JP7633208B2 - Loading device - Google Patents

Description

This application relates to a loading device that loads multiple laser diode bars as one form of laser diode manufacturing process, and in particular to a loading device that loads thin and highly brittle laser diode bars with their sides aligned and alternating with spacers.

As disc-type recording media such as Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CDs and optical communications become more widespread, laser diodes are becoming more and more popular for use in writing and reading data on these recording media and in transmitting and receiving data via optical communications.

Laser diodes can emit strong, highly coherent light by injecting a current into the pn junction and oscillating the resulting light, but in order to produce laser oscillation, the end faces must be made into reflective mirror surfaces that are cleaved, and a sputtering process must be performed on the cross sections cut out from the wafer. In order to improve manufacturing efficiency, this sputtering process is performed by sputtering multiple laser diode bars, which are in rod form before being individually cleaved and turned into laser chips, all at once, with their sides aligned and stacked.

For this reason, a loading jig called a bar holder is used to stack multiple laser diode bars with their sides aligned, and the laser diode bars and spacers, which are stored in separate locations, are alternately loaded onto the bar holder.

In this way, a semiconductor manufacturing device has been proposed in which a bar holder for alternately loading laser diode bars and spacers has a first loading surface on which the sides of the laser diode bars and spacers abut, the first loading surface being tilted relative to the horizontal plane, and the laser diode bars and spacers are loaded alternately side-by-side on this first loading surface (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-77454 A

The bar holder in the above-mentioned conventional technology loads the laser diode bars and spacers side by side on a first loading surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal plane, and the inclination angle of this first loading surface is set to an angle that prevents the loaded laser diode bars and spacers from falling over and allows them to be aligned by their own weight, making it possible to load and arrange the laser diode bars with the surfaces on which the sputtering process is performed aligned without damaging the surface of the laser diode bars.

However, in recent years, with the advancement of technology to increase the density of information by using higher frequency laser light, the thickness of the laser diodes used has become thinner, and inevitably, thinner laser diode bars than before are becoming mainstream.

Such thin laser diode bars are easily deformed by heat treatment during the manufacturing process, and are often found to be curved in the length direction, i.e., warped. When laser diode bars curved in the length direction are loaded side by side on the first loading surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, they may tip over after being placed on the bar holder, resulting in incorrect loading.

Therefore, the present application aims to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and provide a loading device that can prevent laser diode bars curved in the longitudinal direction from falling over when placed on a bar holder and can correctly load the bars alternately with spacers.

In order to solve the above problems, the loading device disclosed in this application is a loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers on a loading jig, the loading jig having a regulating surface where the side of the laser diode bar and the side of the spacer abut, and a support surface perpendicular to the regulating surface and on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded, the regulating surface is arranged at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the loading jig is provided with a guide pin that can protrude and retract from the regulating surface, the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded on the loading jig, protrudes from the regulating surface again after the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between the height position from the support surface, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface.

With the above configuration, the loading device disclosed in the present application can prevent the laser diode bars and spacers from falling over due to the guide pins when spacers and laser diode bars are alternately loaded onto the loading jig. As a result, even thin laser diode bars corresponding to high frequency bands can be reliably loaded alternately with spacers.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining the overall configuration of a loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the configuration of the bar holder of the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the bar holder, the head of the suction collet, and the guide pin of the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a first state of a process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto a bar holder in the loading device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a second state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a third state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a fourth state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a fifth state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a sixth state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a seventh state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second configuration of the bar holder of the loading device according to the present embodiment.

The loading device of the present disclosure is a loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers on a loading jig, the loading jig having a regulating surface where the side of the laser diode bar and the side of the spacer abut, and a support surface perpendicular to the regulating surface and on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded, the regulating surface is arranged at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and the loading jig is provided with a guide pin that can protrude and retract from the regulating surface, the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded on the loading jig, protrudes from the regulating surface again after the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between the height position from the support surface, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface.

