JP5447991B2 - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser processing apparatus that performs processing such as laser annealing by irradiating an object to be processed with laser light.

  As a semiconductor thin film used for a flat panel display substrate or the like, a semiconductor thin film using an amorphous film or a crystalline thin film is known. With respect to this crystalline thin film, a method of manufacturing an amorphous film by annealing it with laser light and crystallization has been proposed. In addition, a laser annealing process is also known which is performed for the purpose of modifying defects such as removing defects and improving crystallinity by irradiating a crystalline film with laser light.

  In the processing such as laser annealing, a method of removing the influence of the air and controlling it to an optimum atmosphere for crystallization or the like is employed. In addition to an inert gas such as nitrogen, a vacuum, etc., a method is also known in which a small amount of oxygen or the like is positively mixed in the atmosphere. In order to adjust the atmosphere, the object to be processed is accommodated in the processing chamber, the atmosphere in the accommodation chamber is adjusted, laser light is introduced from the outside of the processing chamber, and the object is irradiated. However, when the object to be processed is charged into the processing chamber from the outside of the processing chamber, the atmosphere is mixed into the processing chamber by opening the charging port of the processing chamber. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the atmosphere in the processing chamber (such as a low oxygen concentration), but there is a problem that it takes time to stabilize the atmosphere and productivity is lowered. For this reason, a laser processing apparatus has been proposed in which a load lock chamber for loading and unloading a semiconductor substrate is provided separately from the processing chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
The processing chamber 45 is provided with a stage 46 on which the workpiece 100 is loaded and placed, and a top plate of the processing chamber 45 is provided with an introduction window 47 for introducing laser light from the outside. A transfer robot chamber 43 is connected to the processing chamber 45 via a gate valve 44, and a load lock chamber 41 is connected to the transfer robot chamber 43 via a gate valve 42. Outside the load lock chamber 41, a transfer robot 40 that transfers the workpiece 100 into the load lock chamber 41 is disposed.
The load lock chamber 41, the transfer robot chamber 43, and the processing chamber 45 communicate with each other through gate valves 42 and 44 in a vacuum or a predetermined gas atmosphere.

  In the operation of the apparatus, when the substrate is loaded, the gate valve (not shown) of the load lock chamber 41 is opened while the gate valves 42 and 44 are closed, and the workpiece 100 is placed in the load lock chamber 41 by the transfer robot 40. The gate valve of the load lock chamber 41 is closed. After the load lock chamber 41 is evacuated with the gate valves 42 and 44 closed, vacuum holding or a predetermined gas is introduced. Next, the gate valve 42 is opened to transfer the object 100 to be transferred from the load lock chamber 41 to the transfer robot chamber 43, and the gate valve 44 is further opened to load the object 100 into the processing chamber 45 to load the load lock chamber. 44 is closed and laser annealing or the like is performed. This makes it possible to perform a desired process while maintaining the atmosphere in the processing chamber 45.

JP 2002-164407 A

In the processing apparatus provided with the load lock chamber as described above, the processing chamber is maintained in a predetermined atmosphere (for example, a nitrogen atmosphere with a low oxygen concentration), and the atmosphere of the atmosphere can be maintained only in the load lock chamber when the workpiece is unloaded and loaded. Since replacement may be performed, processing can be performed without the need for adjusting the atmosphere in the processing chamber.
However, in this processing apparatus, the cost for providing the transfer robot chamber and the load lock chamber is high, and it is necessary to secure a large installation space other than the processing chamber. Furthermore, time and running costs are required to replace the atmosphere in the load lock chamber with nitrogen gas or inert gas each time the object is unloaded and loaded, and the time for conveying the object to be treated There is also a problem that increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems as described above, and is capable of stabilizing the atmosphere in the processing apparatus in a short time without requiring the installation of a load lock chamber. The purpose is to provide.

