JP2011131229A - Laser beam machining method, laser beam machining apparatus, and solar panel manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To move a glass substrate in a state that the attitude of the glass substrate is held in a predetermined state by reducing the effect of the distortion of the glass substrate as far as possible. <P>SOLUTION: Both side ridges along the conveying direction of an air-levitated substrate are held when conveying the substrate to the machining position. One of the sides is fixedly held and the other one of the sides is restrictively held only in the direction vertical to the substrate surface. In other words, the other one of the sides is held so that it is hardly moved only in the vertical direction while the substrate is movable in the two-dimensional direction along its surface. Thus, the effect of the distortion of the substrate can be reduced as far as possible. Air jet, pressure control, ball bearing or the like are used for the method for restricting the movement of the substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser processing method, a laser processing apparatus, and a solar panel manufacturing method for processing a thin film or the like on a substrate using a laser beam, and in particular, a laser processing method and a laser processing in which an improved method for conveying a large substrate is added. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a solar panel manufacturing method.

  Conventionally, in a solar panel manufacturing process, a transparent electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a metal layer are sequentially formed on a translucent substrate (glass substrate), and each layer is processed into a strip shape with laser light in each step after the formation. A solar panel module has been completed. When manufacturing a solar panel module in this manner, scribe lines are formed on a thin film on a glass substrate with laser light at a pitch of about 10 mm, for example. The scribe line has a line width of about 30 μm, and is composed of three lines such that the distance between the lines is about 30 μm. When forming a scribe line with a laser beam, the laser beam is usually irradiated onto a glass substrate that moves at a constant speed. As a result, it was possible to form a scribe line having a stable depth and line width. In such a method for manufacturing a solar panel (photoelectric conversion device), a glass substrate must be securely held in a laser processing apparatus and moved at a constant speed. As methods for moving (conveying) the glass substrate, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known.

JP-A-6-283743 JP 2001-155999 A

  Solar panel glass substrates are characterized by greater distortion and thicker substrates than liquid crystal display glass substrates. For this reason, distortion of the glass substrate often becomes a problem during scribe processing, which greatly affects the linearity of the scribe line and the line and space. Accordingly, the inventors of the present application have considered whether there is an optimum method for holding the substrate from various methods (substrate side edge grip method, substrate four-side restraint method, full surface suction method). The both-side-edge grip method of the substrate has a problem that the substrate posture changes depending on the deviation of the left and right yawing and pitching because both sides of the substrate are clamped and moved. The substrate four-side constraint method has a problem that the influence of the distortion of the glass substrate remains, and further, the substrate is influenced by the bending of the substantially central portion of the glass substrate. The full-surface adsorption method involves placing a glass table on the glass substrate and performing full-surface adsorption. When scribing from the back side, it is over the glass table, so there is a problem that it is easily affected by dust and the like. .

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an in-line solar panel (photoelectric conversion device) manufacturing apparatus previously proposed by the applicant of the present application. This manufacturing apparatus includes a carry-in robot station (roller conveyor unit) 14 that temporarily holds the glass substrate 1a carried from the previous film forming apparatus 12, and a laser processing station that forms scribe lines on the thin film on the glass substrate 1c. 10 and a carry-out robot station (roller conveyor) 16 for temporarily holding the processed glass substrate 1d and carrying it out to the film forming apparatus 18 at the subsequent stage. The carry-in robot station (roller conveyor unit) 14 includes a front / back reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the glass substrate 1b, reverses the glass substrate 1b in accordance with the subsequent laser processing, and conveys it to the laser processing station 10. The laser processing station 10 includes an alignment unit 10a, a gripper unit 10b, a gripper driving unit 10c, and a processing area unit 10d. The alignment unit 10a aligns the glass substrate 1c carried in from the carry-in robot station (roller conveyor unit) 14 at a predetermined position. The gripper unit 10b holds one side of the glass substrate 1c that has been subjected to the alignment process (any one of the sides along the transport direction). The gripper driving unit 10c moves and processes the glass substrate 1c held by the gripper unit 10b in synchronization with the laser light of the processing area unit 10d. The processing area portion 10d performs predetermined processing by irradiating the glass substrate 1c with laser light. The carry-out robot station (roller conveyor unit) 16 includes a front / back reversing mechanism that reverses the front and back of the glass substrate 1c. Then, it is carried out as a glass substrate 1e to the film forming apparatus 18 at the next stage.

As described above, in the in-line solar panel manufacturing apparatus previously proposed, one side of the glass substrate 1c that is air-floated using the gripper portion 10b (only one of the sides along the conveyance direction) is held. Yes. That is, the glass substrate is cantilevered by the gripper portion. However, in this case as well, as described above, due to the influence of the distortion of the glass substrate for the solar panel and the influence of the thick substrate itself, wasted time is spent on the scribe line linearity and line & space during scribe processing. There was a problem that it took.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a laser processing method capable of reducing the influence of the distortion of the glass substrate as much as possible and moving the glass substrate in a state in which the posture is held constant, An object is to provide a laser processing apparatus and a solar panel manufacturing method.

The first feature of the laser processing method according to the present invention is that, when a rectangular substrate is transported to a processing spot by laser light, one side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate is placed on the surface of the substrate. It is fixedly held in each of a perpendicular direction and a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface, and the other side of the side along the substrate transport direction is in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface is held in a restrained manner and is movably held and transported.
Processing with laser light is performed by irradiating the processing surface of the substrate substantially perpendicularly with laser light emitted from a laser generator. Therefore, if the substrate is bent (warped), it is difficult to perform accurate processing, which may cause a problem in the quality of the solar panel module. Therefore, in the present invention, when the substrate is transported to the processing position, the both sides along the transport direction of the substrate that is air levitated are held, the one side is fixedly held, and the other side is It is held only in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. That is, the other side is held so as to be difficult to move only in the vertical direction, but the substrate is held so as to be movable in a two-dimensional direction along the surface. Thereby, the influence of the distortion of the substrate can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, since the other side of the substrate can move in a two-dimensional direction along the surface, errors due to substrate pitching, yawing, positioning, etc. can be allowed, and productivity can be improved. .

  A second feature of the laser processing method according to the present invention is the laser processing method according to the first feature, wherein the other side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate is in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The substrate is restrained and held by blowing an air jet against the substrate. In this method, an air jet is used as a method for restraining the movement in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.

  A third feature of the laser processing method according to the present invention is the laser processing method according to the first feature, wherein the other side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate is in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The substrate is held in a restraint manner by applying a smaller pressing force to the substrate surface in a direction perpendicular to the case where the substrate is fixedly held. In this method, the applied pressure is controlled as a method of restraining the movement in the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.

  A fourth feature of the laser processing method according to the present invention is the laser processing method according to the first feature, wherein a plurality of sides on the other side of the sides along the substrate transport direction are in contact with the substrate surface. In other words, the ball bearing means constituted by the ball is held in a restraint with respect to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. In this method, a ball bearing is used as a method for restraining the movement in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.

  A fifth feature of the laser processing method according to the present invention is the laser processing method according to any one of the first feature to the fourth feature, wherein the substrate surface is disposed on both sides of the processing location in the transport direction. The substrate is bent or warped by blowing an air jet in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. This corrects bending and warping of the substrate during laser processing by an air jet.

  A first feature of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is that a transfer means that floats and conveys a substrate to a processing position by laser light, and a side on one side of the side along the transfer direction of the substrate is provided on the surface of the substrate. A first holding means for holding each of the vertical direction and the two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface, and the other side of the side along the substrate transport direction on the substrate surface. A second holding means for holding the substrate in a restraint direction perpendicular to the substrate and movably holding in a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface; and a laser beam on the substrate held by the holding means. And a laser beam irradiating means for irradiating and performing a predetermined processing. This is an invention of a laser processing apparatus that realizes the first feature of the laser processing method.

