Patent ID: 7518087
Filing Date: 2009-04-14
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
1. A laser processing apparatus which processes a substrate by supplying liquid onto a surface of the substrate and irradiating the substrate covered with the liquid with a laser beam, the apparatus comprising: a laser source unit which emits a laser beam; a substrate-holding unit which holds a substrate; a liquid-supplying unit which supplies liquid to a surface of the substrate; a support which is arranged between the laser source unit and the substrate-holding unit and which has a plurality of mask patterns including a specific mask pattern for imparting a cross-sectional shape to the laser beam; a support-driving mechanism which moves the support; a control unit which controls the support-driving mechanism, storing correlation data representing a relation between types of laser processes and types of mask patterns; and pattern-selecting means which selects one type of a laser process and selects a mask pattern corresponding to the selected type of laser process from the plurality of types of mask patterns based on the correlation data, wherein the liquid-supplying unit supplies the liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate-holding member, the pattern-selecting means selects the one mask pattern, the support-driving mechanism moves the support, aligning the selected mask pattern with an axis of the laser beam, and the laser beam emitted from the laser source unit passes through the selected mask pattern, acquiring a specific cross-sectional shape, and is applied to the surface of the substrate through the film of liquid, illuminating a surface region of the substrate.