That is, among the laser processing apparatuses of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention includes a processing chamber for irradiating the target object with laser light in an atmosphere adjusted to contain the target object, and an outside in the processing chamber. An optical system for guiding laser light from
The processing chamber has an openable and closable inlet for charging the object to be processed into the processing chamber from the outside of the processing chamber, a load area connected to the charging port in the processing chamber, and the load area A stage that can move between the load area and the laser light irradiation area while holding the object to be processed, a space on the loading port side, and the laser light irradiation. It has a partition that partitions it into the space on the area side,
The partition portion is Ri movement can der of the workpiece between the spout side space and the laser beam irradiation area side of the space,
The partition portion protrudes inward from an inner wall on the lower side of the loading port in the processing chamber and extends to an loading side end portion side of the stage located on the load area side, together with the stage. A lower partition wall that partitions a lower part of the space or the lower part of the inlet side space and the lower part of the laser light irradiation area; and in the processing chamber, the inner part protrudes inward from the inner walls on both sides of the inlet, so And a side partition wall partitioning the side of the inlet side space or the side of the inlet side space and the side of the laser light irradiation area side .

According to the present invention, there is a load area and a laser beam irradiation area in the processing chamber, and the object to be processed is divided into a space on the inlet side and a space on the laser beam irradiation area side by dividing the load area. Therefore, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the influence of the atmosphere mixed in from the inlet when carrying in or out of the processing chamber on the laser light irradiation area.
By providing the workpiece moving apparatus with a stage for holding the workpiece, the workpiece to be loaded in the load area can be held on the stage and moved to the laser light irradiation area as it is. Note that the stage can be moved between both areas even when the object to be processed is not held.

The load area is preferably provided adjacent to the loading port so as to be continuous with the loading port, and the load area is located between the loading port and the laser light irradiation area. The load area is an area in which the object to be processed inserted from the loading port is moved and held, and is a space including a holding position where the object to be processed is held in preparation for processing. The object to be processed is loaded up to the holding position of the load area, moved from the load area to the laser light irradiation area, and subjected to predetermined processing.
The partition portion allows the object to be processed to move from the load area to the laser light irradiation area. An opening can be provided in the partition, and the object to be processed can be moved through the opening.
By providing an opening in which the object to be processed can move in the partition part, the object to be processed can be smoothly moved from the load area to the laser light irradiation area. As an opening part, the thing always open | released may be sufficient and an opening / closing operation | movement may be accompanied. Moreover, it may be in an open state as the object to be processed moves, such as a gas curtain.
By arranging the lower partition wall, it is possible to avoid communication between the loading side space of the load area and the laser light irradiation side space through the lower space.
By arranging the side partition walls, it is possible to avoid communication between the loading side space of the load area and the laser light irradiation side space through the side space.

  Next, in the laser processing apparatus of the second invention, in the first invention, the partition section partitions the load area into a space on the loading inlet side and a space on the laser light irradiation area side. It is characterized by having.

  In the laser processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the partition portion includes an atmospheric gas curtain that partitions the load area into a space on the loading inlet side and a space on the laser light irradiation area side. It is characterized by having.

  As the partition portion, a partition wall that partitions the load area into the space on the loading inlet side and the space on the laser light irradiation area side, a gas curtain using atmospheric gas, or the like can be used. The partition wall and the gas curtain may extend over the entire partition part, or a part of the partition wall and the gas curtain may be configured by the partition wall and the gas curtain, and the partition wall and the gas curtain are mixed. May be.

  A laser processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the partition portion holds the object to be processed inserted into the load area. It is characterized by partitioning into a holding position side space and the loading inlet side space.

  The partitioning position by the partitioning part is not particularly limited as long as the present invention partitions the load area into the loading entrance side and the laser light irradiation area side. An example of partitioning into a holding position side space in which the processing body is held and an inlet side space is illustrated. As the holding position, the holding position is normally a state in which the workpiece is held on the upper surface of the stage. Therefore, a typical example of the partitioning position is a partitioning into a space where the stage is included and a space where the stage is not included in the road area.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein an inlet side air supply device and an inlet side exhaust device are provided in the inlet side space partitioned by the partition portion. And are connected in a breathable manner.

An air supply / exhaust device may be connected to the load side space of the load area. This makes it possible to easily adjust the atmosphere in the inlet side space. In the inlet side air supply device, nitrogen gas, inert gas, etc. can be introduced into the inlet side space of the load area, and in the inlet side exhaust device, exhaust or vacuuming of the inlet side space in the load area, etc. It can be performed.
The atmosphere adjustment of the loading area in the load area is carried out in the following cases: 1) when the object to be processed is carried into and out of the processing chamber, 2) during processing, and 3) when the object to be processed is transported in the processing chamber. It can carry out using the said air supply / exhaust apparatus.