  A second feature of the laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is that in the laser processing apparatus according to the first feature, the second holding means blows an air jet in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. Thus, the substrate is held in a restraint manner. This is an invention of a laser processing apparatus that realizes the second feature of the laser processing method.

  According to a third aspect of the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the second holding unit holds the second surface fixedly with respect to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. It is to hold the substrate in a restrained manner by applying a pressing force smaller than the case in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. This is an invention of a laser processing apparatus using the one described in the third feature of the laser processing method.

  According to a fourth feature of the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to the first feature, the second holding means is a ball bearing configured by a plurality of balls in contact with the substrate surface. Means is used to restrain and hold the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. This is an invention of a laser processing apparatus using the apparatus described in the fourth feature of the laser processing method.

  According to a fifth aspect of the laser processing apparatus of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth characteristics, the substrate surface is disposed on both sides of the processing portion in the transport direction. And bending correction means for correcting the bending and warping of the substrate by blowing an air jet in a direction perpendicular to the substrate. This is an invention of a laser processing apparatus using the one described in the fifth feature of the laser processing method.

  The solar panel manufacturing method according to the present invention is characterized in that any one of the laser processing method according to any one of the first feature to the fifth feature or the first feature to the fifth feature. A solar panel is manufactured using the laser processing apparatus described. This is to manufacture a solar panel using any one of the laser processing method or the laser processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the influence of the distortion of the glass substrate can be reduced as much as possible, and the glass substrate can be moved in a state in which the posture of the glass substrate is kept constant.

It is a figure which shows an example of the in-line type solar panel (photoelectric conversion device) manufacturing apparatus which the applicant of this application proposed previously. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the solar panel (photoelectric conversion apparatus) manufacturing apparatus using the laser processing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the gripper part of the air grip system employ | adopted by this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the relationship between the glass substrate hold | maintained at the gripper part of FIG. 2 with the air floating stage of a laser processing station. It is the figure which expanded and showed a part (location enclosed with the dotted-line circle | round | yen of FIG. 4) of the gripper part. It is a figure which shows an example of the gripper part of the mechanical grip system employ | adopted by this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the receiving gripper part of the ball bearing grip system employ | adopted by this invention. It is the figure which expanded and showed a part of gripper part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the process area part of FIG. 1 which performs the process of a scribe line. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the optical system member of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the 1st detection optical system member of FIG. 9, and a 2nd detection optical system member. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of a process of the control apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement of the pulse missing determination means of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the waveform output from the high-speed photodiode of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the optical system member of FIG. 9 from the lower side (board | substrate side). It is a figure which shows the relationship between the rotation amount of an optical system member, and the pitch width of a scribe line. It is a figure which shows an example of the board | substrate detection camera system provided in the alignment part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example in case the board | substrate detection camera system of FIG. 17 detects the glass substrate which has a downward convex curve (warp). It is a figure which shows an example in case a board | substrate detection camera system detects the glass substrate which has an upward convex curve (warp). It is a figure which shows another example of the board | substrate detection camera system provided in the alignment part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the alignment camera system provided in the alignment part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the alignment part before the scribing process of the 2nd time or later, respectively. It is a figure which shows another Example of the solar panel manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the side view which looked at the process area part of FIG. 23 from the horizontal direction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This laser processing apparatus performs a laser beam processing (laser scribing) process of a solar panel manufacturing apparatus. The laser processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured so that alignment sections for performing alignment processing are provided at two positions on both sides of the laser processing station, and the alignment processing can be performed simultaneously during the laser processing to shorten the waiting time. is there.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a solar panel (photoelectric conversion device) manufacturing apparatus using a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an example of a return method. This manufacturing apparatus includes a carry-in / out robot station 141 and a laser processing station 101. The roller conveyor 121 sequentially conveys the glass substrates 1x to 1z between a film forming apparatus (not shown) and a manufacturing apparatus that performs laser scribing processing. The carry-in / out robot station 141 carries in and temporarily holds the glass substrate 1x formed by the previous film forming apparatus (not shown) conveyed on the roller conveyor 121 as a glass substrate 1m, and the glass substrate. A front / back reversing mechanism 143 that reverses the front and back of 1 m is provided so that the contents of laser processing (scribe line P1 processing, P2 processing or P3 processing) and the glass substrate 1m bend downward (warp). The glass substrate 1m is turned upside down and conveyed to the laser processing station 101. At this time, the loading / unloading robot station 141 transports the glass substrate 1m that has been turned upside down or not turned upside down to the laser processing station 101 as well as the glass substrate 1m that has been turned upside down or not turned upside down. The roller is conveyed to the right end position of 101 and then conveyed to the laser processing station 101. The loading / unloading robot station 141 directly receives the glass substrate processed by the laser processing station 101 by the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 or receives the glass substrate 1r received at the right end position of the laser processing station 101 up to the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143. The glass substrate after the roller processing or air levitation conveyance and laser processing by the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 is carried out to the roller conveyor 121 with the front / back reversed or the front / back reversed.

  The laser processing station 101 forms scribe lines on the thin film on the glass substrate carried in from the carry-in / out robot station 141, and includes alignment units 102 and 104, gripper units 106 to 109, gripper support drive units 110 and 111, A processing area 112 is provided. The alignment unit 102 receives the glass substrate 1m on the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 of the carry-in / out robot station 141, aligns the received glass substrate 1n to a predetermined position, and performs a scribing process in the processing area unit 112. The glass substrate 1n is carried out to the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 of the carry-in / out robot station 141. On the other hand, the alignment unit 104 receives a glass substrate 1r that is a glass substrate that has been turned upside down or not turned upside down by the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 of the carry-in / out robot station 141 and that has been conveyed by roller or air floating up to the right end. The received glass substrate is aligned at a predetermined position, and the glass substrate 1 q that has been subjected to the scribing process in the processing area unit 112 is carried out to the right end position of the loading / unloading robot station 141.

  The gripper unit 106 holds one side (the lower side of the glass substrate 1o in FIG. 2) along the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 1o aligned by the alignment unit 102, and the gripper unit 107 holds the same glass substrate 1o. The other side of the side along the transport direction (the upper side of the glass substrate 1o in FIG. 2) is held. The gripper unit 108 holds one side (the lower side of the glass substrate 1q in FIG. 2) along the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 1q aligned by the alignment unit 104, and the gripper unit 107 has the same glass substrate 1q. The other side of the side along the conveying direction (the upper side of the glass substrate 1q in FIG. 2) is held. The gripper support driving units 110 and 111 synchronize the glass substrates 1o and 1q held by the gripper units 106 and 107 or the gripper units 108 and 109 with the laser light of the processing area unit 112, and It is moved between the dotted glass substrate 1p. In synchronism with this movement, the processing area portion 112 irradiates the glass substrates 1o and 1q held by the gripper portions 106 and 107 or the gripper portions 108 and 109 and air-carrying and irradiating them with laser light to process predetermined scribe lines. I do. FIG. 2 shows a state in which predetermined scribe line processing is performed while the glass substrate 1o held by the grippers 106 and 107 is moved to the position of the glass substrate 1q indicated by a dotted line in a state of air levitation.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of an air grip type gripper portion employed in the present invention, and is a side view of the gripper portions 106 and 107 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the processing area portion 112 side. 4 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the glass substrate held by the grippers 106 and 107 of FIG. 2 and the air floating stage 101a of the laser processing station 101. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of the gripper unit 107 (a portion surrounded by a dotted circle in FIG. 4).