In this way, the loading device disclosed in this application can effectively prevent the laser diode bars and spacers loaded on the loading jig from falling over by the guide pins, and can properly stack thin laser diode bars alternately with spacers. In this specification, the term "horizontal plane" refers to a plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction (the direction of gravity).

In the loading device disclosed herein, it is preferable that the size of the predetermined gap is less than 60% of the width of the laser diode bar. In this way, it is possible to prevent the loaded laser diode bar from falling over even if it is tilted.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the guide pin protrudes from the regulating surface at a position where a gap wider than the predetermined gap is formed, and then moves to a position where the predetermined gap is formed. In this way, it is possible to prevent the action of protruding the guide pin from affecting the loaded laser diode bars and spacers.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the suction collet that transfers the laser diode bar or the spacer to the loading device brings the side of the laser diode bar or the side of the spacer to be loaded close to the regulating surface at a position above the guide pin, and then after the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface, the suctioned laser diode bar or the spacer is moved downward to load it. In this way, it is possible to prevent the laser diode bar or spacer from falling over due to the movement of the next laser diode bar or spacer to be loaded being carried to the loading position.

Furthermore, after the guide pin protrudes to the position having the predetermined gap, it is preferable that the loading jig and the guide pin move downward along the regulating surface by the thickness of the laser diode bar or spacer to be loaded next. In this way, the positional relationship between the last loaded laser diode bar or spacer and the suction collet can always be kept the same without changing the height of the suction collet that transfers the laser diode bar or spacer.

It is also preferable that the regulating surface further has suction ports for suctioning the sides of the loaded laser diode bars and spacers. In this way, the sides of the loaded laser diode bars and spacers can be reliably brought into close contact with the regulating surface.

Furthermore, it is preferable to further have a holding member capable of supporting the side of the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer opposite the regulating surface. In this way, it is possible to reliably prevent the loaded laser diode bar and spacer from collapsing.

Below, specific embodiments of the loading device disclosed in this application will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of a loading device according to this embodiment.

The loading device 100 shown in FIG. 1 stacks multiple laser diode bars on a bar holder (51, 53) that serves as a loading jig, with spacers between them and the side surfaces of the bars aligned so that they are flush with each other.

The loading device 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a peeling stage 10 that is circular in plan view, a first transport section 20, an intermediate stage 30, a second transport section 40, and a central stage 50. The loading device 100 according to this embodiment has two sets of transfer mechanisms that are a set from the peeling stage 10 to the second transport section 40, and are arranged almost symmetrically with respect to a left-right center line that passes through the center stage 50 located in the center of the loading device 100. The first transfer mechanism on the right side of the figure transfers the laser diode bar to the central stage 50, and the second transfer mechanism on the right side of the figure transfers the spacers that are stacked alternately with the laser diode bars in the bar holder to the central stage 50.

In the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, the first transfer mechanism that transfers the laser diode bars and the second transfer mechanism that transfers the spacers have the same configuration, and only the material that is transferred is different. For this reason, in this specification, the members that make up the second transfer mechanism that transfers the spacers are given the same names as the members of the first transfer mechanism, namely the peeling stage 10', the first transport unit 20', the intermediate stage 30', and the second transport unit 40', and are distinguished by adding "' to the reference numbers, but detailed explanations of each member will be omitted.

The peeling stage 10 is a circular member in plan view, and an adhesive member and a number of laser diode bars arranged side by side on the adhesive member are mounted on the upper surface of the peeling stage 10. The diameter of the peeling stage 10 is slightly larger than the diameter of the gallium arsenide substrate from which the laser diode bars are made, so that the gallium arsenide substrate is cut out and divided into individual laser diode bars, which are then mounted on an adhesive tape, an adhesive sheet of approximately the same diameter as the gallium arsenide substrate, and placed directly on the peeling stage.

In addition, in the loading device according to this embodiment, a gel pack tray 11 configured to accommodate multiple approximately square gel packs can be appropriately mounted on the peeling stage 10 so that laser diode bars arranged on gel packs made of a gel-like special polymer material or the like can be peeled off and transferred.