By securing the load area on the loading area inside the processing chamber and installing a supply and exhaust system,
1. The amount of air entering from the outside of the inlet is suppressed by the seal structure obtained by supplying air to the inlet side space of the load area, and the atmosphere outside the inlet side space of the load area inside the processing chamber Reduce contamination.
2. The air atmosphere mixed in the loading / unloading side space of the load area by air supply / exhaust can be replaced in a short time with an atmosphere that does not easily affect nitrogen or other laser processing other than the air.
As described above, it is possible to stabilize the atmosphere of the irradiation unit in a short time by reducing the influence on the atmosphere of the laser beam irradiation unit due to air mixing.

  In the laser processing apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, an irradiation area supply device and an irradiation area exhaust device are connected to the laser light irradiation area so as to allow ventilation. It is characterized by being.

  An air supply / exhaust device may be connected to the laser light irradiation area. Thereby, the atmosphere of a laser beam irradiation area can be maintained as constant as possible. An air supply / exhaust device may be provided in each of the laser beam irradiation area and the load entrance side space of the load area.

  A laser processing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the processing object transfer apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, wherein the object to be processed is moved between the load area and the laser light irradiation area. Is provided in the inside of the processing chamber.

  The target object loaded in the load area can be moved to the laser beam irradiation area by the target object transfer device provided in the processing chamber. Moreover, a to-be-processed object can be moved from a laser beam irradiation area to a load area as needed. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a transfer robot chamber for moving an object to be processed from the load lock chamber to the processing chamber outside the processing chamber unlike the conventional apparatus.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the laser processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the workpiece transfer device is movable between the load area and the laser beam irradiation area while holding the workpiece. It has a characteristic stage.

  By providing the workpiece moving apparatus with a stage for holding the workpiece, the workpiece to be loaded in the load area can be held on the stage and moved to the laser light irradiation area as it is. Note that the stage can be moved between both areas even when the object to be processed is not held.

Eighth laser processing apparatus of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh invention, the object to be processed transfer device relatively moving the stage relative to the laser beam in the laser beam irradiation area In this case, the laser beam is scanned.

  In addition, when processing a to-be-processed object with a laser beam, generally it can process, scanning a laser beam. In this invention, after moving the stage with which the said to-be-processed object transfer apparatus is provided to the laser beam irradiation area side, you may make it perform the scanning at the time of laser beam irradiation by moving this stage. Accordingly, the scanning device and the device for transferring the object to be processed can be used together, and the device configuration can be simplified. Further, if the direction in which the object to be processed is moved from the load area to the laser light irradiation area and the scanning direction are the same uniaxial direction, the apparatus configuration for movement and scanning can be simplified. The space in the processing chamber can be used effectively. Further, when the stage is moved and part of it is retracted during scanning, if a part of the stage is positioned in the space on the load area side, the space efficiency is further improved.

The laser processing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, wherein when the stage is at the standby position of the load area, the load area is placed in the space on the inlet side. And a part of a partition that partitions the space into the laser light irradiation area side.

  By using the stage as a part of the partition part, the constituent parts of the partition part can be simplified.

The laser processing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects of the present invention, wherein the partition portion is disposed on the loading side in the front-rear direction of the loading direction of the workpiece. It has a front partition wall which partitions into space and the space of the said laser beam irradiation area side, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The partition portion may have a front partition wall that partitions the load area into the space on the inlet side and the space on the laser light irradiation area side in the front-rear direction of the loading direction of the workpiece to partition the load area. . Thereby, a load area can be partitioned back and forth in the loading direction of the object to be processed. The front partition wall is desirably arranged at a position in the load area that partitions the space on the holding position side where the workpiece is inserted and held from the space on the inlet side. Thereby, it is possible to avoid as much as possible that the atmosphere is affected by the insertion of the object to be processed in the space on the holding position side, and further on the space on the laser light irradiation area side.

A laser processing apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects of the present invention, wherein the partition section is used as a first partition section to partition the load area and the laser light irradiation area. The partition part is provided.

  The space on the inlet side and the laser beam irradiation area can be more reliably partitioned by the second partitioning portion.