  The gripper unit 106 includes a clamping plate unit 1061, an air cylinder unit 1062, a gripper body unit 1063, and a guide rail unit 1064. The sandwiching plate portion 1061 presses and holds the glass substrate 1o toward the upper surface of the gripper body portion 1063 (downward (−Z) direction in the figure). In the clamping plate portion 1061, a resin coating is applied to a portion that contacts the glass substrate 1o. Thereby, the glass substrate 1o is nipped and fixed to the gripper portion 106. The guide groove provided on the lower side of the gripper main body portion 1063 is movable along the guide rail portion 1064, and a drive system by a linear motor is configured between the gripper main body portion 1063 and the guide rail portion 1064. Yes. Accordingly, the gripper main body 1063 is driven and controlled along the guide rail 1064.

  The gripper portion 107 includes an air plate portion 1071, an air plate support portion 1072, a gripper main body portion 1073, and a guide rail portion 1074. The air plate portion 1071 includes a plurality of air blowing ports for blowing air toward the upper surface of the gripper body portion 1073 (downward (−Z) direction in the figure) of the glass substrate 1o. The glass substrate 1o is pressed against the upper surface of the gripper main body 1073 and held between the air jets as indicated by the downward arrow in FIG. The gap between the air plate portion 1071 and the glass substrate 1o is about 0.05 to 0.2 [mm]. The air plate support portion 1072 functions to supply air to the air plate portion 1071 and to maintain a gap between the air plate portion 1071 and the glass substrate 1o at a predetermined value. Note that the air plate support portion 1072 may be configured by the air cylinder portion 1062, and may be held by being pressed with a predetermined pressure by the air cylinder portion 1062 while jetting air by the air plate portion 1071. In addition, what is necessary is just to change and set suitably about the magnitude | size and number of air blowing openings according to the magnitude | size of the glass substrate 1o, etc. FIG. Since the air plate portion 1071 may also come into contact with the glass substrate 1o, it is desirable to apply a resin coating to that portion. A guide groove provided on the lower side of the gripper main body 1073 is movable along the guide rail 1074, and a linear motor drive system is configured between the gripper main body 1073 and the guide rail 1074. Also good. The guide groove of the gripper portion 107 and the guide rail portion 1074 may be slidable, and a driven structure that can move freely according to the driving force of the gripper portion 106 may be used.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a mechanical grip type gripper portion employed in the present invention. In FIG. 6, since the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the thing of the same structure as FIG. 3, the description is abbreviate | omitted. The gripper portion 107a in FIG. 6 is different from the gripper portion 107 in FIG. 3 in that the sandwiching plate portion 1075 and the air cylinder portion 1076 have the same configuration as the air cylinder portion 1062 and the sandwiching plate 1061, and in particular the sandwiching plate portion 1075. A fluororesin coating with a small friction coefficient is used at a position on the lower surface side of the glass substrate 1o, and the pressure of the air cylinder portion 1075 is about 0.6 to 0.9 of the pressure of the air cylinder portion 1062. This is the point. That is, the glass substrate 1o is held between the sandwiching plate portion 1075 and the upper surface of the gripper body portion 1073, but the glass substrate 1o is moved between the sandwiching plate portion 1075 and the gripper body portion 1073 as the gripper portion 106 moves. It is designed to move by sliding. Also in this embodiment, the gripper main body 1073 may be provided with a drive system by a linear motor or may have a driven structure.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a ball bearing grip type receiving gripper portion employed in the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a part of the gripper portion 107b. 7, the same components as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The gripper portion 107b in FIG. 7 is different from the gripper portion 107 in FIG. 3 in that the holding plate portion 1077 has a ball bearing structure, and the glass substrate 1o is pressed against the upper surface of the gripper main body portion 1073 by using this ball bearing structure. This is the point. By using a ball bearing structure, the coefficient of friction due to contact can be greatly reduced. In addition, the slip condition of the glass substrate 1o can be adjusted by adjusting the pressurization force of the air cylinder part 1078 suitably. A similar ball bearing structure may be provided on the upper surface of the gripper main body 1073. Further, a roller bearing structure may be used instead of the ball bearing structure. Also in this embodiment, the gripper main body 1073 may be provided with a drive system by a linear motor or may have a driven structure. In addition, what is necessary is just to change and set suitably about the magnitude | size and number of ball-bearing structures according to the magnitude | size of the glass substrate 1o, etc. FIG.

  An example of the operation of the return type solar panel manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 2 will be described. First, the glass substrate 1x transported from the film forming apparatus of the previous stage via the roller conveyor 121 is temporarily held as a glass substrate 1m on the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 by the carry-in / out robot station 141, where the front / back is reversed. Or reversed. The glass substrate 1m that has been turned upside down or not turned upside down is conveyed to the alignment unit 102 of the laser processing station 101, where it is subjected to alignment processing. The alignment-treated glass substrate 1n is held by the gripper portions 106 and 107, and air-lifted to the processing area portion 112 as the glass substrates 1o and 1p, and processing of a predetermined scribe line is performed. On the other hand, at the time of alignment processing of the alignment unit 102 and processing of the processing area unit 112, the next glass substrate 1y conveyed through the roller conveyor 121 is transferred onto the front / back reversing mechanism unit 143 by the loading / unloading robot station 141. It is temporarily held as the substrate 1m, and is turned upside down or not turned upside down. The glass substrate 1m that has been turned upside down or not turned upside down is conveyed as a glass substrate 1r to a right end position corresponding to the alignment unit 104 of the laser processing station 101. The glass substrate 1r is transported to the alignment unit 104 of the laser processing station 101 where it is aligned. The glass substrate 1q that has been subjected to the alignment processing is held by the gripper portions 108 and 109, and waits until the processing of the glass substrate that is held by the gripper portions 106 and 107 and is air-lifted and conveyed is completed.

  When the laser processing for the glass substrate held by the gripper units 106 and 107 is completed, the glass substrate 1o held by the gripper units 106 and 107 is turned over from the position of the glass substrate 1n via the alignment unit 102. It is temporarily held as a glass substrate 1m on the section 143, and is transferred onto the roller conveyor 121 in order to be transferred to the next-stage film formation apparatus with the front and back reversed or without being reversed. On the other hand, when the glass substrate 1o held by the grippers 106 and 107 floats on the alignment unit 102 as the glass substrate 1n, the glass substrate 1q held by the grippers 108 and 109 becomes the glass substrate 1o, As 1p, the air is floated and moved to the processing area 112, and processing of a predetermined scribe line is performed. In the return type solar panel manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 2, the waiting time and the like due to the alignment process are significantly reduced by alternately repeating the above process. Further, even if any one of the alignment units fails, the process can be continued by the other alignment unit.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the processing area portion of FIG. 2 that performs the processing of the scribe line. The processing area portion is configured by the laser processing station 10, the XY table 20, the gripper portions 106 and 107, the laser generator 40, the optical system member 50, the linear encoder 70, the control device 80, the detection optical system member, and the like. An XY table 20 that is driven and controlled along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (XY plane) of the pedestal 10 is provided on the pedestal 10.

  The XY table 20 is controlled to move in the X direction and the Y direction. In addition, although a ball screw, a linear motor, etc. are used as a drive means of the XY table 20, these illustration is abbreviate | omitted. On the upper side of the XY table 20, a glass substrate 1 to be laser processed is held by gripper portions 106 and 107. A slide frame 30 that slides in the Y-axis direction while holding the optical system member 50 is provided on the base 10. The XY table 20 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction about the Z axis. Note that when the amount of movement in the Y-axis direction can be sufficiently secured by the slide frame 30, the XY table 20 may be configured to only move in the X-axis direction. In this case, the XY table 20 may have an X-axis table configuration. In FIG. 9, the alignment units 102 and 104 are not shown.

