A surgical tool assembly that includes a elongate shaft assembly that defines a shaft axis. A surgical end effector is movably coupled to the elongate shaft assembly by a distal support link that is pivotally coupled to the surgical end effector to define an articulation axis that is transverse to the shaft axis. The distal support link is pivotally and axially movably coupled to the elongate shaft assembly to facilitate selective articulation of the surgical end effector relative to the elongate shaft assembly about the articulation axis between a first unarticulated position and articulation position located on one side of the shaft axis.

Articulatable surgical instrument with independent pivotable linkage distal of an articulation lock

A laser processing apparatus comprising a chuck table, laser beam irradiation means for irradiating a workpiece held on the chuck table with a laser beam, and processing feed means for processing-feeding the chuck table and the laser beam irradiation means relative to each other. The laser beam irradiation means includes first laser beam irradiation means for throwing a first pulsed laser beam having a wavelength in the intermediate-infrared radiation region, and second laser beam irradiation means for throwing a second pulsed laser beam having a wavelength in the ultraviolet radiation region. The first laser beam irradiation means and the second laser beam irradiation means are set such that at least a part, in the processing feed direction, of the focus spot of the second pulsed laser beam overlaps the focus spot of the first pulsed laser beam.

Laser processing apparatus

A laser condensing optical system of the present invention includes a laser beam source which emits a laser beam, a condensing optical system which is arranged between the laser beam source and a medium and condenses the laser beam in the medium, and a laser divergence point moving unit which can move the position of a laser divergence point of the laser beam along an optical axis of the laser beam in accordance with the refractive index of the medium in which the laser beam is desired to be condensed and the distance from a surface of the medium to a position where the beam is desired to be condensed.

Laser processing device

A laser processing system for micromachining a workpiece includes a laser source to generate laser pulses for processing a feature in a workpiece, a galvanometer-driven (galvo) subsystem to impart a first relative movement of a laser beam spot position along a processing trajectory with respect to the surface of the workpiece, and an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) subsystem to effectively widen a laser beam spot along a direction perpendicular to the processing trajectory. The AOD subsystem may include a combination of AODs and electro-optic deflectors. The AOD subsystem may vary an intensity profile of laser pulses as a function of deflection position along a dither direction to selectively shape the feature in the dither direction. The shaping may be used to intersect features on the workpiece. The AOD subsystem may also provide rastering, galvo error position correction, power modulation, and/or through-the-lens viewing of and alignment to the workpiece.

Acousto-optic deflector applications in laser processing of dielectric or other materials

A wafer processing method including the steps of storing information on the intervals and positions of metal patterns formed on part of division lines on a wafer into a storage unit of a cutting apparatus, detecting the division lines, forming a cut groove along each division line by using a cutting blade, imaging an area including the cut groove at any position where the metal patterns are not formed, by using an imaging unit included in the cutting apparatus, according to the information on the intervals and positions of the metal patterns previously stored, during the step of forming the cut grooves, and measuring the positional relation between the position of the cut groove and a preset cutting position. Accordingly, kerf check can be performed without being influenced by burrs produced from the metal patterns in cutting the wafer, so that the wafer can be cut with high accuracy.

Wafer processing method

A laser beam machining system including a chuck table for holding a work, and a laser beam irradiation unit for irradiating the work held on the chuck table with a laser beam, wherein the laser beam irradiation unit includes: a pulsed laser beam oscillator for oscillating a pulsed laser beam; a condenser for condensing the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser beam oscillator; a laser beam scanning unit disposed between the pulsed laser beam oscillator and the condenser and operative to deflect the pulsed laser beam to be inputted to the condenser; and a laser beam reshaping unit which ids disposed between the pulsed laser beam oscillator and the laser beam scanning unit and by which the energy distribution of the pulsed laser beam oscillated from the pulsed laser beam oscillator is reshaped into a top hat shape.

Keiji Nomaru

Papers

Laser beam machining system