As described above, according to the present invention, the influence on the atmosphere outside the load area can be reduced, the atmosphere in the laser light irradiation area can be controlled in a stable state in a short time, and the processing time of the object to be processed can be reduced. In addition, there is an effect that the processing effect is improved, such as crystallization of a uniform amorphous semiconductor thin film becomes possible.
In addition, installation of a load lock room, a transfer robot room, and the like is unnecessary, and space efficiency is improved. Furthermore, there is an effect of reducing the time required for adjusting the atmosphere of the load lock chamber and the amount of atmospheric gas used.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front side showing an outline of a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is sectional drawing of the plane side which abbreviate | omitted the top plate of the process chamber. Similarly, it is sectional drawing in the left side surface which abbreviate | omitted the side wall of the process chamber. Similarly, it is sectional drawing in the right side surface which abbreviate | omitted the side wall of the process chamber. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front side which shows the outline of the laser processing apparatus in other embodiment of this invention. Similarly, it is sectional drawing of the plane side which abbreviate | omitted the top plate of the process chamber. Similarly, it is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of the front side which shows the outline of the laser processing apparatus in other embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the conventional laser processing apparatus.

Below, the laser processing apparatus 1 of this invention is demonstrated based on an accompanying drawing.
1 is a front sectional view of the laser processing apparatus 1, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a left side sectional view.
The laser processing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 2, a laser oscillator 3 outside the processing chamber 2, and an optical system 4 that shapes the laser light 3 a output from the laser oscillator 3 and guides it to the processing chamber 2. .
Further, the processing chamber 2 has an introduction window 5 that guides the laser beam 3a from the outside of the processing chamber 2 into the processing chamber 2 as a part of the optical system 4, and the laser beam 3a guided through the introduction window 5 is: The object to be processed 100 is irradiated through a transmission hole 6 a provided in a shield box 6 provided in the processing chamber 2. The shield box 6 sprays a shielding gas on the irradiated portion of the workpiece 100.

  An inlet 7 is provided on the side wall 2 a of the processing chamber 2, and a gate valve 8 that opens and closes the inlet 7 is provided. A transfer robot 9 is located outside the processing chamber 2 on the side where the loading port 7 is located. In this example, the gate valve 8 is provided on the side wall side of the processing chamber 2, but a configuration such as providing the gate valve 8 on the front side in FIG. 1 is also possible.

A stage 10 that can move in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction with respect to the loading direction of the workpiece 100 is installed in the processing chamber 2, and the stage 10 is moved by a moving device 11. The moving device 11 has a role as a workpiece transfer device of the present invention. The stage 10 has a planar rectangular shape, has a standby position closer to the loading port 7 than the shield box 6, and has a gap with the loading port 7. It is not necessary to have a large gap between the shield box 6 and the standby position.
The amount of the gap between the stage 10 at the standby position and the loading port 7 is not particularly limited as the present invention, and examples thereof include 100 to 300 mm. A space from the loading opening 7 to the front end of the stage 10 at the standby position is a load area A, and a space ahead of the front end of the stage 10 is a laser light irradiation area B.
Note that the upper surface of the stage 10 at the standby position is a holding position of the workpiece 100.

On the rear side of the stage 10 at the standby position, side partition walls 12 and 12 along the front-rear direction are arranged at both side end positions of the stage 10 with the plate surfaces being vertical. The side surface partition wall 12 is in close contact with the top plate 2b of the processing chamber 2 and the side wall 2a of the processing chamber without any gap. The loading / unloading port 7 is accommodated between the side partition walls 12 on both sides. Further, the front ends of the side partition walls 12 and 12 are located with a slight gap from the rear end surface of the stage 10. The lower end of the side partition wall 12 extends to a position slightly above the lower end portion of the stage 10.
The side partition walls 12 and 12 constitute a part of the partition portion of the present invention.

  In addition, a lower horizontal partition wall 13 having an upper surface located at substantially the same height as the upper surface height of the stage 10 is disposed between the side partition walls 12 and 12 with the plate surface horizontal, and the lower horizontal partition wall 13 is Extending in the left-right direction, both end surfaces in the left-right direction are in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side partition walls 12, 12 without a gap. The lower horizontal partition wall 13 corresponds to the lower partition wall of the present invention.

The front end of the lower horizontal partition wall 13 extends to the front end of the side partition wall 12. Therefore, the front end of the lower horizontal partition wall 13 has a slight gap with the rear end surface of the stage 10.
The rear end of the lower horizontal partition wall 13 reaches the opening of the loading port 7 in the vicinity of the side wall 2a. Further, a rear vertical partition wall 14 having a vertical plate surface is connected to the rear end of the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14 extends in the left-right direction, and both side surfaces in the left-right direction are side partition walls 12. , 12 is in close contact with the inner surface of the surface without any gap.