  The slide frame 30 is attached to a movable table provided at four corners on the base 10. The slide frame 30 is controlled to move in the Y direction by this moving table. A vibration isolation member (not shown) is provided between the base plate 31 and the moving table. A laser generator 40, an optical system member 50, and a control device 80 are installed on the base plate 31 of the slide frame 30. The optical system member 50 is configured by a combination of a mirror and a lens, and divides the laser beam generated by the laser generator 40 into four lines and guides it onto the glass substrate 1 on the XY table 20. Note that the number of divisions of the laser light is not limited to four, but may be two or more.

  The linear encoder 70 includes a scale member provided on the side surface of the X-axis movement table of the XY table 20 and a detection unit attached to the gripper units 106 and 107. The detection signal of the linear encoder 70 is output to the control device 80. The control device 80 detects the moving speed (moving frequency) of the gripper units 106 and 107 in the X-axis direction based on the detection signal from the linear encoder 70, and controls the output (laser frequency) of the laser generator 40.

  As illustrated, the optical system member 50 is provided on the side surface side of the base plate 31 and is configured to move in the Y-axis direction along the side surface of the base plate 31. The tip of the optical system member 50 is rotatable around the Z axis. A galvanometer mirror 33 for guiding laser light emitted from the laser generator 40 to the optical system member 50 is provided on the base plate 31. The galvanometer mirror 33 uses two motors (rotary encoders) to scan the XZ two-dimensional area with laser light. The galvanometer mirror 33 is composed of a two-axis type (X, Z), and is composed of two motors and a mirror attached to the motor. The galvano control device 331 includes a driver and a power source for moving the motor, a microcomputer for controlling them, and the like.

  The mirrors 34 and 35 are provided on the optical system member 50 and are interlocked with the slide movement of the optical system member 50. The laser light emitted from the laser generator 40 is reflected toward the mirror 34 by the galvano mirror 33, and the laser light toward the mirror 34 is reflected toward the mirror 35 by the mirror 34. The mirror 35 guides the reflected laser light from the mirror 34 into the optical system member 50 through a through hole provided in the base plate 31. The laser beam emitted from the laser generator 40 may have any configuration as long as the laser beam is configured to be introduced into the optical system member 50 from the upper side through the through hole provided in the base plate 31. There may be. For example, the laser generator 40 may be provided on the upper side of the through hole, and the laser beam may be directly guided to the optical system member 50 through the through hole.

  The beam sampler 332 is provided on the optical system member 50 between the galvanometer mirror 33 and the reflection mirror 34 so as to move along with the sliding movement of the optical system member 50. The beam sampler 332 is an element that samples a part of the laser beam (for example, about 10% of the laser beam or less) and branches and outputs it to the outside. The quadrant photodiode 333 is arranged so as to receive a part of the laser beam (sampling beam) branched by the beam sampler 332 in the vicinity of the center of the light receiving surface. Four types of output signals corresponding to the intensity of the laser light detected by the quadrant photodiode 333 are output to the galvano control device 331. The galvano control device 331 controls the two motors 33xy and 33yz of the galvano mirror 33 in real time according to the four types of output signals from the four-division photodiode 333. The motor 33xy controls the reflected laser beam of the galvanometer mirror 33 to rotate in a plane parallel to the upper surface (XY plane) of the base plate 31, and the motor 33zy controls the reflected laser beam of the galvanometer mirror 33 to the base plate 31. Is controlled in real time so as to rotate and move in a plane parallel to a plane (YZ plane) orthogonal to the upper surface of the.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the optical system member 50. Although the actual configuration of the optical system member 50 is complicated, the illustration is simplified here for the sake of simplicity. 10 is a view of the inside of the optical system member 50 as viewed from the −X axis direction of FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the base plate 31 has a through hole 37 for introducing the laser beam reflected by the mirror 35 into the optical system member 50. A phase type diffractive optical element (DOE) 500 that converts laser light having a Gaussian intensity distribution into laser light having a top hat intensity distribution is provided directly below the through hole 37.

  The laser light converted into laser light having a top hat intensity distribution (top hat beam) by the DOE 500 is branched into a reflected beam and a transmitted beam by the half mirror 511, and the reflected beam is transmitted toward the right half mirror 512. Advances toward the reflective mirror 524 in the downward direction. The beam reflected by the half mirror 511 is further branched into a reflected beam and a transmitted beam by the half mirror 512, and the reflected beam travels toward the lower reflecting mirror 522, and the transmitted beam travels toward the right reflecting mirror 521. The beam that has passed through the half mirror 512 is reflected by the reflection mirror 521, and is irradiated onto the glass substrate 1 through the condensing lens 541 in the downward direction. The beam reflected by the half mirror 512 is reflected by the reflection mirrors 522 and 523 and is irradiated onto the glass substrate 1 through the condensing lens 542 in the downward direction. The beam transmitted through the half mirror 511 is reflected by the reflection mirror 524 and travels in the left direction. The beam reflected by the reflection mirror 524 is branched into a reflection beam and a transmission beam by the half mirror 513, the reflection beam proceeds toward the reflection mirror 526 in the downward direction, and the transmission beam proceeds toward the reflection mirror 528 in the left direction. The beam reflected by the half mirror 513 is reflected by the reflecting mirrors 526 and 527 and is irradiated onto the glass substrate 1 through the condensing lens 543 in the downward direction. The beam that has passed through the half mirror 513 is reflected by the reflection mirror 528, and is irradiated onto the glass substrate 1 through the condensing lens 544 in the downward direction.

  The top hat beam converted by the DOE 500 is transmitted and reflected by the above-described half mirrors 511 to 513 and the reflection mirrors 521 to 528 and guided to the condenser lenses 541 to 544. At this time, the optical path lengths from the DOE 500 to the condenser lenses 541 to 544 are set to be equal. That is, the optical path length from when the beam reflected by the half mirror 511 passes through the half mirror 512 and is reflected by the reflection mirror 521 to reach the condenser lens 541, and the beam reflected by the half mirror 511 is the half mirror 512 and the reflection mirror 522. , 523, the optical path length until reaching the condenser lens 542, and the beam transmitted through the half mirror 511 are reflected by the reflection mirror 523, the half mirror 513, the reflection mirrors 526 and 527, respectively, and enter the condenser lens 543. The optical path length until the beam reaches the condensing lens 544 is reflected by the reflection mirror 523, reflected by the reflection mirror 523, reflected by the reflection mirror 528, and reaches the condenser lens 544, respectively. Are equal distances. As a result, even if the DOE 500 is disposed immediately before the beam is branched, the laser light having the top hat intensity distribution can be similarly guided to the condenser lenses 541 to 544. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the case where the optical path lengths are completely matched has been described. However, the optical path lengths can be slightly different as long as the top hat intensity distribution of the laser light can be maintained.

  The shutter mechanisms 531 to 534 block the emission of laser light when the laser light emitted from the condenser lenses 541 to 544 of the optical system member 50 is detached from the glass substrate 1. The autofocus length measuring systems 52 and 54 are constituted by a detection light irradiation laser and an autofocus photodiode (not shown), and from the surface of the glass substrate 1 in the light irradiated from the detection light irradiation laser. The reflected reflected light is received, and the condensing lenses 541 to 544 in the optical system member 50 are driven up and down in accordance with the amount of reflected light to adjust the height relative to the glass substrate 1 (the focus of the condensing lenses 541 to 544). To do. The focus adjustment drive mechanism is not shown.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the first detection optical system member and the second detection optical system member. The first detection optical system member includes a condenser lens height measurement system 26 and a focus and optical axis adjustment CCD camera 28. In FIG. 11, the condenser lens height measuring system 26 and the focus and optical axis adjusting CCD camera 28 are shown in an overlapping manner, so that they are distinguished by reference numerals. When the height from the glass substrate 1 to the lower surfaces on both sides of the optical system member 50 is adjusted by the autofocus length measuring systems 52 and 54 shown in FIG. 10, the height of the lower surface of the optical system member 50 should be the same. However, the height from the glass substrate 1 to each of the condensing lenses 541 to 544 is not necessarily the same. Therefore, in this embodiment, the condenser lens height measuring system 26 is attached to one of the side surfaces in the X-axis direction of the XY table 20 (the side surface in the −X-axis direction of the XY table 20 in the figure), and the glass substrate The height from 1 to each of the condensing lenses 541 to 544 is measured. A signal corresponding to the height of each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 detected by the condenser lens height measuring system 26 is output to the control device 80. The control device 80 determines whether or not the height from the glass substrate 1 to each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 is appropriate. The arrangement (height) of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 is adjusted according to the length measurement result of the condenser lens height measuring system 26. In this case, the arrangement (height) of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 can be adjusted manually or automatically. If the height of the lower surface of the optical system member 50 is measured using the condensing lens height measuring system 26, the autofocus length measuring systems 52 and 54 can be omitted. .