The first transport section 20 is a member that moves left and right within the range of arrow A shown in FIG. 1, and is equipped with a suction head 21 (details not shown) and a camera 22 that checks the position of the laser diode bar on the peeling stage 10, and based on the image from the camera 22, it grasps detailed information such as the position and angle of the laser diode bar to be peeled and transferred, and further, while checking the position of the suction head 21, it is controlled so that the tip portion (not shown) of the suction head 21 can accurately adsorb the laser diode bar to be transferred.

The intermediate stage 30 is disposed between the supply ring section 12, on whose upper surface the peeling stage 10 is disposed, and the central stage 50, which is located in the center of the loading device, and functions as a relay point for changing the angle of the surface direction of the laser diode bar peeled off from the peeling stage 10 by the first conveying section 20, and transferring it to the bar holders (51, 53) on the central stage 50.

In the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, the bar holders (51, 53) are arranged on the central stage with the lamination direction of the laser diode bar and the spacer tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical axis so that the sides on which the sputtering process is performed of the laser diode bar and the spacer are stored in a flush state. On the other hand, the upper surface of the peeling stage 10 is maintained horizontal, that is, perpendicular to the vertical axis, so that the surface direction of the laser diode bar when placed on the upper surface of the peeling stage 10 is horizontal. Therefore, in the intermediate stage 30, the angle of the surface direction of the laser diode bar is changed from the horizontal direction on the peeling stage to the tilt angle of the regulating surface 51a (see FIG. 2) of the bar holders (51, 53).

Specifically, the intermediate stage 30 has a bar-mounted stage 32 attached to a rotating shaft extending from a guide mechanism 31, an actuator 33 that rotates this rotating shaft, and a camera 34 that monitors the laser diode bar arranged on the bar-mounted stage 32.

First, with the upper surface of the bar mounting stage 32 maintained horizontal, the laser diode bar transported by the first transport unit 20 is transferred onto the bar mounting stage 32. Then, with the actuator 33 tilting the upper surface of the bar mounting stage 32 to the same tilt angle as the bar holders (51, 53), the laser diode bar is transferred from the bar mounting stage 32 to the bar holders (51, 53) on the central stage 50 by the suction collet 40, which is the second transport unit.

The second conveying section, the suction collet 40, is equipped with a suction head 41 (see FIG. 2) that suctions the laser diode bar, similar to the first conveying section 20, and a camera (not shown) that checks the state of the laser diode bar.

The loading device 100 according to this embodiment is provided with two bar holders (51, 53) that are loading jigs on the central stage 50. In this way, after the laser diode bars and spacers are loaded onto one bar holder 51, the laser diode bars and spacers can be loaded onto the other bar holder 53 while the bar holder 51 is being removed and carried away for the next sputtering process, which is efficient. For this reason, the arrows B and B' indicating the movable ranges of the second transport units 40 and 40' are set so that the laser diode bars and spacers can be transferred from the left and right intermediate stages 30 and 30' to the two bar holders 51 and 53.

The bar holders 51 and 53 are also provided with a loading mechanism that can alternately load the laser diode bars and spacers that have been transported to the bar holders 51 and 53 by the suction heads (41) of the suction collets 40 and 40', which are the second transport section, without the laser diode bars tipping over. Details of the mechanism that alternately loads the laser diode bars and spacers onto the bar holders 51 and 53 will be described later.

As described above, the laser diode bar, which is adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (51, 53) on the bar mounting stage 32 of the intermediate stage 30, is transferred to the bar holder (51, 53) on the central stage by the suction collet 40, which is the second transport unit. Next, in the second transfer mechanism, the spacer, which is adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (31, 33) on the spacer mounting stage 32' of the intermediate stage 30' like the laser diode bar, is transferred to the bar holder (51, 53) on the central stage by the suction collet 40', which is the second transport unit. This is repeated alternately, and the laser diode bar and the spacer are arranged alternately on the bar holder (51, 53) with their sides regulated to be flush.

The above is merely one example of the configuration of the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, and it goes without saying that the specific configuration of the loading device 100 can take various forms as long as the laser diode bars and spacers can be transferred and alternately loaded into the bar holder.

