JP5333399B2 - Laser processing apparatus, workpiece processing method, and workpiece dividing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve more certain division of a workpiece configured by forming a dissimilar material layer on a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: A machining method for forming a division starting point on a workpiece includes: a placing step of placing the workpiece on a stage movable to the first and second directions; a preliminary machining step of exposing a base substrate in a region to be irradiated by irradiating with a laser beam for preliminary machining emitted from a prescribed light source while moving the stage to the first direction; and a regular machining step of generating cleavage or parting of the base substrate between the regions to be irradiated by irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam for regular machining while moving the stage to the second direction in such a manner that in the laser beam for regular machining which is an ultrashort pulsed light having a pulse width of a picosecond order emitted from a prescribed light source, the region to be irradiated for each unit pulsed light is formed discretely in the exposed portion of the base substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser processing method for processing a workpiece by irradiating a laser beam and a laser processing apparatus used therefor.

  Various techniques (hereinafter simply referred to as laser processing or laser processing technology) for processing a workpiece by irradiating pulsed laser light are already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4).

  Patent Document 1 discloses that when a die as a workpiece is divided, a groove having a V-shaped cross section (break groove) is formed along a planned dividing line by laser ablation, and the die is started from this groove. Is a method of dividing On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses that a laser beam in a defocused state is irradiated along a planned division line of an object to be processed (divided object), so that the irradiated region is less crystallized than the surroundings. In this method, a melt-modified region (modified region) having a substantially V-shaped cross section is generated, and the workpiece is divided starting from the lowest point of the melt-modified region.

  In any case where the division starting points are formed using the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the subsequent division is performed satisfactorily, so that it is uniform along the planned division line direction that is the scanning direction of the laser light. It is important to form a V-shaped cross section (groove cross section or altered region cross section) having a simple shape. For this purpose, for example, the irradiation of the laser beam is controlled so that the irradiated region (beam spot) of the laser beam for each pulse overlaps before and after.

  For example, when the repetition frequency (unit: kHz), which is the most basic parameter of laser processing, is R, and the scanning speed (unit: mm / sec) is V, the ratio V / R of both is the center distance of the beam spot. However, in the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, laser light irradiation and scanning are performed under the condition that V / R is 1 μm or less so that beam spots overlap each other.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, a modified region is formed inside the substrate by aligning a condensing point inside the substrate having a laminated portion on the surface and irradiating laser light, and this modified region is defined as a starting point of cutting. An embodiment is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 4, a laser beam scan is repeated a plurality of times for one separation line to deepen a groove portion and a modification portion that are continuous in the separation line direction and an internal modification portion that is not continuous in the separation line direction. The aspect formed in the up-down direction is disclosed.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 5 discloses a processing technique using an ultrashort pulse laser beam having a pulse width of the order of psec, and by adjusting the focused spot position of the pulse laser beam, a workpiece (plate). A mode is disclosed in which minute dissolution marks are formed in which micro cracks are clustered from the surface layer portion to the surface, and a linear separation facilitating region in which these dissolution marks are connected is disclosed.

JP 2004-9139 A International Publication No. 2006/062017 JP 2007-83309 A JP 2008-98465 A JP 2005-271563 A

  The method of forming the split starting point with laser light and then splitting with a breaker is more automated, faster, more stable and more accurate than diamond scribing, which is a conventional mechanical cutting method. Is advantageous in terms of sex.

  However, when the division starting point is formed by the laser beam by the conventional method, it is inevitable that a so-called processing mark (laser processing mark) is formed in the portion irradiated with the laser beam. A processing mark is a denatured region in which the material or structure has changed as a result of irradiation with laser light. It is preferable to suppress the formation of the processing marks as much as possible in order to adversely affect the characteristics of each of the divided workpieces (divided pieces).

  For example, a workpiece in which a light emitting element structure such as an LED structure is formed on a substrate made of a hard and brittle and optically transparent material such as sapphire is processed by conventional laser processing as disclosed in Patent Document 2. In the edge portion of the light emitting element obtained by dividing into chips (the portion that has been irradiated with laser light during division), the width is about several μm and the depth is about several μm to several tens of μm. Traces are formed continuously. Such a processing mark absorbs light generated inside the light emitting element, and there is a problem in that light extraction efficiency from the element is reduced. In particular, the problem associated with the light emitting device structure using a sapphire substrate having a high refractive index is significant.

  The inventor of the present invention, as a result of intensive studies, in forming the division starting point by irradiating the workpiece with laser light, by utilizing the cleavage property or cleavage property of the workpiece, It was found that the formation of is suitably suppressed. In addition, the inventors have found that it is preferable to use ultrashort pulse laser light for such processing.

  In Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 5, there is no disclosure or suggestion about the formation mode of the division starting point that utilizes the cleavage property or cleavage property of the workpiece.

  In addition, when the division starting point is formed by laser light, a region to be processed (such as a break groove in Patent Document 1 or an altered region in Patent Document 2) formed by laser light irradiation is as deep as possible in the thickness direction of the object to be divided. The more it is formed, the higher the yield when dividing the object to be divided perpendicularly to the surface thereafter. However, in the case where a dissimilar material layer such as a metal thin film layer or a semiconductor layer is formed on a substrate having hard brittleness such as sapphire like the workpiece having the light emitting element structure described above, it is sufficient in the thickness direction. There is a problem that it is difficult to form a region to be processed deeply.

  DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and the division in which the formation of the processing trace is suppressed and the division is achieved more reliably for the divided body in which the different material layer is formed on the substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for processing an object to be divided and a laser processing apparatus used therefor, which can form a starting point.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is a laser processing apparatus comprising at least one light source that emits laser light and a stage on which a workpiece is placed, wherein the at least one light source is The laser beam for preliminary processing and the main processing are used as the laser light by being a single light source capable of selectively emitting the laser beam for preliminary processing and the laser beam for main processing by changing the irradiation conditions. The main laser beam for processing is an ultrashort pulse light with a pulse width on the order of psec, and the stage can move in the first direction and the second direction. And an objective lens system that is provided on the optical path of the laser light from the single light source to the stage and adjusts the focal position of the laser light. When the workpiece is a substrate with a different material on which a different material layer is formed on a base substrate, the focal position of the preliminary processing laser beam is set above the surface of the workpiece. , by irradiating the pre-processing laser beam while moving the stage in the first direction, and preliminarily processed to expose the underlying substrate in the irradiated region, each of the previous SL present processing laser beam are discretely formed irradiation regions per unit pulse light in the exposed portion of the underlying substrate, to so that are discretely formed in the exposed portion of the underlying substrate machining mark is directly affected region is the work surface Irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam for main processing while moving the stage in the second direction, or cleaving the base substrate between the irradiated regions or By performing this processing to produce an opening, said forming the starting point for splitting the workpiece, characterized in that.

Invention of Claim 2 is the laser processing apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: When forming the starting point for the said division | segmentation in the said to-be-processed object, at least 2 to-be-irradiated formed with the said different unit pulse light The region is formed so as to be adjacent to each other in the direction of easy cleavage or cleavage of the workpiece.

A third aspect of the present invention is the laser processing apparatus according to the second aspect , wherein all the irradiated regions are formed along a direction in which the workpiece is easily cleaved or cleaved. .

A fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser machining apparatus according to claim 2, the formation of the at least two irradiation regions, the alternately in two different said cleaved or parting easy axis of the workpiece It is characterized by performing.

The invention of claim 5 is the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein when the starting point for the division is formed on the workpiece, The workpiece is formed in an equivalent direction with respect to two different cleavage or cleavage easy directions.