  The focus and optical axis adjusting CCD camera 28 is one of the side surfaces in the X-axis direction of the XY table 20 (the side surface in the −X-axis direction of the XY table 20 in the figure), and is a condensing lens height measuring system. 26 adjacent positions (neighboring). The CCD camera 28 for focus and optical axis adjustment associates the positions of the XY table 20 and the respective condensing lenses 541 to 544 of the optical system member 50 and is installed so that the sky side of the XY table 20 can be seen. . The image captured by the focus and optical axis adjusting CCD camera 28 is output to the control device 80. The control device 80 determines whether or not the optical axis of the laser light emitted from each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 is appropriate. In other words, the focus and optical axis adjusting CCD camera 28 can directly observe the laser light emitted from the respective condensing lenses 541 to 544 of the optical system member 50. By imaging this, the control device 80 Can determine whether the focus and the optical axis of each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 are appropriate. Further, when each optical system related to the laser light such as the laser generator 40 and the optical system member 50 is replaced, the images before and after the replacement are acquired and digitized, so that the focus and optical axis after the replacement are obtained. Adjustment can be performed easily. Further, in the case of a plurality of heads, variation can be appropriately adjusted by acquiring and digitalizing images of the respective laser beams.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the second detection optical system member includes beam samplers 92 and 93, a high-speed photodiode 94, and an optical axis inspection CCD camera 96. The beam samplers 92 and 93 are provided in the optical path of laser light introduced into the optical system member 50. In this embodiment, it is provided between the laser generator 40 and the galvanometer mirror 33. The beam samplers 92 and 93 are elements that sample a part of the laser beam (for example, about 0.4% or less of the laser beam) and branch out the output. The high-speed photodiode 94 is disposed so as to receive a part (sampling beam) of the laser beam branched and output by the beam sampler 92 near the center of the light receiving surface. An output signal corresponding to the intensity of the laser light detected by the high speed photodiode 94 is output to the control device 80. The optical axis inspection CCD camera 96 is arranged so as to receive a part (sampling beam) of the laser beam branched and output by the beam sampler 93 near the center of the light receiving surface. The image captured by the optical axis inspection CCD camera 96 is output to the control device 80. The optical axis inspection CCD camera 96 may capture an image indicating the position of the laser light irradiated to the high-speed photodiode 94 and output the image to the control device 80.

  The control device 80 detects the moving speed (moving frequency) of the gripper units 106 and 107 in the X-axis direction based on the detection signal from the linear encoder 70, controls the output (laser frequency) of the laser generator 40, and performs high speed operation. Based on the signals output from the photodiode 94 and the optical axis inspection CCD camera 96, the missing pulse of the laser light emitted from the laser generating device 40 is detected, or the laser generating device is determined based on the optical axis deviation amount of the laser light. The emission conditions of 40 are controlled, and the arrangement of the galvano mirror 33 and the reflection mirrors 34 and 35 for introducing the laser light in the optical system member 50 is feedback controlled.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing details of processing of the control device 80 of FIG. The control device 80 includes a branching unit 81, a missing pulse determining unit 82, an alarm generating unit 83, a reference CCD image storage unit 84, an optical axis deviation measuring unit 85, a laser controller 86, a lens displacement measuring unit 87, and a lens height adjustment. It comprises means 88, irradiation laser state inspection means 89, and irradiation laser adjustment means 8A.

  The branching unit 81 branches the detection signal (clock pulse) of the linear encoder 70 and outputs it to the laser controller 86 at the subsequent stage. The pulse missing determination means 82 receives an output signal (diode output) corresponding to the laser light intensity from the high-speed photodiode 94 and a detection signal (clock pulse) output from the branching means 81, and based on this, the laser light Determine missing pulses. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the missing pulse determination means 82 of FIG. 13A is an example of a detection signal (clock pulse) output from the branching means 81, and FIG. 13B is an output signal corresponding to the laser light intensity output from the high-speed photodiode 94 (diode). FIG. 13C shows an example of an alarm signal output by the missing pulse determination means 82 when a missing pulse is detected.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the pulse missing determining means 82 determines whether or not the diode output value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Th using the falling edge of the clock pulse from the branching means 81 as a trigger signal. When the diode output value is smaller than the threshold value Th, a high level signal is output to the alarm generating means 83. The alarm generating unit 83 notifies the outside of the alarm indicating that a pulse missing has occurred when the signal from the pulse missing judging unit 82 changes from a low level to a high level. The alarm is notified by various methods such as image display and pronunciation. The occurrence of an alarm allows the operator to recognize that a pulse drop has occurred. If this alarm occurs frequently, it means that the performance of the laser generator has deteriorated or has reached the end of its life.

  The reference CCD image storage means 84 stores a reference CCD image 84a as shown in FIG. The reference CCD image 84a shows an image in a state where the laser beam is received at the center of the light receiving surface of the CCD camera 96 for optical axis inspection. The optical axis inspection CCD camera 96 outputs an inspection image 85a as shown in FIG. The optical axis deviation amount measuring means 85 captures the inspected image 85a from the optical axis inspection CCD camera 96, compares it with the reference CCD image 84a, measures the optical axis deviation amount, and calculates the deviation amount by the laser. Output to the controller 86. For example, when an image such as the inspected image 85a shown in FIG. 12 is output from the optical axis inspection CCD camera 96, the optical axis deviation measuring means 85 compares the X axis and the Y axis. The amount of direction deviation is measured and output to the laser controller 86. The laser controller 86 introduces the laser beam into a device related to the optical axis of the laser beam, that is, the emission condition of the laser generator 40 and the optical system member 50 so that the inspected image 85a and the reference CCD image 84a coincide. The arrangement of the galvano mirror 33 and the reflection mirrors 33 and 35 for feedback is adjusted by feedback.

  The lens displacement amount measuring means 87 inputs a signal corresponding to the height of each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 detected by the condenser lens height measuring system 26, and the height of each of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 is determined. It is determined whether it is within the allowable range or greatly deviated from this allowable range, and a control signal indicating how much the height of the condensing lenses 541 to 544 that are largely deviated should be adjusted is the lens height adjustment It outputs to the means 88. The lens height adjusting unit 88 adjusts the arrangement of the condenser lenses 541 to 544 in accordance with a control signal from the lens displacement amount measuring unit 87. When there is no height adjustment mechanism for the condensing lenses 541 to 544, the lens height adjusting unit 88 selects any of the condensing lenses 541 to 544 based on a control signal from the lens displacement amount measuring unit 87. The adjustment information may be transmitted to the operator (visual display, voice pronunciation, etc.).