In particular, the configuration with two bar holders 51, 53 employed in the loading device 100 described above, and the configuration in which the peeling stage 10 and the intermediate stage 30 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides around the central stage 50 on which the bar holders 51, 53 are arranged, are configurations for improving manufacturing efficiency and are not essential configurations for the loading device disclosed in this application.

Next, the process of alternately loading laser diode bars and spacers onto the bar holders 51 and 53 in the loading device 100 according to this embodiment will be described in detail. As described above, the two bar holders 51 and 53 of the loading device 100 according to this embodiment have the same configuration, so the following description will be given using the first bar holder 51 as an example.

In addition, the drawings used in the following explanation are intended to clearly explain how the laser diode bars and spacers are stacked, so the sizes of the laser diode bars, spacers, and other components do not necessarily reflect their actual sizes.

Figure 2 is an image diagram for explaining the configuration of the bar holder of the loading device in this embodiment.

In the following description, the loading direction of the laser diode bars and spacers, i.e., the direction in which they are stacked along the regulating surface 51a (direction A in the figure), may be referred to as "upward," and the direction toward the supporting surface 51b (direction B in the figure) may be referred to as "downward."

As shown in FIG. 2, the bar holder 51 of the loading device in this embodiment has a regulating surface 51a inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the horizontal plane H, and a support surface 51b formed perpendicular to the regulating surface 51a, i.e., inclined at (90°-α)° with respect to the horizontal plane H, on which the laser diode bar 60 and spacers 71 and 72 are loaded.

Here, the inclination angle α of the regulating surface 51a is preferably 15° to 45°. If the inclination angle α is less than 15°, the curved, i.e., warped, laser diode bar 60 will be more likely to collapse, and if the inclination angle α is more than 45°, the laminate of the laser diode bar and spacer will be more likely to collapse on the side opposite the regulating surface 51a. Note that the inclination angle α is preferably set appropriately and optimally depending on the shape (length, width, thickness) and number of laser diode bars 60 to be loaded.

In the loading device of this embodiment, a thick spacer 72 is first loaded onto the support surface 51b of the bar holder 51, and a first laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the upper surface of this thick spacer 72. Next, a first spacer 71 is stacked on top of this first laser diode bar 60, and the laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 are alternately loaded in the following order: second laser diode bar 60, second spacer 71, third laser diode bar 60, third spacer 71.

The laser diode bar 60 loaded on the bar holder 51 has, as an example, a width (W: see FIG. 3) of 150 μm, a length (L: see FIG. 3) of 20 mm, and a thickness (not shown) of 100 μm. The spacer 71 is generally made of silicon or the like, and has, as an example, a width W of 140 μm, a length L of 22 mm, and a thickness of 100 μm, and the thick spacer 72 has, as an example, a width W of 1500 μm, a length L of 30 mm, and a thickness of 150 μm.

In this way, by first loading the thick spacer 72 on the support surface 51b, a laminate of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is formed on the thick spacer 72, which makes it easier to handle the laminate of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 when moving it to the next process where the sputtering process is performed after loading is completed.

Figure 2 shows the state in which a laser diode bar 60 is loaded on top of the spacer 71 loaded on the support surface 51b. The state is shown in which the diode bar 60, whose main surface direction is inclined by (90°-α)° with respect to the horizontal plane on the intermediate stage 30, is adsorbed by the head 41 of the adsorption collet 40, which is the second transport section, and is carried to the loading position where it overlaps with the spacer 71 that was last loaded.

At this time, a guide pin 55 is positioned on the upper surface side of the topmost spacer 71, protruding from the regulating surface 51a toward the position where the laser diode bar 60 and spacers 71 and 72 are loaded.

In this specification, the guide pin 55 protruding from the regulating surface 51a means that at least a portion of the guide pin 55 protrudes from the regulating surface 51a and is located in the area where the laser diode bar 60 and spacer 71 are loaded. In addition, the guide pin 55 retracts means that the tip of the guide pin 55 is located behind the regulating surface 51a (the rear side in FIG. 2, i.e., the lower side when the regulating surface 51a is considered as the reference surface) and is not located in the area where the laser diode bar 60 and spacer 71 are loaded.