Further, the rear surface of the rear vertical partition wall 14 closes the lower side of the opening of the loading port 7 and extends downward to the same position as the lower end of the side partition wall 12 in close contact with the side wall 2a. . The rear vertical partition wall 14 blocks the lower side of the loading port 7. An opening necessary for loading the workpiece 100 is secured at the loading port 7 that is open without being blocked by the rear vertical partition wall 14.
The lower horizontal partition wall 13 and the rear vertical partition wall 14 constitute a part of the partition portion of the present invention.

Furthermore, on the upper side of the front end of the side partition wall 12, a front vertical partition wall 15 is arranged between the side partition walls 12, 12 with the plate surface being vertical, and the upper end surface of the front vertical partition wall 15 is located in the processing chamber 2. The top plate 2b is in close contact with the gap. Further, the front vertical partition wall 15 extends left and right, and both end surfaces in the left-right direction are in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side partition walls 12 and 12 without a gap. Further, the lower end of the front vertical partition wall 15 does not reach the upper surface of the lower horizontal partition wall 13, and a gap G1 is secured between the upper surface and the upper surface. The front vertical partition wall 15 corresponds to the front partition wall of the present invention and constitutes a part of the partition portion.
The workpiece 100 can be moved through the gap G1, and the gap G1 constitutes an opening of the partition.

  The side wall partitions 12, 12, the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 15 constitute a partition wall serving as a partition portion of the present invention. The partition wall is preferably made of a material that is not easily contaminated by oxygen or the like. For example, an alumite-treated aluminum plate can be used.

  The space surrounded by the side partition walls 12, 12, the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 15 is the entrance side space A1 of the load area A, and is a space on the stage 10 that has been waiting. Is the laser light irradiation side space A2 of the load area A. Therefore, the upper surface of the stage 10 constitutes a part of the partition. In this embodiment, the laser light irradiation side space A2 is a holding position side space of the workpiece 100.

In this embodiment, the stage 10 moves in the left-right direction. However, since the front end of the partitioning portion is located behind the stage 10, the moving stage 10 and the partitioning portion do not interfere with each other.
In addition, although the partition part was demonstrated as a fixed thing above, it is also possible to comprise a partition part with the thing of a movable thing or a variable shape.

Furthermore, in the inlet side space A1, an inlet side air supply line 16 capable of supplying an atmosphere gas such as nitrogen and argon to the inlet side space A1, and a device for exhausting the atmospheric gas in the inlet side space A1. An inlet side exhaust line 17 is connected. Each line is provided with an on-off valve 16a, a flow meter 16b, an on-off valve 17a, and a flow meter 17b. The inlet-side air supply line 16, the on-off valve 16a, and the flow meter 16b constitute a part of the inlet-side air supply device of the present invention. The inlet-side exhaust line 18, the on-off valve 18a, and the flow meter 18b Constitutes a part of the inlet side exhaust device of the present invention.
By supplying atmospheric gas to the inlet side space A1, the function as a gas curtain is obtained by blowing out gas from the slight gap between the partition wall and the stage 10 to the outside, Shielding property is improved. Therefore, it is desirable to make the gap between the partition wall and the stage 10 as small as possible so as not to impair the movement of the stage, and to make it small enough to obtain the effect of the gas curtain by supplying the atmospheric gas. desirable.

  Further, the laser light irradiation area B is irradiated with an irradiation area supply line 18 capable of supplying an atmosphere gas such as nitrogen or argon into the laser light irradiation area B and exhausting the atmospheric gas within the laser light irradiation area B. An area exhaust line 19 is connected. Each line is provided with an on-off valve 18a, a flow meter 18b, an on-off valve 19a, and a flow meter 19b. The irradiation area supply line 18, the on-off valve 18a, and the flow meter 18b constitute a part of the irradiation area supply apparatus of the present invention, and the irradiation area exhaust line 19, the on-off valve 19a, and the flow meter 19b of the present invention. This constitutes a part of the irradiation area exhaust device. In addition, it may have only the air supply / exhaust device on the inlet side, and may not have the air supply / exhaust device in the irradiation area.

Next, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 will be described.
First, prior to processing, the stage 10 is moved to the standby position, the gate valve 8 is closed, and the flow rate is adjusted by the flow meters 16b, 17b, 18b, 19b, and the on-off valves 16a, 17a, 18a, 19a are opened. Then, the atmosphere in the processing chamber 2 is adjusted by supplying atmospheric gas together with the exhaust.
In addition, the irradiation area supply line 18 and the irradiation area exhaust line 19 provided in the laser light irradiation area B continue to supply and exhaust air until the object 100 is carried in, processed, and untreated. It is desirable to make it.