The invention according to claim 6 is a processing method for forming a division starting point on a workpiece which is a substrate with a different material on which a different material layer is formed on a base substrate, wherein the workpiece is moved in a first direction. And placing the stage on a stage movable in the second direction, and irradiating a preliminary processing laser beam emitted from a predetermined light source while moving the stage in the first direction. , a pre-processing step of exposing the underlying substrate in the irradiated region was emitted from a predetermined light source, the pulse width per unit pulse light of the processing laser light is ultrashort pulse light individual psec order to be irradiation region, wherein the exposed portion of the underlying substrate are discretely formed, the so that machining mark is directly affected region are discretely formed in the exposed portion of the underlying substrate is a surface to be processed, the said stage Second Irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam for main processing while moving in the direction of the target, thereby causing a cleaving or tearing of the base substrate between the irradiated regions, and The laser beam for pre-processing and the laser beam for main processing can be selectively emitted from a single light source by changing irradiation conditions, and the light of the laser beam from the single light source to the stage The focus position of the laser beam can be adjusted by an objective lens system provided on the road, and the focus position of the laser beam for preliminary processing is higher than the surface of the workpiece during the preliminary processing step. If set to, characterized in that.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the processing method according to the sixth aspect , wherein at least two irradiated regions formed by the different unit pulse lights are adjacent to each other in a direction in which the workpiece is easily cleaved or cleaved. It is characterized by forming.

The invention according to claim 8 is the processing method according to claim 7 , characterized in that all the irradiated regions are formed along a direction in which the workpiece is easily cleaved or cleaved.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is the processing method according to the seventh aspect , wherein the formation of the at least two irradiated regions is alternately performed in two different cleaving or tearing directions of the workpiece. It is characterized by that.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is the processing method according to any one of the sixth to ninth aspects, wherein the irradiated region is set to two different cleavage or cleavage easy directions of the workpiece. It forms in an equivalent direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

The invention of claim 11 is a method of dividing a workpiece, wherein the workpiece on which a division starting point is formed by the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 is moved along the division starting point. It is characterized by dividing.

According to the first to eleventh aspects of the present invention, it is possible to suitably form the division starting point even for a workpiece in which a dissimilar material layer such as a metal layer or a semiconductor layer is formed on a base substrate. In addition, the workpiece can be suitably divided. In addition, formation of machining traces due to alteration of the workpiece, scattering of the workpiece, and the like can be kept local.

It is a figure which shows typically the processing mode by the 1st processing pattern. It is an optical microscope image about the surface of the to-be-processed object which formed the division | segmentation starting point by the cleavage / cleaving process by a 1st process pattern. It is a SEM image from the surface (C surface) to a section after dividing a sapphire C plane substrate which formed a division starting point by processing concerning the 1st processing pattern along this division starting point. It is a figure which shows typically the processing mode by a 2nd processing pattern. It is an optical microscope image about the surface of the to-be-processed object which formed the division | segmentation origin by the cleavage / cleaving process by a 2nd process pattern. It is a SEM image from the surface (C surface) to a section after dividing a sapphire c plane substrate which formed a division starting point by processing concerning the 2nd processing pattern along this division starting point. It is a figure which shows typically the processing mode by the 3rd processing pattern. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the process planned line in the 3rd process pattern, and the formation planned position of a to-be-irradiated area. 4 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a state of processing when the workpiece 10 is a substrate with a different material formed by forming a metal thin film layer 102 on a base substrate 101. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a state of processing when the workpiece 10 is a substrate with a different material formed by forming a semiconductor layer 103 on a base substrate 101. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows roughly the structure of the laser processing apparatus 50 which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the combination process in a 1st aspect. It is a figure which shows the mode of the combination process in a 2nd aspect.

<Processing target>
In the present embodiment, formation of a division starting point for a substrate with a different material will be described. Here, the substrate with a different material means a substrate in which a different material layer such as a metal thin film layer or a semiconductor layer is formed on a base substrate (specifically, a hard and brittle substrate such as sapphire). Although there are no particular restrictions on the thickness of the base substrate and the thickness of the different material layer, the former usually has a thickness of about several hundred μm to several mm from the viewpoint of ease of handling, and the latter has an order of nm to μm. It is formed to a thickness of about. That is, it is a general aspect of a substrate with a different material that the thickness of the base substrate is relatively larger than that of the different material layer.

<Principle of cleavage / dehiscence processing>
First, the principle of cleavage / dehissing processing, which is one mode of processing performed in the embodiment of the present invention, will be described. Generally speaking, the cleavage / dehissing process is performed by irradiating the upper surface (processed surface) of a workpiece while scanning with a pulsed laser beam (hereinafter also simply referred to as laser beam). The workpiece is cleaved or cleaved in sequence between the irradiated areas, and the starting point (dividing starting point) for splitting is formed as a continuous surface of the cleaved surface or cleaved surface formed in each. Is.

  Note that in this embodiment mode, cleavage refers to a phenomenon in which a workpiece is cracked substantially regularly along a crystal plane other than the cleavage plane, and the crystal plane is referred to as a cleavage plane. In addition to cleaving and cleaving that are microscopic phenomena completely along the crystal plane, cracks that are macroscopic cracks may occur along a substantially constant crystal orientation. Depending on the substance, only one of cleavage, cleaving, or cracking mainly occurs, but in the following, in order to avoid complicated explanation, cleavage / cleavage is not distinguished from each other without distinguishing cleavage, cleaving, and cracking. Collectively called open. Further, the processing in the above-described manner is simply referred to as cleavage / dehiscence processing.

  In the following, an example will be described in which the workpiece is a hexagonal single crystal substance, and the directions of the a1 axis, a2 axis, and a3 axis are cleavage / cleavage easy directions. For example, a C-plane sapphire substrate corresponds to this. The a1 axis, a2 axis, and a3 axis of the hexagonal crystal are symmetrical with each other at an angle of 120 ° in the C plane. The machining according to the present invention has several patterns depending on the relationship between the direction of these axes and the direction of the planned machining line (the planned machining direction). Hereinafter, these will be described. In the following, the laser light irradiated for each individual pulse is referred to as unit pulse light.

<First processing pattern>
The first processing pattern is an aspect of cleavage / dehissing processing when any of the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, and the a3 axis direction is parallel to the planned processing line. More generally speaking, this is a processing mode in the case where the cleavage / cleavage easy direction matches the direction of the planned processing line.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a processing mode by the first processing pattern. FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the a1 axis direction and the planned machining line L are parallel. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an azimuth relationship between the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, the a3 axis direction, and the planned processing line L in such a case. FIG. 1B shows a state in which the unit pulse light of the first pulse of the laser light is irradiated to the irradiated region RE1 at the end of the processing line L.

  In general, irradiation with unit pulse light gives high energy to a very small region of the workpiece, and therefore, such irradiation is equivalent to the irradiation region of the unit pulse light (laser light) on the surface to be irradiated or the target. It causes alteration, melting, evaporative removal, etc. of substances in a range wider than the irradiation area.

  However, if the irradiation time of the unit pulse light, that is, the pulse width is set to be extremely short, a substance that is narrower than the spot size of the laser light and exists in the substantially central region of the irradiated region RE1 obtains kinetic energy from the irradiated laser light. While being scattered or altered in a direction perpendicular to the irradiated surface, the impact and stress generated by the irradiation of unit pulse light including reaction force caused by the scattering are around the irradiated region, In particular, it acts in the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, and the a3 axis direction, which are easy cleavage / cleavage directions. As a result, micro-cleavage or cleaving partially occurs along the direction while maintaining an apparent contact state, or thermal distortion is inherent even without cleaving or cleaving. A state occurs. In other words, it can be said that the irradiation with the ultra-short pulse unit pulse light acts as a driving force for forming a weak intensity portion that is substantially linear in a top view toward the cleavage / cleavage easy direction.

  In FIG. 1 (b), the weak strength portion W1 in the + a1 direction that coincides with the extending direction of the planned processing line L among the weak strength portions formed in each of the above cleavage / cleavage easy directions is schematically shown by a broken line arrow. Is shown.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1C, the second unit pulse light of the laser light is irradiated, and the irradiated region RE2 is located on the processing planned line L at a position away from the irradiated region RE1 by a predetermined distance. As in the case of the first pulse, a weak intensity portion is formed in the second pulse along the easy cleavage / cleavage direction. For example, the weak strength portion W2a is formed in the −a1 direction, and the weak strength portion W2b is formed in the + a1 direction.