The protruding position of the guide pin 55 is a position where a predetermined gap (50 μm, for example) is formed between the height position H from the support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the components loaded on the support surface 51b (specifically, in the case of FIG. 2, one thick spacer 72, 13 laser diode bars 60, and 13 spacers 71, totaling 27 components) and the underside of the guide pin 55, i.e., the surface of the bar holder 51 facing the support surface 51b, and the guide pin 55 is not in contact with the spacer 71 loaded on the top.

The height position H from the support surface 51b mentioned above is the sum of the thicknesses of all the components loaded on the support surface 51b, and therefore corresponds to the position of the top surface of the last component loaded when there is no deformation such as warping in any of the loaded components.

The above-mentioned predetermined gap is preferably set to a size that prevents the loaded laser diode bar 60 from tipping over onto the regulating surface 51a even if the loaded laser diode bar 60 is warped, and is preferably set to less than 60% of the width W of the laser diode bar 60. The inventors confirmed that when the loaded laser diode bar 60 is warped and tilts from a plane parallel to the loading surface 51b toward the regulating surface 51a by about 30° or more, the laser diode bar 60 is highly likely to tip over onto the regulating surface 51a. In addition, considering the range in which the tilted laser diode bar 60 leaning against the guide pin 55 can be pushed back by the operation of loading the next spacer 71 to be placed on it, it was confirmed that the size of the gap between the last loaded spacer 71 and the guide pin 55 is preferably set to less than 60% of the width W of the laser diode bar.

The minimum value of the predetermined gap between the height position H from the support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface 51b, and the lower surface of the guide pin 55 is preferably 10 μm. In the bar holder 51 of the loading device according to this embodiment, a recess 51c extending in the loading direction of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is formed in the center part of the regulating surface 51a, so that even if the head 41 of the suction collet that suctions the laser diode bar 60 protrudes beyond the width of the laser diode bar 60, the tip part of the head 41 of the suction collet 40 does not come into contact with the regulating surface 51a. In addition, a pair of slit-shaped suction ports 51d extending in the vertical direction are formed on the regulating surface 51a on both sides of the recess 51c, so that the side of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 in the loaded state after being removed from the head 40 of the suction collet can be closely attached to the regulating surface 51a.

Figure 3 shows the positional relationship between the bar holder, the head of the suction collet, and the guide pin in the bar holder of this embodiment, and is a view of the state shown in Figure 2 from the direction of arrow C shown in Figure 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the head 41 of the suction collet is formed so that both sides protrude further from the center, and suction ports 42 for suctioning the laser diode bar 60 are formed in the protruding portions on both sides. In this way, the suction ports 42 for suctioning the laser diode bar 60 are arranged at intervals, and the laser diode bar 60, which is longer in the length L direction than in the width W direction, can be stably suctioned and held.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide pin 55 is positioned at the center of the suction collet head 41, i.e., between the protruding portions on both sides, to prevent the suction collet head 41 and the guide pin 55 from interfering with each other.

In FIG. 3, the tip position of the guide pin 55 coincides with the side position of the side opposite the regulating surface 51a of the laser diode bar 60 to be loaded, but the tip position of the guide pin 55 in the protruding state in the loading device of this embodiment is not limited to coincide with the side position of the laser diode bar 60. The tip position of the guide pin 55 in the protruding state needs to protrude to a position of more than half the width W of the laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 to the extent that the loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 can be prevented from falling over, and there is no problem even if it exceeds the width W of the loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 to the extent that there is no interference with the head 41 of the suction collet.

In the figures shown in Figures 2 and 3 above, the state in which the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the last loaded spacer 71 is shown, but the same applies when the spacer 71 is loaded onto the laser diode bar 60. Although detailed illustration is omitted, in this case, in the second transfer mechanism, the spacer that is adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (31, 33) on the spacer mounting stage 32' of the intermediate stage 30' is transferred to the bar holder 51 on the central stage by the suction collet that is the second transport unit 40'. At this time, the guide pin 55 is in a state of protruding from the regulating surface 51a with a predetermined gap between it and the top surface of the last loaded laser diode bar 60.

