Patent ID: 6043453
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: B23K,H01L,H05K

Abstract:
An apparatus for spot-facing a printed circuit board having an insulating material and at least one inner-layer conductor embedded in the insulating material, comprising:at least one mechanical processing head including a mechanical cutter, said mechanical cutter being movable into contact with or away from the printed circuit board, wherein the mechanical cutter is movable horizontally relative to the printed circuit board while removing insulating material of the printed circuit board by the mechanical cutter;at least one laser-beam processing head movable with respect to the printed circuit board, said laser-beam processing head including an optical system capable of emitting a laser beam which has an elongated shape and an energy density substantially uniform along the elongated shape; anda controller operatively connected to said mechanical processing head and said laser-beam processing head, said controller controlling, based on inputs thereto, operations of said mechanical processing head and said laser-beam processing head in a manner that the insulating material is removed to a position just above the inner-layer conductor by said mechanical cutter to leave a part of the insulating material remaining above the inner-layer conductor and then the remaining part of the insulating material is removed by scanning the part with the laser beam to expose the inner-layer conductor, the remaining part of the insulating material having a thickness smaller than a thickness of the insulating material removed by the mechanical cutter, said laser beam is emitted with the elongated shape thereof oriented substantially perpendicular to a direction of scanning of the laser beam.