  However, at this time, the weak intensity portion W1 formed by the irradiation of the unit pulse light of the first pulse exists in the extending direction of the weak intensity portion W2a. That is, the extending direction of the weak strength portion W2a is a location where cleavage or cleavage can occur with less energy than other locations. Therefore, actually, when the unit pulse light of the second pulse is irradiated, the impact or stress generated at that time propagates to the easy-cleavage / cleavage direction and the weak intensity part existing ahead, and the weak intensity part From W2a to the weak intensity portion W1, complete cleavage or cleavage occurs almost at the moment of irradiation. As a result, a cleavage / cleavage plane C1 shown in FIG. 1 (d) is formed. The cleavage / cleavage surface C1 can be formed to a depth of about several μm to several tens of μm in the direction perpendicular to the drawing of the workpiece. Moreover, as will be described later, on the cleavage / cleavage plane C1, as a result of receiving a strong impact or stress, the crystal plane slips and undulations occur in the depth direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 1 (e), the irradiated regions RE1, RE2, RE3, RE4,... Are sequentially irradiated with unit pulse light by scanning the laser light along the planned processing line L. As a result, cleavage / cleavage surfaces C2, C3,... Are sequentially formed accordingly. It is the cleavage / dehissing process in the first machining pattern that continuously forms the cleavage / dehiscence surface in such a manner.

  From another viewpoint, the surface layer portion of the workpiece is expanded by applying thermal energy by irradiation of the unit pulse light, and approximately the center of each of the irradiated regions RE1, RE2, RE3, RE4,. It can be said that cleavage / dehiscence progresses when tensile stress perpendicular to the cleavage / cleavage planes C1, C2, C3... Acts outside the region.

  That is, in the first processing pattern, a plurality of irradiated regions that exist discretely along the planned processing line L and the cleavage / cleavage surfaces formed between the plurality of irradiated regions as a whole This is the starting point for dividing the workpiece along the planned machining line L. After the formation of the division starting point, the workpiece can be divided in a mode generally along the planned processing line L by performing division using a predetermined jig or apparatus.

  In order to realize such cleavage / cleavage processing, it is necessary to irradiate a short pulse laser beam with a short pulse width. Specifically, it is necessary to use laser light having a pulse width of 100 psec or less. For example, it is preferable to use laser light having a pulse width of about 1 psec to 50 psec.

  On the other hand, the irradiation pitch of unit pulse light (center distance of irradiated spots) may be determined in the range of 4 μm to 50 μm. If the irradiation pitch is larger than this, the formation of the weak strength portion in the cleavage / cleavage easy direction may not progress to such an extent that a cleavage / cleavage surface can be formed. From the viewpoint of reliably forming the division starting point consisting of In view of scanning speed, processing efficiency, and product quality, it is preferable that the irradiation pitch is large. However, in order to make the formation of the cleavage / cleavage surface more reliable, it is determined within the range of 4 to 30 μm. Desirably, it is more preferably about 4 μm to 15 μm.

  Now, when the repetition frequency of laser light is R (kHz), unit pulse light is emitted from the laser light source every 1 / R (msec). When the laser beam moves relative to the workpiece at a speed V (mm / sec), the irradiation pitch Δ (μm) is determined by Δ = V / R. Therefore, the scanning speed V and the repetition frequency of the laser beam are determined so that Δ is about several μm. For example, the scanning speed V is preferably about 50 mm / sec to 3000 mm / sec, and the repetition frequency R is preferably about 1 kHz to 200 kHz, particularly about 10 kHz to 200 kHz. Specific values of V and R may be appropriately determined in consideration of the material of the workpiece, the absorption rate, the thermal conductivity, the melting point, and the like.

The laser beam is preferably irradiated with a beam diameter of about 1 μm to 10 μm. In such a case, the peak power density upon laser light irradiation is approximately 0.1 TW / cm ² to several tens TW / cm ² .

  Further, the laser beam irradiation energy (pulse energy) may be appropriately determined within the range of 0.1 μJ to 50 μJ.

  FIG. 2 is an optical microscope image of the surface of the workpiece on which the division starting points are formed by the cleavage / cleavage processing in the first processing pattern. Specifically, a sapphire C-plane substrate is used as a workpiece, and processing is performed on the C-plane so that irradiated spots are discretely formed at intervals of 7 μm with the a1 axis direction as the extending direction of the processing line L. The results are shown. The result shown in FIG. 2 suggests that the actual workpiece is processed by the mechanism described above.

  3 shows an SEM (scanning electron microscope) from the surface (C-plane) to the cross-section after dividing the sapphire C-plane substrate on which the division starting points are formed by processing according to the first processing pattern along the division starting points. ) In FIG. 3, the boundary portion between the surface and the cross section is indicated by a broken line.

  The elongated triangular or needle-like region having a longitudinal direction from the surface of the workpiece, which is present in the range of about 10 μm from the surface, is observed in FIG. 3 and is irradiated with unit pulse light. This is a region where a phenomenon such as alteration or scattering removal has occurred directly (hereinafter referred to as a direct alteration region). Then, an area observed between the directly altered regions, which is observed such that a number of streak portions having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction as viewed in the drawing are connected at a submicron pitch in the vertical direction as viewed in the drawing, is cleaved / dehised. Surface. Below these directly altered regions and cleavage / cleavage surfaces are the divided surfaces formed by the division.

  Since the region where the cleavage / cleavage surface is formed is not a region irradiated with laser light, only the directly altered region formed discretely becomes a processing mark in the processing according to the first processing pattern. ing. And the size in the to-be-processed surface of a direct alteration region is only about several hundred nm-1 micrometer. That is, by performing the processing with the first processing pattern, it is possible to realize the formation of the division starting point in which the formation of the processing marks is suitably suppressed as compared with the conventional case.

  In addition, what is actually observed as a streak portion in the SEM image is a minute unevenness having a height difference of about 0.1 μm to 1 μm formed on the cleavage / dehiscence surface. Such unevenness is caused by a strong impact or stress acting on the work piece by irradiation of unit pulse light when cleaving / cleaving a hard brittle inorganic compound such as sapphire. It is formed by sliding.

  Although such fine irregularities exist, from FIG. 3 it is judged that the surface and the cross section are almost orthogonal with respect to the wavy line as a boundary, so that the fine irregularities are allowed as a processing error. It can be said that the workpiece can be divided substantially perpendicularly to the surface thereof by forming the dividing starting point by the first processing pattern and dividing the workpiece along the dividing starting point.

  As will be described later, it may be preferable to positively form such fine irregularities. For example, the effect of improving the light extraction efficiency that is remarkably obtained by the processing by the second processing pattern described below may be exhibited to some extent by the processing by the first processing pattern.

<Second processing pattern>
The second processing pattern is an aspect of cleavage / dehiscence processing when any of the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, and the a3 axis direction is perpendicular to the processing planned line. In addition, the conditions of the laser beam used in a 2nd process pattern are the same as that of a 1st process pattern. More generally speaking, machining in the case where the direction equivalent to two different cleavage / cleavage directions (the direction of the symmetry axis of the two cleavage / cleavage easy directions) is the direction of the planned machining line. It is an aspect.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a processing mode by the second processing pattern. FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the a1 axis direction and the planned machining line L are orthogonal to each other. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an azimuth relationship between the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, the a3 axis direction, and the planned machining line L in such a case. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the unit pulse light of the first pulse of the laser light is irradiated to the irradiated region RE11 at the end of the processing line L.

  Also in the case of the second processing pattern, the weak intensity portion is formed by irradiating the unit pulse light of the ultrashort pulse, similarly to the first processing pattern. In FIG. 4B, among the weak strength portions formed in each of the above cleavage / cleavage easy directions, the weak strength portions W11a and W12a in the −a2 direction and the + a3 direction close to the extending direction of the processing line L are shown. This is schematically indicated by a broken arrow.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), are irradiated laser light second unit pulsed beam of the irradiated region at a position from the irradiated region RE 11 separated by a predetermined distance on the planned processing line L RE When 12 is formed, similarly to the first pulse, a weak intensity portion along the easy cleavage / dehiscence direction is also formed in the second pulse. For example, the -a3 direction is formed low strength portion W11b, + a2 direction low strength portion W12b is formed in, + a3 in the direction is formed low strength portion W1 2 c, the -a2 direction low strength portion W1 so that 1 c is formed.