  The irradiation laser state inspection unit 89 captures the image 89a from the CCD camera 28 for focus and optical axis adjustment, measures the shift amount of the focus and the optical axis based on this, and outputs the shift amount to the irradiation laser adjustment unit 8A. To do. For example, when an image 89a as shown in FIG. 12 is output from the focus and optical axis adjusting CCD camera, the irradiation laser state inspection unit 89 uses the circular outline 89b (the condensing lens 541 in the image 89a). The line of the focus circle 89c (small circle in the image 89a) is detected on the basis of a line corresponding to the outer edge of .about. The amount of deviation of the axis in the X-axis and Y-axis directions is measured and output to the irradiation laser adjusting means 8A. The irradiation laser state inspection unit 89 measures the size (area) of the focus circle 89c, and outputs the focus position based on the size (area) to the irradiation laser adjustment unit 8A. The irradiation laser adjusting unit 8A is configured to detect the half mirrors 511 to 513 and the reflection mirrors 521 to 528 in the optical system member 50 based on the signal corresponding to the optical axis shift amount and the focus position from the irradiation laser state inspection unit 89. Feed back and adjust the placement. The lens height adjusting unit 88 and the irradiation laser adjusting unit 8A may be omitted, and the laser controller 86 may have these functions.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the optical axis misalignment measuring unit 85 inspects the optical axis misalignment of the laser beam and the missing pulse determining unit 82 inspects the missing pulse during laser processing (scribe processing) has been described. As shown in FIG. 4, the pulse state of the laser beam may be inspected based on the output waveform from the high-speed photodiode 94. For example, in FIG. 14, the pulse width and pulse height of the laser beam may be measured, and an alarm may be generated when an abnormality occurs in these. The pulse width of the laser light is normal when the period during which the output waveform from the high-speed photodiode 94 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is within a predetermined range, and when it is larger or smaller than this range, the pulse width is abnormal. And outputs an alarm. The pulse height of the laser beam is normal when the maximum value of the output waveform from the high-speed photodiode 94 is within the allowable range, and when it is larger or smaller than this allowable range, the pulse height is abnormal. Judge and output an alarm. As described above, since the laser light is always sampled, the quality of the laser light such as the pulse width and the pulse height (power) can be managed in real time. If the above-described pulse omission occurs frequently, it can be determined that the laser generator 40 is deteriorated or has a lifetime.

  FIG. 15 is a view of the optical system member of FIG. 9 as viewed from the lower side (substrate side). FIG. 15 shows a part of the optical system member 50 and the base plate 31. FIG. 15A is a view showing the positional relationship between the optical system member 50 and the base plate 31 shown in FIG. 9, and as shown in the drawing, the end surface (upper end portion in the figure) of the optical system member 50 and the base are shown. The end surface (upper end portion in the figure) of the plate 31 coincides. FIG. 15B is a diagram showing a state in which the optical system member 50 is rotated about 30 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the base plate 31 with the center of the through hole 37 as the rotation axis. FIG. 15C is a view showing a state in which the optical system member 50 is rotated about 45 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the base plate 31 with the center of the through hole 37 as the rotation axis.

  In the solar panel manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment, the optical system member 50 is configured to be freely rotatable with the center of the through hole 37, which is a laser light introduction hole, as the rotation axis. That is, the rotation of the optical system member 50 as a branching unit is controlled with the traveling direction of the vertical laser light traveling from the reflecting mirror 35 of FIG. 10 through the DOE 500 toward the half mirror 511 as the central axis. This makes it possible to variably control the angle θ formed by the laser beam branching direction and the relative movement direction of the laser beam with respect to the substrate (vertical direction in FIG. 15). In addition, although the existing techniques, such as a ball screw and a linear motor, are used as a rotational drive means of the optical system member 50, these illustration is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 15, even when the angle between the laser beam branching direction and the laser beam scanning direction (vertical direction in FIG. 15) is variably controlled, the DOE 500 rotates with respect to the relative movement direction of the laser beam. It is configured not to. That is, by using the DOE 500, the irradiation shape of the laser light shows an irradiation shape like a dotted square as shown in the condensing lenses 541 to 544 in FIG. Therefore, when the DOE 500 is rotated together with the rotation control of the optical system member 50, the dotted squares in the condenser lenses 541 to 544 also rotate according to the rotation amount. When the laser beam is scanned and irradiated in this state, square corners are positioned on both side ridge lines of the scribe line, and the ridge line shows a wavy shape. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 15B and 15C, the DOE 500 is not rotated even if the rotation of the optical system member 50 is controlled as in this embodiment. The direction (vertical direction in FIG. 15) coincides with the left and right sides of the dotted square in the condenser lenses 541 to 544, and both sides of the scribe line can be formed very smoothly, and the optical system member 50 is rotated. Thus, even when the pitch of the scribe lines is appropriately controlled, it is possible to form a scribe line having a smooth ridge line. In the above-described embodiment, the case where only one DOE is provided in the optical path of the laser beam has been described. However, the DOE may be provided immediately before each condensing lens after branching. Even in this case, each DOE needs to be configured not to rotate even if the rotation of the optical system member 50 is controlled. The DOE 500 can be made independent of the rotation of the optical system member 50 by being directly connected to the base plate 31 in a form separated from the optical system member 50.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rotation amount of the optical system member and the pitch width of the scribe line. 16A shows a state where the optical system member 50 is not rotated as shown in FIG. 15A, and FIG. 16B shows a state where the optical system member 50 is rotated about 30 degrees as shown in FIG. 15B. FIG. 16C shows the state of the scribe line when the laser scribing process is performed with the optical system member 50 rotated about 45 degrees as shown in FIG. 15C. If the pitch of the scribe lines in the case of FIG. 16A is P0, the pitch P30 in the case of FIG. 16B is P0 × cos 30 °, and the pitch P45 in the case of FIG. 16C is P0 × cos 45 °. Become. As described above, the solar panel manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment can appropriately adjust the pitch width of the scribe line to a desired value by appropriately adjusting the rotation angle of the optical system member 50.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the substrate detection camera system provided in the alignment units 102 and 104 in FIG. FIG. 17A is a side view showing the relationship between the glass substrate and the substrate detection camera, and FIG. 17B is a top view thereof. The alignment units 102 and 104 are provided with a substrate detection camera system and an alignment camera system to detect a glass substrate and perform alignment processing thereof. The substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 acquire images near the four corners of the glass substrate 1 from the upper side when the glass substrate 1 that is airborne and conveyed is placed on the alignment units 102 and 104. In FIG. 17, the state immediately before the glass substrate 1 is placed on the alignment units 102 and 104, held by the gripper units 106 to 108, floats in the air in the X-axis direction, and is put into the laser processing station 10. Show. Images 65 a to 68 a shown in FIG. 17B are images near the four corners of the glass substrate 1 acquired by the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68. Since the relative positional relationship between the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 is a known value set in advance, as shown in the images 65 a to 68 a, the vertexes at the four corners of the glass substrate 1 that are not bent or warped are the substrate detection camera 65. It is set so as to be located near the center of the imaging range of .about.68. Therefore, when the positions of the vertices are deviated in the images 65a to 68a, the bending (warping) of the glass substrate 1 can be detected based on the deviation amount. Further, it is possible to detect a chip near the four corners of the glass substrate 1 based on the images 65a to 68a. Note that chipping of each side of the glass substrate 1 can be detected by moving the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 along the respective sides of the glass substrate 1.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the case where the substrate detection camera system in FIG. 1 detects a glass substrate having a downward convex curve (warpage). In FIG. 18, the same components as those in FIG. 17 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 18 is different from FIG. 17 in that the glass substrate 1f that is air levitated and conveyed has a downward convex curve (warp). When the glass substrate 1f having a downward convex curve (warp) is placed on the alignment units 102 and 104, the vertexes of the four corners of the glass substrate 1f are on the center side of the glass substrate 1f in the substrate detection cameras 65-68. Images 65b to 68b in a state of being shifted to are picked up. Moreover, as shown in these images 65b-68b, since two parallel edge lines according to the magnitude | size of bending (warping) can be confirmed near each vertex of the four corners of the glass substrate 1f, in this case, the glass substrate It is possible to detect that 1f is placed in a state of being air-levitated on the alignment units 102 and 104 in a convex state.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the substrate detection camera system detects a glass substrate having an upward convex curve (warp). In FIG. 19, the same components as those in FIGS. 17 and 18 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 19 differs from FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 in that the glass substrate 1g has an upward convex curve (warp). The glass substrate 1g having a convex curve (warp) upward is difficult to air levitate even if it attempts to air levitate on the alignment portions 102 and 104, and as shown in FIG. It is mounted in a state of barely touching the surface of 104. Also, the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 capture images 65c to 68c in a state where the four corners of the glass substrate 1g are shifted to the center side of the glass substrate 1g, as in FIG. 18B. In the images 65c to 68c, unlike the case of FIG. 18B, only one edge line can be confirmed near each vertex of the four corners of the glass substrate 1g. Therefore, in this case, it is possible to detect that the glass substrate 1g is placed in a state in which the glass substrate 1g is convex upward and cannot be floated on the alignment units 102 and 104.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating another example of the substrate detection camera system provided in the alignment units 102 and 104 in FIG. In the embodiment of FIG. 17, the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 are provided in the upper part near the four corners of the substrate 1, but in this embodiment, the two substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 are paired with the glass substrate 1. It is located above the corner. In FIG. 20A, in a state where the glass substrate 1 is placed on the alignment units 102 and 104, the glass substrate 1 indicated by a dotted line moves from the position to the right side as indicated by an arrow and indicated by a solid line. (Position where the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 are positioned above the diagonal of the glass substrate 1). When the glass substrate 1 moves, the substrate detection camera 68 acquires an image of the side 12 of the moving glass substrate 1. Then, at the end of the substrate movement, the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 acquire images of the apexes near the diagonal of the glass substrate 1 (images 65a to 65c and 68a to 68c in FIGS. 17 to 19). With the glass substrate 1 stopped, the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 move along the dotted arrows as shown in FIG. 20 (B). When the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 are moved, the substrate detection camera 65 acquires an image of the side 13 of the glass substrate 1, and the substrate detection camera 68 acquires an image of the side 14 of the glass substrate 1. At the end of the movement of the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68, the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 acquire images of vertices near another diagonal of the glass substrate 1 (images 66a to 65c and 67a to 67c in FIGS. 17 to 19). . In a state where the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 are stopped, the glass substrate 1 is moved to the right side as indicated by an arrow from the position, as shown in FIG. Move to the position of the glass substrate 1. When the glass substrate 1 moves, the substrate detection camera 65 acquires an image of the side 15 of the moving glass substrate 1. As in the case of FIGS. 17 to 19, the images 65 a to 68 a, 65 b to 68 b, 65 c to 68 c and each side of the substrate 1 are used by the above-described series of operations using the two substrate detection cameras 65 and 68. Images can be acquired. As a result, the direction of bending (warping) of the glass substrate 1 and chipping of each side of the substrate 1 can be detected based on the images 65a to 68a, 65b to 68b, and 65c to 68c. Note that the substrate detection cameras 65 and 68 may be returned to the initial positions in FIG. 20A after a series of detection operations, or the reverse operation may be performed without returning them.