  When the atmosphere adjustment in each area is completed by supplying and exhausting air, the gate valve 8 is opened, and the workpiece 100 is loaded from the loading port 7 into the loading side space A1 in the loading area A by the transfer robot 9, and The workpiece 100 is loaded from the loading space A1 to the laser light irradiation area space A2 through the gap G1, and is placed and held at the holding position on the stage 10. When the gate valve 8 is opened, it is desirable to only supply air to the inlet side space A1 by the inlet side air supply line 16 to prevent outside air from being mixed into the inlet side space A1. At this time, since the entrance-side space A1 is shielded, even if air is mixed into the entrance-side space A1, the atmosphere easily enters the laser light irradiation area-side space A2 and further the laser light irradiation area B. Never invade.

  After the workpiece 100 is inserted into the holding position of the laser light irradiation area side space A2, the gate valve 8 is closed to supply air through the inlet side air supply line 16 and irradiation area air supply line 18, and to the inlet side exhaust. Exhaust by the line 17 and the irradiation area exhaust line 19 is performed to stabilize the atmosphere in the processing chamber 2. At this time, almost no air is mixed into the laser light irradiation area B, and only a time for stabilizing the atmosphere in the inlet side space A1 is required, so the processing time for stabilizing the atmosphere is shortened.

  After stabilization of the atmosphere, the stage 10 is moved to the left in FIG. Since part of the object to be processed 100 reaches the irradiation position in the middle of the movement, the irradiation of the laser light can be started before the object to be processed 100 completely moves to the laser light irradiation area B. The laser beam 3 a is output from the laser oscillator 3, passes through the optical system 4, the introduction window 5 in the optical system 4, and the shield box 6 in the processing chamber 2. The processing body 100 is irradiated.

The stage 10 is scanned in the laser beam 3 a by moving in the front-rear direction by the moving device 11. During scanning, the stage 10 can move to the load area A side, and the space on the load area A side can be used.
Further, by moving the stage 10 in the left-right direction and changing the scanning position, it is possible to perform processing by laser light irradiation over the entire surface of the object 100 to be processed. In the processing, the partition wall does not hinder the movement of the stage 10 and the workpiece 100.

  Thus, the object 100 can be processed efficiently. The object 100 to be processed is moved to the load area A side by the moving device 11 together with the stage 10, and the gate is supplied to the inlet side space A1 side only by the inlet side space air supply line 16. The valve 8 is opened and carried out of the processing chamber 2 by the transfer robot 9. Thereafter, the same processing can be performed by loading another processing body 100 in the same manner as described above.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the side partition wall 12 has a front end located near the rear end of the stage 10 at the standby position, and the load area is a laser beam irradiation side similar to the loading side space and the holding position side space. Although what was partitioned into space was demonstrated, the front-end position of a partition part may be provided in the holding position side space. This example will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the processing chamber 2, and FIG. 6 is a plan view in which the top plate is omitted.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to the said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

In this example, side partition walls 20 and 20 along the front-rear direction are arranged at both side end positions of the stage 10 with the plate surfaces being vertical. The side partition walls 20, 20 have the same shape as the side partition walls 12, 12 on the rear side, and the front side extends into the holding position side space so that the lower end is positioned directly above the upper surface of the stage 10. doing. The upper end surfaces of the side partition walls 20, 20 are in close contact with the top plate 2 b of the processing chamber 2 without a gap.
On the rear side of the side partition wall 20, the lower horizontal partition wall 13 is located near the rear of the standby stage 10, similarly to the above embodiment, and has the rear vertical partition wall 14 on the loading port 7 side. The front end of the side partition plate 20 is in a position that does not overlap the rear end of the stage 10 when the stage 10 is positioned in the forefront when the stage 10 moves. Accordingly, the stage 10 does not interfere with the side partition wall 20 when the workpiece 10 is moved to the left and right while holding the workpiece 100.