  Also in this case, as in the case of the first processing pattern, the weak intensity portions W11a and W12a formed by the irradiation of the first unit pulse light are present in the extending direction of the weak intensity portions W11b and W12b, respectively. Actually, when the unit pulse light of the second pulse is irradiated, the impact or stress generated at that time propagates to the easy-cleavage / cleavage direction and the weak intensity portion existing ahead. That is, as shown in FIG. 4D, cleavage / cleavage surfaces C11a and C11b are formed. Also in this case, the cleavage / cleavage surfaces C11a and C11b can be formed to a depth of about several μm to several tens of μm in the direction perpendicular to the drawing of the workpiece.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4E, when the laser beam is scanned along the planned processing line L and the irradiated regions RE11, RE12, RE13, RE14,. The cleaved / cleavage surfaces C11a and C11b, C12a and C12b, C13a and C13b, C14a and C14b. It will be formed.

  As a result, a state in which the cleavage / cleavage plane is positioned symmetrically with respect to the planned processing line L is realized. In the second machining pattern, the plurality of irradiated areas discretely present along the planned machining line L and the cleavage / cleavage surfaces present in a zigzag form as a whole are intended to process the workpiece. It becomes a division starting point when dividing along L.

  FIG. 5 is an optical microscope image of the surface of the workpiece on which the division starting points are formed by the cleavage / cleavage processing in the second processing pattern. Specifically, the sapphire C-plane substrate is a workpiece, and the irradiated spots are discretely spaced at intervals of 7 μm on the C-plane with the direction orthogonal to the a1 axis direction as the extending direction of the processing line L. The result of processing to be formed is shown. From FIG. 5, even in an actual workpiece, a zigzag (zigzag) cleavage / cleavage surface is observed in the same manner as that schematically shown in FIG. 4 (e). Such a result suggests that the actual workpiece is processed by the mechanism described above.

  FIG. 6 is an SEM image from the surface (C-plane) to the cross-section after dividing the sapphire C-plane substrate on which the division starting points are formed by the processing according to the second processing pattern along the division starting points. In FIG. 6, the boundary between the surface and the cross section is indicated by a broken line.

  From FIG. 6, in the range of about 10 μm from the surface of the cross section of the workpiece after division, the cross section of the workpiece has irregularities corresponding to the staggered arrangement schematically shown in FIG. It is confirmed that it has. It is the cleavage / cleavage surface that forms such irregularities. In addition, the uneven | corrugated pitch in FIG. 6 is about 5 micrometers. As in the case of the processing by the first processing pattern, the cleavage / cleavage surface is not flat, and unevenness of a submicron pitch is generated due to slippage on a specific crystal plane due to irradiation of unit pulse light. Yes.

  Further, it is the cross section of the directly altered region that extends from the surface portion in the depth direction corresponding to the position of the convex and concave portions. Compared to the directly altered region formed by the processing by the first processing pattern shown in FIG. 3, the shape is non-uniform. Further, below the direct alteration region and the cleavage / cleavage surface is a divided surface formed by the division.

  The second machining pattern is the same as the first machining pattern in that only the directly altered region formed discretely is a machining trace. And the size in the to-be-processed surface of a direct alteration area | region is only about several hundred nm-2 micrometers. That is, even when processing with the second processing pattern is performed, formation of the division starting point in which the formation of the processing trace is more suitable than the conventional one is realized.

In the case of processing by the second processing pattern, in addition to the submicron pitch unevenness formed on the cleavage / cleavage surface, the adjacent cleavage / cleavage surfaces form unevenness with a pitch of about several μm. In a mode of forming a cross-section having such a concavo-convex shape, a work piece in which a light emitting element structure such as an LED structure is formed on a substrate made of a hard and brittle and optically transparent material such as sapphire is divided into chips (divided). This is effective when dividing into units. In the case of a light-emitting element, if the light generated inside the light-emitting element is absorbed at the location of the processing mark formed on the substrate by laser processing, the light extraction efficiency from the element will be reduced, When the unevenness as shown in FIG. 6 is intentionally formed on the processed cross section of the substrate by performing the processing with the second processing pattern, the total reflectance at the position is lowered and higher in the light emitting element. Light extraction efficiency will be realized.

<Third processing pattern>
In the third processing pattern, a point using an ultra-short pulse laser beam, a1 axis direction, a2 axis direction, or a3 axis direction is perpendicular to the planned processing line (in two different cleavage / cleavage easy directions). On the other hand, in the point that the equivalent direction is the direction of the planned processing line), the laser beam irradiation mode is different from that of the second processing pattern.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a processing mode by the third processing pattern. FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the a1 axis direction and the planned machining line L are orthogonal to each other. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an azimuth relationship between the a1 axis direction, the a2 axis direction, the a3 axis direction, and the planned processing line L in such a case.

  In the second machining pattern described above, the laser beam is exactly in the middle of the a2 axis direction and the a3 axis direction, which are the extending directions of the planned machining line L, under the same orientation relationship as that shown in FIG. Along the direction (equivalent to the a2 axis direction and the a3 axis direction). In the third machining pattern, instead of this, as shown in FIG. 7B, the individual irradiated regions are staggered in an aspect along the two easy cleavage / cleavage directions sandwiching the machining line L. The unit pulse light for forming each irradiated region is irradiated so as to be formed in a zigzag manner. In the case of FIG. 7, irradiated regions RE21, RE22, RE23, RE24, RE25... Are formed along the −a2 direction and the + a3 direction alternately.

  Even when the unit pulse light is irradiated in such a manner, a cleavage / cleavage surface is formed between the irradiated regions as each unit pulse light is irradiated, as in the first and second processing patterns. The In the case shown in FIG. 7 (b), the irradiated regions RE21, RE22, RE23, RE24, RE25,... Are formed in this order, so that the cleavage / cleavage surfaces C21, C22, C23, C24,. -Are formed sequentially.

  As a result, in the third processing pattern, a plurality of irradiated areas discretely present in a staggered arrangement with the planned processing line L as an axis, and a cleavage / crack formed between each irradiated area The open surface as a whole becomes a division starting point when the workpiece is divided along the planned machining line L.

  Then, when the division is actually performed along the division starting point, in the range of about 10 μm from the surface of the cross section of the workpiece after the division, the cleavage / dehissing surface is used as in the second machining pattern. Unevenness with a pitch of several μm is formed. In addition, as in the case of the first and second processing patterns, each cleaved / cleavage surface has a submicron pitch due to the occurrence of slippage on a specific crystal plane due to irradiation of unit pulse light. Unevenness occurs. In addition, the directly altered region is formed in the same manner as the second processing pattern. That is, in the third processing pattern, the formation of the processing trace is suppressed to the same extent as the second processing pattern.

  Therefore, in the case of processing by such a third processing pattern, in addition to the submicron pitch irregularities formed on the cleavage / cleavage surfaces, in the same way as the processing by the second pattern, several μm by the cleavage / cleavage surfaces. Since unevenness of a certain pitch is formed, even when the processing by the third processing pattern is performed on the light emitting element, the obtained light emitting element is from the viewpoint of improving the light extraction efficiency as described above. It becomes more suitable.

  Note that, depending on the type of workpiece, in order to cause cleavage / dehiscence more reliably, both of the irradiated region RE21 and irradiated region RE22 in FIG. The midpoint, the midpoint of the irradiated region RE22 and the irradiated region RE23, the midpoint of the irradiated region RE23 and the irradiated region RE24, the midpoint of the irradiated region RE24 and the irradiated region RE25,. A region may be formed.

  By the way, the arrangement position of the irradiated region in the third processing pattern is partially along the easy cleavage / cleavage direction. The same applies to the case where the irradiated region is also formed at the midpoint position on the planned processing line L as described above. That is, it can also be said that the third processing pattern is common to the first processing pattern in that at least two irradiated areas are formed adjacent to each other in the cleavage / cleavage easy direction of the workpiece. Accordingly, from a different perspective, the third processing pattern can be regarded as a processing performed by the first processing pattern while periodically changing the laser beam scanning direction.