As mentioned above, the spacer 71 is made of a metal material such as silicon or stainless steel, so it is unlikely to warp like the laser diode bar 60, which is subjected to a heat treatment process during production. However, the loading device shown in this embodiment can prevent the spacer 71 from falling over even if it is warped like the laser diode bar 60.

Next, using Figures 4 to 10, we will explain the operation of the bar holder, the head of the suction collet, and the guide pin when laser diode bars and spacers are alternately loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device of this embodiment.

Figure 4 shows the first stage of the process in which the laser diode bar is loaded onto the bar holder.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this state, the guide pin 55 protrudes with a predetermined gap from the upper surface side of the last loaded spacer 71. The suction collet head 41 moves in the direction shown by arrow a in FIG. 4 with the laser diode bar 60 suctioned by the suction port 42. At this time, the suction collet head 41 moves so that the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 is positioned further above the upper surface of the guide pin 55, and moves until the side of the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 is in a position just short of the position where it abuts against the regulating surface 51a of the bar holder 51.

Figure 5 shows a second state of the process in which the laser diode bar is loaded onto the bar holder.

As shown in Figure 5, the head 41 of the suction collet moves downward along the regulating surface 51a of the bar holder 51 with the side of the laser diode bar 60 to be loaded next in close proximity to the regulating surface 51a (arrow b in the figure). At this time, the guide pin 55 remains in its original protruding position with a predetermined gap on the top surface side of the last loaded spacer 71.

Figure 6 shows the third state of the process in which the laser diode bar is loaded onto the bar holder.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 approaches the guide pin 55, the guide pin 55 retracts from its protruding state beyond the regulating surface 51a to the inside of the bar holder 51 so as not to come into contact with the laser diode bar 60 (arrow c in the figure), and its tip does not protrude beyond the regulating surface 51a.

When the guide pin 55 is retracted, the head 41 of the suction collet further descends (arrow d in the figure) and moves to a position where the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the spacer 71.

In this way, the guide pin 55 retracts from the regulating surface 51a when the loaded laser diode bar 60 approaches the spacer 71 sufficiently, thereby preventing the topmost spacer 71 from falling onto the regulating surface 51a.

In addition, when the guide pin 55 is retracted, the next laser diode bar 60 to be loaded is close enough to the spacer 71 that the laser diode bar 60 can prevent the spacer 71 from falling over. As the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the spacer 71, the spacer 71 that is about to fall over can be returned to its original position and the laser diode bar 60 can be correctly loaded on its upper surface.

Figure 7 shows the fourth stage of the process in which the laser diode bar is loaded onto the bar holder.

As shown in FIG. 7, the guide pin 55 that has been retracted into the regulating surface 51a moves upward along the regulating surface 51a (arrow e in the figure) and again protrudes from the regulating surface 51a while being positioned above the head 41 of the suction collet (arrow f in the figure).

At the same time, when the guide pin 55 moves upward along the regulating surface 51a, the head 41 of the suction collet releases the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 and places it on the upper surface of the spacer 71. At this time, the laser diode bar 60 is adsorbed into the slit-shaped suction port 51d formed in the regulating surface 51a, and the side of the laser diode bar 60 abuts against the regulating surface 51a, forming a state in which the side is flush with the other laser diode bars 60 and the spacers 71 that are loaded.

Figure 8 shows the fifth state of the process in which the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the bar holder 51.

As shown in FIG. 8, the guide pin 55 protruding from the regulating surface 51a above the head 41 of the suction collet descends along the regulating surface 55a (arrow g in the figure), approaches the top surface of the uppermost laser diode bar 60, and stops at a position with a predetermined gap between it and the top surface of the laser diode bar 60, the gap being the same size as the gap in the first state shown in FIG. 4.

Figure 9 shows the sixth state of the process in which the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the bar holder 51.