A front vertical partition wall 21 is provided at the front end of the side partition wall 20. The front vertical partition wall 21 has an upper end surface that is in close contact with the top plate 2b of the processing chamber 2 without any gap, and further extends to the left and right so that both left and right end surfaces are in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side partition walls 20 on both sides. . The front vertical partition wall 21 corresponds to the front partition wall of the present invention.
A gap G <b> 2 is secured between the lower end of the front vertical partition wall 21 and the upper surface of the stage 10. The front vertical partition wall 21 constitutes a part of the partition portion of the present invention.
The workpiece 100 can be moved through the gap G2, and the gap G2 constitutes an opening part of the partition part.
The side partition plates 20, 20, the lower horizontal partition plate 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 21 constitute a partition wall that serves as a partition portion of the present invention.

Also in this embodiment, the load area A is allocated from the loading port 7 to the front end side of the stage 10 at the standby position, and the shield box 6 side is allocated to the laser light irradiation area B.
The partition wall composed of the side partition walls 20, 20, the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 21 covers the periphery of the inlet 7 side space, and the load area A is connected to the inlet side space. A3 and a laser beam irradiation area side space A4 are partitioned to obtain shielding properties.
The inlet side air supply line 16 and the inlet side exhaust line 17 are connected to the inlet side space A3 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and the gas curtain action is performed by the supply of air from the inlet side air supply line 16. As a result, the shielding property can be improved, and the air mixed in by the inlet side exhaust line 17 can be eliminated early. Further, the laser light irradiation area B is connected to the laser light irradiation side air supply line 18 and the laser light irradiation side exhaust line 19 as in the above-described embodiment. Each line is provided with an on-off valve 18a, a flow meter 18b, an on-off valve 19a, and a flow meter 19b.

  Also in this embodiment, the object to be processed 100 can be carried into the processing chamber 2, the process by laser light irradiation, and the object to be processed 100 can be carried out of the processing chamber 2 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. At this time, the atmosphere of the laser beam irradiation area B can be maintained as much as possible, and the atmosphere can be stabilized in a short time when the object 100 is loaded and unloaded.

(Embodiment 3)
In each of the above embodiments, the partition portion that partitions the load area A into the inlet side space and the laser light irradiation area side space has been described, but in addition to this, the second area that partitions the load area A and the laser light irradiation area B. You may provide a partition part.
In this Embodiment 3, the said partition part is made into the 1st partition part, and it has a 2nd partition part, and demonstrates a detail based on FIG. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the processing chamber 2.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to each said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

In this embodiment, side partition walls 30 and 30 along the front-and-rear direction are disposed at both side end positions of the stage 10 so that the plate surfaces are vertical. The side partition 30 has the same shape as the side partition 12 on the rear side, and the front side extends to the front end side of the stage 10 so that the lower end is located immediately above the upper surface of the stage 10. Yes. The side partition wall 30 has an upper end surface that is in close contact with the top plate 2b without any gap, and a rear end surface that is in close contact with the side wall 2a without any gap. The side partition wall 30 and the upper surface of the stage 10 hold the target object 100 on the stage 10 so that the target object 100 and the side surface partition wall 30 do not interfere with each other when the stage 10 moves. A minimum gap is secured between them. Note that, as indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 7, the gap between the stage 10 and the side partition wall 30 may be partially reduced at a portion that does not interfere with the workpiece 100 held on the stage 10.
On the rear side of the side partition wall 30, the lower horizontal partition plate 13 is positioned near the rear end surface of the standby stage 10, as in the above embodiment, and the rear vertical partition wall 14 is provided on the loading port 7 side. A front vertical partition wall 15 is provided immediately above the front end of the lower horizontal partition wall 13. The front vertical partition wall 15 has an upper end surface that is in close contact with the top plate 2 b without any gap, and a lower end that has a gap G <b> 1 with the upper surface of the lower horizontal partition wall 13.
The range from the loading port 7 of the side partition wall 30 to the rear end of the stage 10, the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 15 constitute a first partition.

A front vertical partition wall 31 is provided at the front end of the side partition wall 30. The front vertical partition wall 31 is in close contact with the top plate 2b of the processing chamber 2 without a gap, extends to the left and right, and both left and right end faces are in close contact with the inner surfaces of the side partition walls 30 on both sides. The lower end of the front vertical partition wall 31 is the same position as the lower end position of the side partition wall 30. The front vertical partition wall 31 corresponds to the front partition wall of the present invention.
The side partition wall 30, the front vertical partition wall 31, and the stage 10 constitute a second partition portion of the present invention.