  In the case of the first and second processing patterns, since the irradiated region is positioned on a straight line, the laser light emission source is moved along the planned processing line to reach a predetermined formation target position. What is necessary is just to form a to-be-irradiated area | region by irradiating unit pulse light every time, and the formation aspect which concerns is the most efficient. However, in the case of the third processing pattern, the irradiated area is formed not in a straight line but in a zigzag pattern (in a zigzag pattern), so that not only a method of actually moving the laser beam emission source in a zigzag pattern (in a zigzag pattern). The irradiated region can be formed by various methods. In the present embodiment, the movement of the emission source means a relative movement between the workpiece and the emission source, and not only when the workpiece is fixed and the emission source moves, but also the emission source. Is fixed and the workpiece moves (actually, the stage on which the workpiece is placed moves).

  For example, as described above, by periodically moving the emission direction of the laser beam in a plane perpendicular to the planned processing line while relatively moving the output source and the stage at a constant speed parallel to the planned processing line. It is also possible to form the irradiated region in a manner that satisfies a staggered arrangement relationship.

  Alternatively, the above-described staggered arrangement relationship is achieved by periodically changing the irradiation timing of the unit pulse light from each emission source while relatively moving the plurality of emission sources at a constant speed in parallel. It is also possible to form an irradiated region with

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the planned processing line and the planned formation position of the irradiated region in these two cases. In any case, as shown in FIG. 8, the formation planned positions P21, P22, P23, P24, P25... Of the irradiated regions RE21, RE22, RE23, RE24, RE25. .. Are alternately set on the parallel straight lines Lα and Lβ, and the formation of irradiated regions at the planned formation positions P21, P23, P25... Along the straight line Lα and the planned formation positions P22 and P24 along the straight line Lβ. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

  When the emission source is moved in a zigzag manner (zigzag), the laser beam is relatively scanned by moving the stage on which the workpiece is placed, even if the emission source of the laser beam is directly moved. In any case, the movement of the emission source or stage is a two-axis simultaneous operation. On the other hand, the operation of moving only the emission source or the stage in parallel with the planned processing line is a uniaxial operation. Therefore, it can be said that the latter is more suitable for realizing high-speed movement of the emission source, that is, improvement of processing efficiency.

  As shown in each of the above processing patterns, the cleavage / cleavage processing performed in the present embodiment causes discrete irradiation of unit pulse light to cause continuous cleavage / cleavage mainly in the workpiece. This is a processing mode used as a means for imparting impact and stress. Deterioration (that is, formation of machining traces) and scattering of the workpiece in the irradiated area are only locally generated as incidental. The cleavage / cleavage processing of the present embodiment having such characteristics performs processing by causing alteration / melting / evaporation removal continuously or intermittently while overlapping irradiation regions of unit pulse light. The mechanism is essentially different from the conventional processing method.

  Further, since it is sufficient that a strong impact or stress is instantaneously applied to each irradiated region, it is possible to irradiate while scanning with laser light at a high speed. Specifically, extremely high-speed scanning, that is, high-speed machining at a maximum of 1000 mm / sec can be realized. Considering that the processing speed in the conventional processing method is about 200 mm / sec at most, the difference is remarkable. Naturally, it can be said that the processing method realized in the present embodiment improves the productivity at each stage as compared with the conventional processing method.

  In the cleavage / cleavage processing in the present embodiment, the crystal orientation of the workpiece (the orientation in the cleavage / easy cleavage direction) and the planned processing line are in a predetermined relationship as in each of the above-described processing patterns. However, the object of application is not limited to these. In principle, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the two are in an arbitrary relationship and the workpiece is a polycrystalline body. In these cases, the direction in which cleavage / cleavage occurs with respect to the planned processing line is not always constant, and irregular irregularities may occur at the division starting point. However, the laser light including the interval between the irradiated areas and the pulse width may be used. By appropriately setting the irradiation conditions, it is possible to perform processing without any practical problems in which the unevenness remains within the allowable range of processing errors.

<Processing of substrates with different materials>
Next, the case where the above-mentioned cleavage / dehissing process is applied to the formation of the division starting point for the substrate with different materials will be described. Specifically, a description will be given of a case where a division starting point is to be formed from the metal thin film layer or semiconductor layer side on a substrate with a different material.

  In such a case, even if the cleavage / cleavage processing is attempted from the surface side of the dissimilar material layer using the first to third processing patterns described above, the problem of the material of the dissimilar material layer itself or the aspect of crossing the interface of different materials Therefore, it is difficult to suitably form a cleavage / cleavage surface that reaches the base substrate that occupies most of the thickness of the substrate with different materials.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the dissimilar material existing at the planned division position is removed in advance, and then the above-mentioned cleavage / cleavage processing is performed only on the base substrate, so that the substrate with the dissimilar material is applied. A division starting point is formed. That is, in the present embodiment, the formation of the division start point for the substrate with different materials is roughly performed by removing the different material layer existing on the base substrate and exposing the base substrate, and by performing preliminary processing. And the main processing for forming the division starting point by the above-mentioned cleavage / cleavage processing. The processing mode composed of preliminary processing and main processing performed in the present embodiment is referred to as two-step processing.

  First, basic processing modes of preliminary processing and main processing will be described. FIG. 9 is a side sectional view schematically showing a processing state when the workpiece 10 is a substrate with a different material formed by forming the metal thin film layer 102 on the base substrate 101. FIG. 10 is a side sectional view schematically showing a state of processing when the workpiece 10 is a substrate with a different material formed by forming the semiconductor layer 103 on the base substrate 101. 9 and 10, a planned processing line L is set on the surface of the workpiece 10 (specifically, the surface 102a of the metal thin film layer 102 or the surface 103a of the semiconductor layer 103) in a direction perpendicular to the drawing. Suppose that

  In any case, first, the workpiece 10 is irradiated with the preliminary processing laser beam LBa from the predetermined emission source Ea, and the processing target line L is scanned with the preliminary processing laser beam LBa (FIG. 9A). FIG. 10 (a)). As a result, the portion of the metal thin film layer 102 or the semiconductor layer 103 in the vicinity of the planned processing line L is gradually removed along the planned processing line L, and the first groove portion 102g having the upper surface 101s of the base substrate 101 as the bottom portion or 103 g is gradually formed (FIGS. 9B and 10B). That is, the upper surface 101s of the base substrate 101 is exposed. This is preliminary processing.

  At the time of such preliminary processing, the preliminary processing laser beam LBa is applied to the processing surface under such a condition that the beam spots of the individual unit pulse lights overlap each other (overlap). The number N of times that the same position is irradiated with the laser beam is N = when the beam spot diameter of the laser beam is φ (μm), the scanning speed is V (mm / sec), and the repetition frequency is R (kHz). Estimated by φ × R / V. Irradiation with the laser beam LBa for preliminary processing is performed under an irradiation condition in which the value of the number of times N obtained by such a formula is at least 2. More preferably, the irradiation conditions are such that N> 10. In particular, the repetition frequency R is preferably set high.

  On the other hand, the preliminary processing laser beam LBa may be irradiated with energy sufficient to remove the metal thin film layer 102 or the semiconductor layer 103 partially. Irradiation with energy more than necessary is not preferable because the upper surface 101s of the base substrate 101 is damaged, and the cleavage / dehissing process performed as the main process following the preliminary process cannot be performed satisfactorily.

  The width of the first groove 102g or 103g is sufficient to pass through the first groove 102g or 103g without being blocked by the main processing laser beam LBb irradiated in the main processing subsequent to the preliminary processing. Any degree is acceptable. The specific value depends on the condensing NA value of the laser light irradiated to the base substrate 101 and the thickness of the first groove 102g or 103g (that is, the thickness of the metal thin film layer 102 or the semiconductor layer 103). In the case of a workpiece in which a semiconductor layer 103 made of group III nitride is provided on a base substrate 101 made of sapphire, the thickness is preferably about 10 μm, and at most about 25 μm.

