumination beams, and the step of illuminating a plurality of mask patterns formed on a mask with the corresponding split illumination beams so as to expose a workpiece via the mask patterns, and a work apparatus using the method.

A work apparatus for manufacturing a nozzle member by a method including the step of splitting light from a light source by amplitude splitting to form a plurality of illumination beams, and the step of illuminating a plurality of mask patterns formed on a mask with the corresponding split illumination beams so as to expose at least a single workpiece via the mask patterns.

Split-beam laser apparatus for making a nozzle member

A laser beam from an excimer laser is split into three beams along a first plane by a pair of prisms and the three beams are caused to intersect each other at the position of the object side focal point of a first cylindrical lens and be incident upon the first cylindrical lens. The three beams are respectively focused independently from each other by the first cylindrical lens. The above focused three beams are then focused along a second plane perpendicular to the first plane by a second cylindrical lens; then, the three beams are caused to superimpose each other on a mask and at the same time are brought to a defocus along the first plane and into focus again along the second plane by an anamorphic optical system containing a third cylindrical lens and a lens having a rotation symmetry, thereby a line-like illumination area extended in the first direction is formed on the mask. The linear illumination area and an area containing a pattern of a series of openings arranged in the first direction or a rectangular pattern extended in the first direction are caused to coincide on the mask to efficiently illuminate the pattern. An image of the illuminated pattern is projected onto a workpiece for an orifice plate by a projection lens system to process the workpiece in accordance with the pattern.

Illuminating apparatus and device manufacturing method

A method used in manufacturing a workpiece using a plurality of spaced apart mask patterns includes two dividing steps and two focusing steps. The first step divides a light beam emitted from a light source into a plurality of light beams on a first plane including a first axis. A second step divides each of the plurality of light beams into a plurality of light beams on a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, the second plane including a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. A third step focuses the plurality of light beams produced by the second step only in the first direction. A fourth step focuses the plurality of light beams focused in this third step in the first direction at a position beyond the plurality of mask patterns in the second direction so that the light beams focused in the third step overlap each other to perform a plurality of spaced apart images, each of which illuminate one of the plurality of spaced apart mask patterns.

Method used in manufacturing a workpiece using a plurality of spaced

An illumination optical system includes a beam dividing device for dividing a radiation beam into plural illumination beams, and an optical arrangement for superposing the illumination beams one upon another on a surface to be illuminated, the optical arrangement having different focal distances in substantially orthogonal first and second directions, and the optical arrangement being adapted to focus each of the illumination beams on the surface in the first direction while defocusing the same in the second direction, whereby a linear illumination region is defined on the surface.

Illumination optical system

A plurality of elongated beams are generated by dividing a laser beam, said plurality of beams being respectively applied to corresponding lens elements of a flyeye lens array. The structure is arranged in such a manner that the diameter of the plurality of the beams in the shorter direction is made smaller than that of each of the lens elements, so that the plurality of beams are further divided into a plurality of elongated secondary beams by the flyeye lens. The plurality of the secondary beams are bundled on a diaphragm in such a manner that their lengthwise directions substantially coincide with each other so that a beam pattern is formed. A row of openings arranged in the lengthwise direction of the beam pattern and formed in the diaphragm member are uniformly and efficiently irradiated with the thus-formed beam pattern. Then, the image of the row of openings is projected onto a plastic plate or the like so that a multiplicity of holes are formed in the plate. As a result, a nozzle plate of an ink jet printer head can be accurately and quickly manufactured.

Apparatus for forming a workpiece using plural light beams

In a laser process apparatus, a plurality of holes each having a predetermined shape are formed in a work upon radiation of light from an excimer laser. The apparatus is provided with a mask, in which a plurality of predetermined small holes are formed in correspondence with the plurality of holes to be formed in the work, and which allows laser light from the excimer laser to pass through the small holes thereof toward the work, a projection optical system for projecting optical images each having a predetermined shape onto the work through the small holes of the mask, a measurement optical system for measuring a work position, and a moving stage for moving the work on the basis of a measurement result form the measurement optical system.

Growing community of inventors

Yoshikawa, Japan

Masayuki Nishiwaki