As shown in FIG. 9, with the guide pin 55 protruding from the regulating surface 51a at a position with a predetermined gap from the top surface of the last loaded laser diode bar 60, the head 41 of the suction collet moves upward along the regulating surface 51a (arrow h in the figure), and then the head 41 of the suction collet moves away from the bar holder 51 (arrow i in the figure).

Figure 10 shows the seventh state of the process in which the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the bar holder 51.

When the suction collet head 41 leaves the bar holder 51, the bar holder 51 moves downward (black arrow j in the figure) along the regulating surface 51a together with the guide pin 55 by a predetermined amount (D). This predetermined amount C is the thickness of the last loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71, and by moving downward by the thickness of the last loaded member in this manner, the height position H from the support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface 51b, becomes the same height regardless of the number of members loaded. As a result, the positional relationship between the last loaded member and the suction collet head 40 can be maintained in the same state without changing the position of the suction collet head 41 that transfers the next spacer 71 or laser diode bar 60 to be loaded.

By repeating the loading operation shown in Figures 4 to 10, when the last laser diode bar 60 is loaded, the loading process by the loading device 100 of this embodiment is completed.

By stacking the thick spacer 72, which is the first to be placed on the support surface 51b, on top of the last-stacked laser diode bar 60, the stack of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is protected from the top and bottom by the thick spacer 72. By arranging the thick spacers 71 on the top and bottom in this way, it is possible to avoid a problem that the sputtering process of the side of the laser diode bar 60 is not performed correctly in the sputtering process, in which deposition at both ends of the bar holder 51 in the top and bottom directions tends to be unstable. Furthermore, the thick spacer 72 can also be placed in the middle of the stack of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71, and the presence of the thick spacer 72 in the middle of the stack can provide a reinforcing effect for the entire stack.

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modified example of the bar holder in the loading device of this embodiment.

As with FIG. 3, FIG. 11 is a view of the state in which laser diode bars 60 are loaded on the support surface 51b of the bar holder 51, as viewed from above the regulating surface 51a (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2). The modified example in FIG. 11 differs from the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in that a holding member 80 is disposed on the side of the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 opposite the regulating surface 51a.

The holding members 80 are positioned close enough to the sides of the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 and 72, but do not abut against them, and can prevent the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 and 72 from collapsing to the side opposite the regulating surface 51a. As shown in FIG. 11, by positioning a pair of holding members 80 at both ends in the length direction of the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71, the holding members 80 can be prevented from interfering with the operation of the suction collet or the operation of the guide pins 55 when they protrude beyond the width of the laser diode bars. Another advantage is that the state in which the laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 are loaded can be observed between the pair of holding members 80.

As explained above, the loading device described in this embodiment is equipped with a guide pin that can protrude and retract from the regulating surface of the bar holder, which is the loading jig, and the guide pin is positioned above the uppermost laser diode bar or spacer except when a laser diode bar or spacer is being loaded, thereby preventing the loaded laser diode bar or spacer from tipping over onto the regulating surface.

In particular, by providing a predetermined gap between the height position from the support surface, which is the top surface of the last laser diode bar or spacer loaded during loading, and the guide pin, it is possible to prevent the laser diode bar or spacer from falling over due to the protruding and retracting movements of the guide pin, so that even thin laser diode bars that form lasers capable of emitting high-frequency laser light can be reliably alternately loaded with spacers.

By setting the protruding position of the guide pin as the height position, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the components loaded on the support surface, as the reference, the height position values change sequentially according to the loading conditions, from the thick spacer (height position = 0 in this case) loaded first on the support surface, to the first laser diode bar (height position = thickness of the thick spacer), to the first spacer (height position = sum of the thicknesses of the thick spacer and the laser diode bar), and so on, so that the same tip-prevention effect can be achieved for the last loaded laser diode bar or spacer.

As explained in the above embodiment with reference to Figures 7 and 8, by lowering the guide pin from above the last component to be loaded and moving it to a predetermined protruding position, it is expected that the effect of suppressing warping can be achieved even if the loaded laser diode bars or spacers are relatively significantly warped. Of course, if the laser diode bars or spacers are not significantly warped due to the shape of the laser diode bars, the conditions of the manufacturing process, and other various conditions before loading, it is also possible to configure the guide pin to protrude directly at a height position above the support surface.