As long as these conditions are satisfied, as the preliminary processing laser beam LBa, various conventionally known laser types such as a UV laser, a semiconductor laser, and a CO ₂ laser can be used. In the case where a laser beam having a pulse width of the order of psec, which is used when performing the above-described cleavage / cleavage processing, is used as the preliminary processing laser beam LBa, the preliminary processing laser beam LBa is shown in FIG. (A) As shown in FIG. 10 (a), it is preferable to irradiate under irradiation conditions such that the focal position is located above the surface of the workpiece 10. By doing in this way, even if the pulse width, repetition frequency, irradiation energy (pulse energy), etc. of the preliminary processing laser beam LBa are the same as those of the main processing laser beam LBb, preliminary processing can be suitably performed.

  Then, the main processing laser beam LBb emitted from a predetermined emission source Eb is applied to the upper surface 101s of the base substrate 101 exposed in a line along the planned processing line L by preliminary processing along the extending direction of the upper surface 101s. By performing irradiation while scanning (FIGS. 9C and 10C), the base substrate 101 is subjected to cleavage / dehissing along the planned processing line L. As a result, a second groove 101g having a cleavage / cleavage surface 101w is formed in the base substrate 101 along the planned processing line L (FIGS. 9D and 10D). This is the main processing.

  Since this processing is processing that causes cleavage / cleavage along the planned processing line L with respect to the base substrate 101, the main processing laser beam LBb may be any one of the first to third processing patterns described above. What is necessary is just to irradiate on the conditions implement | achieved.

  The second groove portion 101g (more specifically, the tip portion) obtained as a result of the main processing becomes a division starting point of the workpiece 10 that is a substrate with a different material. In this processing, cleavage / cleavage processing is performed only on the base substrate 101 having hard and brittleness, and therefore, cleavage / cleavage can be suitably generated at the position of the planned dividing line. As a result, the second groove portion 101g is formed in the base substrate 101 so that the tip end portion is sufficiently deep. That is, a good division starting point is formed on the workpiece 10 which is a substrate with a different material.

<Overview of laser processing equipment>
Next, a laser processing apparatus capable of realizing the above-described two-stage processing will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a basic configuration of the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment. The laser processing device 50 includes a laser beam irradiation unit 50A, an observation unit 50B, a transparent member such as quartz, a stage 7 on which the workpiece 10 is placed, and various laser processing devices 50. The controller 1 mainly controls operations (observation operation, alignment operation, processing operation, etc.).

  The laser beam irradiation unit 50 </ b> A includes a laser light source SL that emits laser light and an optical system 5 that sets an optical path when the laser beam is irradiated to the workpiece 10, and the workpiece placed on the stage 7. The object 10 is irradiated with laser light. In FIG. 11, only one laser light source SL is shown for simplicity of illustration, but the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment includes two laser light sources SL (first laser light source SL1, second laser light source SL1, A laser light source SL2) may be provided, and the optical system 5 may also have a configuration corresponding to this. Details of the configuration of the optical system 5 including the laser light source SL will be described later.

  The observation unit 50B includes surface observation for directly observing the workpiece 10 from a side irradiated with laser light (referred to as a surface or a workpiece surface), and a side placed on the stage 7 (referred to as a back surface). Alternatively, it is a part that performs backside observation that is observed through the stage 7.

  The stage 7 is movable in the horizontal direction between the laser beam irradiation unit 50A and the observation unit 50B by the moving mechanism 7m. The moving mechanism 7m moves the stage 7 in a predetermined XY 2-axis direction within a horizontal plane by the action of a driving unit (not shown). Thereby, the movement of the laser beam irradiation position in the laser beam irradiation unit 50A, the movement of the observation position in the observation unit 50B, the movement of the stage 7 between the laser beam irradiation unit 50A and the observation unit 50B, and the like are realized. It becomes. As for the moving mechanism 7m, a rotation (θ rotation) operation in a horizontal plane around a predetermined rotation axis can be performed independently of horizontal driving.

  In the laser processing apparatus 50, the front surface observation and the back surface observation can be switched appropriately. Thereby, the optimal observation according to the material and state of the workpiece 10 can be performed flexibly and promptly.

  The stage 7 is formed of a transparent member such as quartz, and a suction pipe (not shown) serving as an intake passage for adsorbing and fixing the workpiece 10 is provided therein. The suction pipe is provided, for example, by drilling a predetermined position of the stage 7 by machining.

  With the workpiece 10 placed on the stage 7, suction is performed on the suction pipe by the suction means 11 such as a suction pump, for example, and the suction provided at the stage 7 mounting surface side tip of the suction pipe. The workpiece 10 (and the fixing sheet 4) is fixed to the stage 7 by applying a negative pressure to the holes. FIG. 11 illustrates the case where the workpiece 10 to be processed is attached to the fixed sheet 4. Preferably, the fixed sheet 4 is fixed to the outer edge of the fixed sheet 4. A fixing ring (not shown) is provided.

<Illumination system and observation system>
The observation unit 50B irradiates the workpiece 10 placed on the stage 7 with the epi-illumination light L1 from the epi-illumination light source S1 from above the stage 7 and the oblique light-transmitting illumination light L2 from the oblique illumination light source S2. The surface observation by the surface observation means 6 from above the stage 7 and the back surface observation by the back surface observation means 16 from below the stage 7 can be performed.

  Specifically, the epi-illumination light L1 emitted from the epi-illumination light source S1 is reflected by the half mirror 9 provided in a lens barrel (not shown) and is irradiated onto the workpiece 10. . The observation unit 50B includes surface observation means 6 including a CCD camera 6a provided above the half mirror 9 (above the lens barrel) and a monitor 6b connected to the CCD camera 6a. The bright field image of the workpiece 10 can be observed in real time with the light L1 irradiated.

  In the observation unit 50B, a CCD camera 16a provided below the stage 7, more preferably below a half mirror 19 described later (below the lens barrel), and a monitor 16b connected to the CCD camera 16a, The back surface observation means 16 containing is provided. The monitor 16b and the monitor 6b provided in the surface observation means 6 may be common.

  Further, the coaxial illumination light L3 emitted from the coaxial illumination light source S3 provided below the stage 7 is reflected by the half mirror 19 provided in a lens barrel (not shown) and collected by the condenser lens 18. In addition, the workpiece 10 may be irradiated via the stage 7. More preferably, an oblique illumination light source S4 may be provided below the stage 7 so that the oblique illumination light L4 can be applied to the workpiece 10 via the stage 7. These coaxial illumination light source S3 and oblique illumination light source S4 are, for example, when there is an opaque metal layer on the surface side of the workpiece 10 and it is difficult to observe from the surface side due to reflection from the metal layer. It can be suitably used when observing the workpiece 10 from the back side.

<Controller>
The controller 1 controls the operation of each unit described above to realize the processing of the workpiece 10, the program 3 p for controlling the operation of the laser processing apparatus 50, and various types referred to during processing. And a storage unit 3 for storing data.

  The control unit 2 is realized by a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a microcomputer, for example, and various components can be obtained by reading and executing the program 3p stored in the storage unit 3 into the computer. Is realized as a functional component of the control unit 2.

  Specifically, the control unit 2 includes a drive control unit 21 that controls operations of various driving parts related to processing such as driving of the stage 7 by the moving mechanism 7m and focusing operation of the condenser lens 18, CCD, The imaging control unit 22 that controls imaging by the cameras 6a and 16a, the irradiation control unit 23 that controls the irradiation of the laser light LB from the laser light source SL and the setting of the optical path in the optical system 5, and the stage 7 by the suction means 11 A suction control unit 24 for controlling the suction fixing operation of the workpiece 10 and a processing for executing a processing to the processing target position in accordance with the given processing position data D1 (described later) and processing mode setting data D2 (described later). The unit 25 is mainly provided.

  The storage unit 3 is realized by a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk. The storage unit 3 may be implemented by a computer component that implements the control unit 2, or may be provided separately from the computer, such as a hard disk.

  In the storage unit 3, machining position data D1 describing the position of the planned machining line set for the workpiece 10 is given from the outside and stored. The storage unit 3 describes conditions for individual parameters of the laser beam, optical path setting conditions in the optical system 5, driving conditions for the stage 7 (or their settable ranges), and the like for each processing mode. Processing mode setting data D2 is stored in advance.