  As described above, the substrate detection camera system using the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68 has the glass substrate placed on the alignment units 102 and 104 with a convex curve (warp) or a convex downward. It is detected whether it is placed by bending (warping), and when it is placed by upward bending (warping) as shown in FIG. The glass substrate is returned to the top so that the glass substrate is placed with a convex curve (warp) downward, with the front and back being reversed or not being reversed. If the glass substrate is placed with a convex curve (warp), the peripheral edge of the glass substrate cannot be sufficiently lifted when the glass substrate is transported and comes into contact with the stage. In the worst case, the glass substrate is placed on the stage. Since there exists a possibility of damaging with the impact which contacted, as mentioned above, it is preferable to make it mount by a downward convex curve (warp) about a glass substrate. In addition, if the glass substrate is placed with a convex bend (warp) downward, it is sucked together with the air levitation during processing, so the bend (warp) of the glass substrate is forced by the domino effect and the bend (warp) is reduced. By reducing the bending (warping), the amount of autofocus adjustment can be reduced. Therefore, in a glass substrate having a bend (warp), it is preferable to place the glass substrate with a downward bend (warp). Note that the glass substrate is bent (warped) because it tends to bend in the outer direction of the film surface formed by the film forming apparatus, so that the film surface side previously formed by the film forming apparatus is set downward. You may do it. FIGS. 17 to 20 show an example in which the substrate warpage state is detected by the alignment camera, but the distance between the substrate and the alignment camera unit is measured in the units of the alignment cameras 65 to 68 although not shown in the figure. You may make it measure the curvature of a board | substrate by mounting a unit.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alignment camera system provided in the alignment units 102 and 104 in FIG. The alignment camera system acquires images near both ends (front and rear edges in the X-axis direction) of the glass substrate 1. An image acquired by the alignment camera system is output to the control device 80. The control device 80 stores the image from the alignment camera system in the database unit together with the ID data of the glass substrate 1 and the front and back flags, and uses them for the subsequent alignment processing of the glass substrate 1. The front / back flag stores “0” when indicating the front side of the board, and “1” when indicating the back side. FIG. 21 shows an example of the alignment unit before the first scribe process, and FIG. 22 shows an example of the alignment part before the second and subsequent scribe processes. First, as shown in FIG. 21, with the glass substrate 1 placed, the lower edge of the left end of the glass substrate 1 is used as the positioning pin 21, and the left edge of the lower end of the glass substrate 1 is used as the positioning pin. 22, the right edge of the lower end of the glass substrate 1 is abutted against the positioning pins 23 to position the glass substrate 1 at a predetermined position. In this state, the transparent electrode layer on the glass substrate 1 is irradiated with laser light, and a scribing process is executed. As a result of the initial scribing process, scribing lines are formed on the glass substrate 1 with a pitch of about 10 mm.