Also in this embodiment, the load area A is allocated from the loading port 7 to the front end side of the stage 10 at the standby position, and the shield box 6 side is allocated to the laser light irradiation area B.
The first partition part constituted by the rear side of the side partition walls 30, 30, the lower horizontal partition wall 13, the rear vertical partition wall 14, and the front vertical partition wall 15 covers the periphery of the loading inlet 7 side space, and is a load area. A is divided into an entrance side space A1 and a laser light irradiation area side space A2 to obtain shielding properties. Furthermore, the second partition part constituted by the front part of the side partition wall 30, the front vertical partition wall 31 and the upper surface of the stage 10 partitions the inside of the processing chamber 2 into a load area A and a laser light irradiation area B and further shields it. Has gained sex.
The inlet side space A1 can obtain a gas curtain action by supplying air from the inlet side air supply line and improve the shielding performance in the same manner as in the above embodiments, and is mixed by the inlet side exhaust line. The atmosphere can be eliminated early.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to the content of the said embodiment, A suitable change is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser processing apparatus 2 Processing chamber 3 Laser oscillator 4 Optical system 6 Shield box 7 Loading port 8 Gate valve 9 Transfer robot 10 Stage 11 Moving device 12 Side partition wall 13 Lower horizontal partition wall 14 Back vertical partition wall 15 Front vertical partition wall 16 Inlet side air supply line 17 Inlet side exhaust line 18 Irradiation area air supply line 19 Irradiation area exhaust line 20 Side partition wall 21 Front vertical partition wall 30 Side partition wall 31 Front vertical partition wall 31 Front vertical partition wall A Load area A1 Entrance side space A2 Laser light irradiation side space A3 Entrance side space A4 Laser light irradiation side space B Laser light irradiation area 100 Object to be processed

Claims (11)

A processing chamber that irradiates the target object with laser light in an atmosphere adjusted to contain the target object; and an optical system that guides the laser beam from the outside into the processing chamber.
The processing chamber has an openable and closable inlet for charging the object to be processed into the processing chamber from the outside of the processing chamber, a load area connected to the charging port in the processing chamber, and the load area A stage that can move between the load area and the laser light irradiation area while holding the object to be processed, a space on the loading port side, and the laser light irradiation. It has a partition that partitions it into the space on the area side,
The partition portion is Ri movement can der of the workpiece between the spout side space and the laser beam irradiation area side of the space,
The partition portion protrudes inward from an inner wall on the lower side of the loading port in the processing chamber and extends to an loading side end portion side of the stage located on the load area side, together with the stage. A lower partition wall that partitions a lower part of the space or the lower part of the inlet side space and the lower part of the laser light irradiation area; and in the processing chamber, the inner part protrudes inward from the inner walls on both sides of the inlet, and the laser light irradiation area side And a side partition wall that extends to the side of the inlet side space or the side of the inlet side space and the side of the laser light irradiation area side .   2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition portion includes a partition wall that partitions the load area into a space on the loading inlet side and a space on the laser light irradiation area side.   2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition portion includes an atmosphere gas curtain that partitions the load area into a space on the loading inlet side and a space on the laser light irradiation area side.   The said partition part partitions the said load area into the holding position side space in which the to-be-processed object inserted into the said load area is hold | maintained, and the said inlet side space, The 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The laser processing apparatus in any one of.   The inlet side air supply device and the inlet side exhaust device are connected to the inlet side space partitioned by the partition part so as to be able to ventilate. Laser processing equipment.   6. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an irradiation area supply device and an irradiation area exhaust device are connected to the laser light irradiation area so as to allow ventilation.   The laser processing according to claim 1, further comprising: a processing object transfer device that moves the processing object between the load area and the laser light irradiation area in the processing chamber. apparatus. The said to-be-processed object transfer apparatus scans the said laser beam by moving the said stage relatively with respect to the said laser beam in the said laser beam irradiation area, The Claim 1-7 characterized by the above-mentioned. The laser processing apparatus in any one . The stage, when positioned on the load area side, constitutes a part of a partition that divides the load area into a space on the loading port side and a space on the laser light irradiation area side. Item 9. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 8 . The partition part has a front partition wall that partitions the load area into a space on the inlet side and a space on the laser beam irradiation area side in the front-rear direction of the loading direction of the workpiece. the laser processing apparatus according to any one of 1-9. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said partition portion as the first partition portion, and a second partition part for partitioning said load area and the laser beam irradiation area.

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