In order to prevent the protruding and retracting movements of the guide pin from causing the loaded laser diode bars and spacers to tip over, it is preferable that the thickness of the guide pin is not large, and as an example, it is preferable that the thickness is 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

In the above embodiment, the guide pin is exemplified as a rectangular parallelepiped with a substantially uniform width and thickness, but there are no restrictions on the shape of the guide pin as long as it can prevent the loaded laser diode bars and spacers from falling over. In addition, although a single guide pin is exemplified as being located approximately in the center of the length of the loaded laser diode bars and spacers, there are no restrictions on the location or number of guide pins as long as they can prevent the laser diode bars and spacers from falling over when they tend to fall over toward the regulating surface.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the shape of the head of the suction collet that loads the laser diode bar is exemplified as one with two separate tips, but various shapes of suction collet heads can be used as long as there is no interference with the guide pins. Also, there is no problem if the head of the suction collet that loads the laser diode bar and the head of the suction collet that loads the spacers have the same or different shapes. Furthermore, thick spacers can be loaded by the suction collet that loads the spacers, and in this case, suction ports for suctioning the spacers and the thick spacers can be provided on the head of the suction collet, taking into account the shape and weight of the thick spacers, etc.

In addition, in the bar holder, which is the loading jig shown in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a slit-shaped suction port is formed on the regulating surface. However, it goes without saying that it is conceivable that a slit-shaped suction port is not necessary if, for example, the side surfaces of the laser diode bar and spacer to be loaded tend to be flush due to various conditions such as the inclination angle of the regulating surface.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the loading jig, the bar holder and guide pin, move downward by a predetermined amount (C) after the suction collet is retracted, but it is also clear that the height of the suction collet may be changed without changing the height of the bar holder and guide pin.

The loading jigs, such as the bar holder and guide pin, need to have a flat, clean surface and be made of a material with a certain level of rigidity, so they can be made well using metallic materials such as stainless steel or iron.

Although illustrations and detailed explanations are omitted, by providing a clamping mechanism or the like capable of holding the entire stack of laser diode bars and spacers loaded on the bar holder, which is a loading jig, the stack of laser diode bars and spacers can be easily moved to the next surface treatment process, such as a sputtering process, after the loading process is completed.

The loading device disclosed in this application is useful as a loading device that prevents the laser diode bar and spacer from falling over on the loading jig, and can load even thin laser diode bars well.

41 Head of suction collet 51 Bar holder (loading jig)
51a Regulating surface 51b Support surface 55 Guide pin 60 Laser diode bar 71 Spacer 100 Loading device

Claims (7)

A loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers on a loading jig,
the loading jig has a control surface on which a side surface of the laser diode bar and a side surface of the spacer come into contact, and a support surface perpendicular to the control surface and on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded,
The regulating surface is disposed at an incline with respect to a horizontal plane,
A guide pin capable of protruding and retracting from the restriction surface is provided,
The loading device is characterized in that the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded onto the loading jig, and protrudes from the regulating surface again after the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between it and a height position from the support surface which is the sum of the thicknesses of all components loaded on the support surface. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the size of the predetermined gap is less than 60% of the width of the laser diode bar. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein the guide pin protrudes from the regulating surface at a position where a gap wider than the predetermined gap is formed, and then moves to a position where the predetermined gap is formed. The loading device according to claim 1, in which a suction collet that transfers the laser diode bar or the spacer to the loading device brings the side of the laser diode bar or the side of the spacer to be loaded close to the regulating surface at a position above the guide pin, and then after the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface, the suctioned laser diode bar or the spacer is moved downward to load it. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein after the guide pin protrudes to a position having the predetermined gap, the loading jig and the guide pin move downward along the regulating surface by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the laser diode bar or the spacer to be loaded next. The loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a suction port on the regulating surface for suctioning the side surfaces of the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer. The loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member capable of supporting the side of the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer opposite the regulating surface.