  FIG. 21 shows one scribe line 25 near the center of the substrate among the plurality of scribe lines. Images 27a and 29a in the vicinity of both ends of the scribe line 25, that is, the positions 27 and 29 including both the scribe line 25 and the edge of the glass substrate 1, are acquired by the alignment camera system described above. As can be seen from the images 27a and 29a, since both the image of the scribe line 25 and the image of the shape of the edge of the glass substrate 1 are included in the image, the image recognition process is facilitated. The acquired images 27a and 29a are sequentially stored in the database means 75 by the control device 80 together with the ID data of the glass substrate 1 and the substrate front / back flag “0”. After acquiring the data on the front surface of the substrate, the front and back surfaces of the glass substrate 1 are reversed and the image data is also acquired on the back surface of the substrate in the same manner, and the database means 75 together with the ID data of the glass substrate 1 and the substrate front and back flag “1”. Are stored in sequence.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when the acquisition process of the images 27a and 29a is completed after the scribing process by the laser processing is completed, a process for forming a semiconductor layer on the transparent electrode layer is performed by the next film forming apparatus. It is. After the semiconductor layer forming process is completed, the glass substrate 1 is subjected to the same scribing process using laser light as described above. Prior to the second scribing process, an alignment process is performed by the method shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 22, the glass substrate is placed on the alignment units 102 and 104 with a downwardly bent (warped) by the substrate detection camera system using the substrate detection cameras 65 to 68, and then the alignment described above. In the state where the glass substrate 1 is placed in the same manner as the processing, the lower edge of the left end of the glass substrate 1 is used as the positioning pin 21, and the left edge of the lower end of the glass substrate 1 is used as the positioning pin 22. The right edge of the lower end of the glass substrate 1 is abutted against the positioning pins 23 to position the glass substrate 1 at a predetermined position. In this state, images 27b and 29b in the vicinity of both ends of the scribe line 25, that is, locations 27 and 29 including both the scribe line 25 and the edge of the glass substrate 1 are acquired by the alignment camera system. On the other hand, the control device 80 reads out the images 27 a and 29 a corresponding to the ID data and the front and back flags of the glass substrate 1 from the database means 75. The control device 80 compares the read images 27a and 29a with the images 27b and 29b acquired by the alignment camera system, and controls the X axis, the Y axis, and the θ axis so that they match. An accurate alignment process is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the alignment process by the comparison process of the images 27a and 29a and the images 27b and 29b is completed, the scribing process by the laser beam is executed at a position about 30 μm away from the previous scribe line 25. When this scribing process is completed, a process for forming a metal layer on the semiconductor layer is performed by the next-stage film forming apparatus. Again, the substrate is carried into the laser processing apparatus, the alignment process similar to that shown in FIG. 22 is performed, and the glass substrate 1 is similarly subjected to a scribing process using laser light. Thereby, three scribe lines are formed on the glass substrate 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where an image including a scribe line formed on the glass substrate 1 is acquired as a result of the first scribe process has been described. However, the image is formed on the glass substrate 1 as a result of the second scribe process. An image including the two scribe lines thus obtained may be acquired, and alignment processing may be performed using the acquired image. Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the case where an alignment camera system and the board | substrate detection cameras 65-68 were provided separately, the movement mechanism as shown in FIG. 68 functions may also be used.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the solar panel manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 24 is a side view of the processing area portion 112 of FIG. 23 viewed from the lateral direction. In FIG. 23, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 2 in that air plate portions 1121 and 1122 are provided on both sides of the processing portion (optical system member 50) of the processing area portion 112 of the laser processing station 101 of the manufacturing device shown in FIG. The bending (warping) of the glass substrate 1o is corrected by an air jet having a flow as indicated by 24 downward arrows. That is, the glass substrate 1o is generated by an air jet from the air levitation stage 101a (flow as indicated by the upward arrow in FIG. 24) and an air jet from the air plate portions 1121 and 1122 (flow as indicated by the downward arrow in FIG. 24). The bend and warp are corrected.

In the above-described embodiment, only the occurrence of missing pulses is observed, but by acquiring and storing the coordinate data (position data) of the location where the missing pulses have occurred, it is possible to perform a scribe line repair process. It becomes.
In the above-described embodiment, a part of the laser beam (sampling beam) branched and output by the beam sampler 93 is directly received using the CCD camera 96 for optical axis inspection, and the optical beam is processed by image processing. The case where the deviation is inspected has been described. An image showing a state where the laser beam is received at the center of the light receiving surface of the high-speed photodiode 94 is acquired as an inspection image by the CCD camera 96 for optical axis inspection or the split type photodiode. Thus, the optical axis deviation may be inspected.
In the above-described embodiment, the case of inspecting the optical axis deviation and the missing pulse of the laser beam has been described. However, the state of the laser beam is inspected by appropriately combining the optical axis deviation, the missing pulse, the pulse width, and the pulse height. You may make it do.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the laser beam is irradiated from the surface of the glass substrate 1 on which the thin film is formed to form the scribe line (groove) in the thin film is described. However, the laser beam is irradiated from the back surface of the glass substrate 1. And you may make it form a scribe line in the thin film of the substrate surface.
In the above-described embodiment, the solar panel manufacturing apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that performs laser processing, such as an EL panel manufacturing apparatus, an EL panel correction apparatus, and an FPD correction apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Glass substrate 1f, 1g, 1x-1z, 1m-1r ... Glass substrate 10 ... Laser processing station 10a ... Alignment part 10b ... Gripper part 10c ... Gripper drive part 10d ... Processing area part 10 ... Base 101 ... Laser processing station 101a ... Air floating stages 102, 104 ... Alignment parts 106, 107, 108, 109 ... Gripper part 1061 ... Nipping plate part 1062 ... Air cylinder part 1063 ... Gripper main body part 1064 ... Guide rail part 1071 ... Air plate part 1072 ... Air plate support Part 1073 ... Gripper body part 1074 ... Guide rail part 1075 ... Air cylinder part 1075 ... Holding plate part 1076 ... Air cylinder part 1077 ... Holding plate part 1078 ... Air cylinder part 107a ... Gripper part 107b ... Gripper part 1 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 0 ... Gripper support drive part 112 ... Processing area part 1121 ... Air plate part 121 ... Roller conveyor 12, 13, 14, 15 ... Side 141 ... Loading / unloading robot station 143 ... Front / back inversion mechanism part 20 ... XY table 25 ... Scribe line 26 ... length measuring system 28 ... CCD camera 30 for optical axis adjustment ... slide frame 31 ... base plate 33 ... galvano mirror 331 ... galvano control device 332 ... beam sampler 333 ... quadrant photodiode 33xy, 33yz ... motors 34, 35 ... reflection mirror 37 ... Through hole 40 ... Laser generator 50 ... Optical system member 500 ... Phase type diffractive optical element (DOE)
511 to 513... Half mirror 52. Autofocus length measuring system 521 to 528. Reflecting mirrors 531 to 534. Shutter mechanisms 541 to 544... Condensing lenses 52 and 54. 68 ... Board detection cameras 65a to 68a, 65b to 68b, 65c to 68c ... Image 70 ... Linear encoder 75 ... Database means 80 ... Control device 81 ... Branch means 82 ... Pulse missing judgment means 83 ... Alarm generation means 84 ... Reference CCD image Storage means 85 ... Optical axis deviation measuring means 86 ... Laser controller 87 ... Lens displacement measuring means 88 ... Lens height adjusting means 89 ... Irradiation laser state inspection means 8A ... Irradiation laser adjusting means 92, 93 ... Beam sampler 94 ... High speed Photodiode 96: CCD camera for optical axis inspection La

Claims (11)

When transporting a rectangular substrate to a processing spot with laser light,
For one side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate, it is fixedly held in each of a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface and a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface,
The other side of the side along the substrate transport direction is restrainedly held in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface and movably held in a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface. A laser processing method.   2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein an air jet is blown in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface on the other side of the side along the conveyance direction of the substrate to hold the substrate in a restraint manner. The laser processing method characterized by hold | maintaining.   2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the other side of the side along the transporting direction of the substrate is applied with a smaller pressing force than when fixedly held in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. A laser processing method characterized in that the substrate is held in a restrained manner by hanging in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.   2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the other side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate is formed on the surface of the substrate by using ball bearing means configured by a plurality of balls in contact with the surface of the substrate. A laser processing method, wherein the laser processing method is held in a restraint manner in a vertical direction.   5. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is bent or warped by blowing an air jet to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface on both sides of the processing portion in the transport direction. The laser processing method characterized by correcting. Transport means for air levitation transport to a processing position by a laser beam;
A first holding means for holding one side of the side along the transport direction of the substrate fixedly in each of a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface and a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface;
The other side of the side along the substrate transport direction is restrainedly held in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, and is movably held in a two-dimensional direction along the substrate surface. A second holding means;
And a laser beam irradiating means for irradiating the substrate held by the holding means with a laser beam to perform a predetermined processing.   7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second holding means restrains and holds the substrate by blowing an air jet in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. Processing equipment.   The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second holding unit hangs a smaller pressing force in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface than in a case where the second holding unit is fixedly held in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface. The laser processing apparatus characterized by holding said board | substrate restraintly.   7. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second holding means is restrained with respect to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface by using ball bearing means constituted by a plurality of balls in contact with the substrate surface. The laser processing apparatus characterized by holding | maintaining to.   10. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the substrate is bent or warped by blowing an air jet to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface on both sides of the processing portion in the transport direction. 10. A laser processing apparatus comprising a bending correction means for correcting the above.   A solar panel is manufactured by using the laser processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10. Method.

Images