  Various input instructions given by the operator to the laser processing apparatus 50 are preferably performed using a GUI realized in the controller 1. For example, a processing menu is provided on the GUI by the operation of the processing unit 25. Based on the processing menu, the operator selects a processing mode, which will be described later, and inputs processing conditions.

  In the laser processing apparatus 50 having the above-described configuration, the irradiation of the laser light LB emitted from the laser light source SL and the optical system 5 is combined with the movement of the stage 7 on which the workpiece 10 is placed and fixed. Thus, the workpiece 10 can be processed while the laser beam LB having passed through the optical system 5 is scanned relative to the workpiece 10. In principle, all of the first to third processing patterns described above can be realized.

<Alignment operation>
In the laser processing apparatus 50, prior to the processing, the observation unit 50B can perform an alignment operation for finely adjusting the arrangement position of the workpiece 10. The alignment operation is a process performed to make the XY coordinate axes defined on the workpiece 10 coincide with the coordinate axes of the stage 7. Such alignment processing is performed when the processing with the above-described processing pattern is performed so that the crystal orientation of the workpiece, the planned processing line, and the scanning direction of the laser light satisfy a predetermined relationship required in each processing pattern. Is important.

  The alignment operation can be performed by applying a known technique, and may be performed in an appropriate manner according to the processing pattern. For example, in the case where a repeated pattern is formed on the surface of the workpiece 10 such as when a large number of device chips manufactured using one mother substrate are cut out, a method such as pattern matching is used. Thus, an appropriate alignment operation is realized. In this case, roughly speaking, the CCD camera 6a or 16a acquires captured images of a plurality of alignment marks formed on the workpiece 10, and based on the relative relationship between the captured positions of these captured images. The processing unit 25 specifies the alignment amount, and the drive control unit 21 moves the stage 7 by the moving mechanism 7m according to the alignment amount, thereby realizing alignment.

  By performing such an alignment operation, the machining position in the machining process is accurately specified. Note that after the alignment operation is completed, the stage 7 on which the workpiece 10 is placed moves to the laser beam irradiation unit 50A, and subsequently a processing process is performed by irradiating the laser beam LB. The movement of the stage 7 from the observation unit 50B to the laser beam irradiation unit 50A is guaranteed so that the planned processing position assumed during the alignment operation does not deviate from the actual processing position.

<Specific configuration of optical system and operation mode of laser processing apparatus>
Next, a specific configuration (mainly the configuration of the optical system 5 including the laser light source SL) included in the laser processing apparatus 50 in order to realize two-stage processing on the workpiece 10 that is a substrate with different materials, An operation mode of the laser processing apparatus 50 based on the configuration will be described. As the specific configuration of the optical system 5 for realizing the two-stage processing, there are mainly two types, and the operation modes for realizing the two-stage processing are different. Hereinafter, the details of each aspect will be described sequentially.

(First aspect)
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of the optical system 5 included in the laser processing apparatus 50 used for the two-stage processing in the first aspect, including the laser light source SL. In FIG. 12, it is assumed that the left-right direction in the drawing is the moving direction of the stage 7 during machining with respect to one planned machining line.

  The laser processing apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment uses a laser light source SL that emits laser light having a pulse width of the order of psec (also referred to as a psec laser light source). More specifically, a laser beam having a wavelength of 500 nm to 1600 nm and a pulse width of about 1 psec to 50 psec is used. The repetition frequency R of the second laser beam LB2 is preferably about 10 kHz to 200 kHz, and the laser beam irradiation energy (pulse energy) is preferably about 0.1 μJ to 50 μJ.

  Further, the optical system 5 of the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the first aspect includes a beam expander 51 and an objective lens system 52 in the middle of the optical path OP from the laser light source SL to the stage 7. Further, the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the first aspect includes an objective lens lifting mechanism 53 that allows the objective lens system 52 to be lifted and lowered by a driving mechanism (not shown) that operates based on the control of the drive control unit 21.

  Further, the optical system 5 may be provided with an appropriate number of mirrors 5a at appropriate positions for the purpose of changing the direction of the optical path of the laser beam LB. FIG. 12 illustrates a case where two mirrors 5a are provided.

  In addition, in the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, including the second aspect described later, the polarization state of the laser light LB emitted from the laser light source SL may be circularly polarized light or linearly polarized light. Good. However, in the case of linearly polarized light, for example, the angle between the two is within ± 1 ° so that the polarization direction is substantially parallel to the scanning direction from the viewpoint of the bending of the processed cross section in the crystalline work material and the energy absorption rate. It is preferable that it is made to exist.

  Further, when the emitted light is linearly polarized light, the optical system 5 preferably includes an attenuator 5b. The attenuator 5b is disposed at an appropriate position on the optical path of the laser beam LB, and plays a role of adjusting the intensity of the emitted laser beam LB.

  In the first aspect, among the objective lens system 52 provided on the optical path OP, the objective lens 52e disposed closest to the stage 7 is positioned above the movement range of the stage 7 in the horizontal direction in the drawing. It is arranged. Thereby, the objective lens 52e becomes a direct emission source of the laser beam LB.

  In performing the two-stage machining on one planned machining line, first, the workpiece 10 is placed on the stage 7 in such a manner that the planned machining line matches the moving direction of the stage 7. From this state, the stage 7 on which the workpiece 10 is placed is moved in one direction (this is referred to as “forward movement”), and the laser beam LBa for preliminary processing is applied from the laser light source SL to one processing target line. Preliminary processing is performed by irradiating the laser beam LB under irradiation conditions, and the base substrate 101 is exposed. Thereafter, the stage 7 is moved in the opposite direction (this is called reverse movement), and the irradiation conditions of the laser beam LBb for main processing from the laser light source SL to the exposed portion of the base substrate 101 along the planned processing line. The main processing is performed by irradiating with laser beam LB. That is, in the first mode, the laser beam Lba for preliminary processing and the laser beam LBb for main processing irradiated to the workpiece 10 are synchronized with the movement of the stage 7 from one laser light source SL. It is emitted alternately.

  More specifically, adjustment of the arrangement position of the objective lens system 52 by the action of the objective lens lifting mechanism 53 is also performed in synchronization with the movement of the stage 7. At the time of preliminary processing, the focal point of the laser beam LB to be the preliminary processing laser beam LBa is set at a position above the workpiece 10. On the other hand, during the main processing, the objective lens lifting mechanism 53 is adjusted so that the focal point of the laser light to be the main processing laser beam LBb matches the surface of the workpiece 10 (more specifically, the upper surface of the base substrate 101). The arrangement position of the objective lens system 52 is adjusted by the action.

When two-stage machining is performed on a plurality of machining lines that are parallel to each other, when the machining for one machining line is completed, the above-described procedure may be repeated for the next machining line.

  Note that it is not an essential aspect that the main processing is performed by the backward movement, and both the preliminary processing and the main processing may be performed only by the forward movement.

(Second aspect)
In the second aspect, two-stage processing is realized by a configuration different from the first aspect. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the optical system 5 included in the laser processing apparatus 50 used for the two-stage processing in the second mode, including the laser light source SL.

While the laser processing apparatus 50 according to the second aspect shown in FIG. 13 includes two laser light sources SL (first laser light source SL1 and second laser light source SL2) and two beam expanders 51 (511 and 512). Only one objective lens system 52 is provided. The first optical path OP1 starting from the first laser light source SL1 and the second optical path OP2 starting from the second laser light source SL2 are switched by the optical path switching mechanism 54, and only one of them is switched. However, the optical path OP and the optical path OP leading to the stage 7 form one optical path. The optical path switching mechanism 54 is realized by a known switching mirror mechanism or the like, and operates based on the control of the irradiation control unit 23. The arrangement relationship between the objective lens system 52 and the stage 7 in the second mode is the same as that in the first mode.

  When performing the two-stage processing in the second mode, the irradiation condition of the preliminary processing laser beam LBa is set for the first laser light source SL1, and the main processing laser beam LBb is set for the second laser light source SL2. Set the irradiation conditions. When the stage 7 moves in the forward direction, the first laser beam LB1 passing through the first optical path OP1 passes through the optical path OP. When the stage 7 moves in the reverse direction, the second laser passes through the second optical path OP2. The optical path switching mechanism 54 is operated so that the light LB2 passes through the optical path OP. That is, the optical path switching by the optical path switching mechanism 54 is performed in synchronization with the movement of the stage 7.

  Then, during the forward movement, the first laser beam LB1 as the preliminary processing laser beam LBa is irradiated to the position of the processing target line of the workpiece 10, so that the base substrate 101 is exposed at the position of the processing target line. The preliminary processing is realized. In the subsequent movement in the reverse direction, the second laser beam LB2 as the main processing laser beam LBb is irradiated to the exposed portion of the base substrate 101 formed by the preliminary processing. The main processing that produces the above is realized. That is, two-stage processing by bidirectional scanning is realized.

When two-stage machining is performed on a plurality of machining lines that are parallel to each other, when the machining for one machining line is completed, the above-described procedure may be repeated for the next machining line.

<How to proceed with each processing pattern>
Up to this point, the difference in the operation mode due to the difference in the configuration of the optical system has been described. However, when performing the two-step processing on the workpiece 10 that is actually a substrate with different materials, Alignment or the like needs to be appropriately performed according to a processing pattern (any one of the first to third processing patterns described above) employed for the cleavage / dehissing processing in the main processing. Or it is necessary to adjust the conditions of preliminary processing etc. according to the processing pattern of this processing. Hereinafter, this point will be described.

  First, when the main processing is performed with the first processing pattern, the planned processing line is set parallel to the direction of easy cleavage / cleavage of the base substrate 101. Then, after aligning the workpiece 10 so that the cleavage / cleavage easy direction coincides with the moving direction of the stage 7, two-stage machining may be performed on each planned machining line.

  When this processing is performed with the second processing pattern, the planned processing line is set perpendicular to the direction of easy cleavage / cleavage of the base substrate 101. Then, after aligning the workpiece 10 so that the cleavage / cleavage easy direction and the moving direction of the stage 7 are orthogonal to each other, two-stage machining may be performed on each planned machining line.

  When this processing is performed with the third processing pattern, a plurality of physical or virtual multiples are provided along the straight lines Lα, Lβ parallel to the planned processing line L or further along the planned processing line L itself as shown in FIG. The laser beam LB (laser beam LBb for main processing) may be scanned. In addition, actually scanning a plurality of laser beams means actually irradiating the laser beams with one optical path, but irradiating the laser beams with a plurality of optical paths by temporally changing the optical path. This means that the same scanning mode as in the case is realized. In such a case, in the preliminary processing, it is necessary to expose the base substrate 101 in a wider region including the positions of the straight lines Lα and Lβ.

  Alternatively, after the workpiece 10 is aligned so that the planned processing line is in an equivalent position with respect to the two cleavage / cleavage directions of the base substrate 101, the wide exposed portion as described above in the preliminary processing. In this processing, the moving direction of the stage 7 is alternately changed at a predetermined cycle so that scanning with the main processing laser beam LBb is alternately performed in each cleavage / dehiscence direction. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Controller 2 Control part 3 Memory | storage part 4 Fixed sheet 5 Optical system 7 Stage 7m Movement mechanism 10 Workpiece 10a (Workpiece's) mounting surface 50 Laser processing apparatus 50A Laser beam irradiation part 51 Beam expander 52 Objective lens system 52e Objective lens (to be an emission source) 53 Objective lens lifting mechanism 54 Optical path switching mechanism 101 Base substrate 102 Metal thin film layer 103 Semiconductor layers C1 to C3, C11a, C11b, C21 to C24 Cleavage / cleavage surface Ea (Preliminary processing laser beam) Eb (Emission source of Eb) (Laser beam for main processing) L Processing target line LB Laser beam LBa Laser beam for preliminary processing LBb Laser beam for main processing OP Optical path RE, RE1 to RE4, RE11 to RE15, RE21 to RE25 Covered Irradiation area SL Laser light source

Claims (11)

At least one light source that emits laser light;
A stage on which the workpiece is placed;
A laser processing apparatus comprising:
The at least one light source is a single light source capable of selectively emitting the laser beam for preliminary processing and the laser beam for main processing by changing the irradiation condition, so that the laser beam is used for the preliminary processing. It is possible to selectively irradiate a laser beam and the main processing laser beam,
The main processing laser beam is an ultrashort pulse beam having a pulse width of the order of psec,
The stage is movable in a first direction and a second direction;
An objective lens system which is provided on the optical path of the laser light from the single light source to the stage and adjusts the focal position of the laser light;
Further comprising
When the workpiece is a substrate with a different material in which a different material layer is formed on a base substrate,
By irradiating the laser beam for preliminary processing while moving the stage in the first direction with the focal position of the laser beam for preliminary processing set above the surface of the workpiece, Perform preliminary processing to expose the base substrate in the irradiation region ,
Are discretely formed irradiated region of each individual unit pulse light before Symbol present processing laser beam in the exposed portion of the underlying substrate, exposure of the underlying substrate machining mark is directly affected region is the work surface in so that discretely formed in part by irradiating the workpiece with the present processing laser beam while moving the stage in the second direction, the underlying between between the irradiation regions By performing the main processing that causes cleavage or cleavage of the substrate, a starting point for division is formed on the workpiece.
Laser processing equipment characterized by that. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1,
When forming the starting point for the division on the workpiece, at least two irradiation regions formed by different unit pulse lights are formed adjacent to each other in the direction of easy cleavage or cleavage of the workpiece. To
Laser processing equipment characterized by that. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2,
Forming all the irradiated areas along the direction of easy cleavage or cleavage of the workpiece;
Laser processing equipment characterized by that. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
Alternately forming the at least two irradiated regions in two different cleaving or tearing directions of the workpiece;
Laser processing equipment characterized by that. It claims 1 The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4,
When the starting point for the division is formed on the workpiece, the irradiated region is formed in an equivalent direction to two different cleavage or cleavage easy directions of the workpiece;
Laser processing equipment characterized by that. A processing method for forming a division starting point on a workpiece, which is a substrate with a different material on which a different material layer is formed on a base substrate,
A placing step of placing the work piece on a stage movable in a first direction and a second direction;
A preliminary processing step of exposing a base substrate in an irradiated region by irradiating a laser beam for preliminary processing emitted from a predetermined light source while moving the stage in the first direction;
Irradiated areas for each unit pulse light of the laser beam for processing, which is an ultrashort pulse light having a pulse width of the order of psec, emitted from a predetermined light source are discretely formed in the exposed portion of the base substrate. and so that are discretely formed in the exposed portion of the underlying substrate machining mark is directly affected region is the work surface, the said present machining laser beam while moving the stage in the second direction A main processing step of causing the base substrate to cleave or cleave between the irradiated regions by irradiating the workpiece;
With
The preliminary processing laser light and the main processing laser light can be selectively emitted from a single light source by changing irradiation conditions.
By the objective lens system provided on the optical path of the laser light from the single light source to the stage, the focal position of the laser light can be adjusted,
Wherein during the pre-processing steps to set the focus position of the pre-processing laser beam above the surface of the workpiece,
A processing method of a workpiece characterized by the above. It is a processing method of the workpiece of Claim 6, Comprising:
Forming at least two irradiated regions formed by different unit pulse lights so as to be adjacent in the direction of easy cleavage or cleavage of the workpiece;
A processing method of a workpiece characterized by the above. A processing method for a workpiece according to claim 7 ,
Forming all the irradiated areas along the direction of easy cleavage or cleavage of the workpiece;
A processing method of a workpiece characterized by the above. A processing method for a workpiece according to claim 7 ,
Alternately forming the at least two irradiated regions in two different cleaving or tearing directions of the workpiece;
A processing method of a workpiece characterized by the above. A processing method for a workpiece according to any one of claims 6 to 9 ,
Forming the irradiated region in a direction equivalent to two different cleavage or cleavage easy directions of the workpiece;
A processing method of a workpiece characterized by the above. A method of dividing a workpiece,
  Dividing the workpiece on which the division starting point is formed by the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 along the division starting point,
A workpiece dividing method characterized by the above.