A laser machining method forms a machined portion in a machining area of a machining object by irradiating the machining area with a pulse laser beam. The laser machining method includes an irradiation process of irradiating the machining area with the pulse laser beam output from an excimer laser apparatus by guiding the pulse laser beam to part of the machining area and moving the guided pulse laser beam through irradiation spots, and a movement process of moving the machining object in a height direction of the machining object. The irradiation process is performed at a plurality of height positions on the machining object moved in the height direction in the movement process. In the irradiation process, at least part of each of the irradiation spots of the pulse laser beam overlaps another irradiation spot adjacent to the irradiation spot.

This laser processing apparatus includes a controller. The controller executes first control for causing the laser light to be modulated such that the laser light is branched into a plurality of rays of processing light and a plurality of converging points of the plurality of rays are positioned in different positions in a direction perpendicular to an irradiation direction of the laser light. In the first control, the laser light is modulated such that, in the irradiation direction, the converging point of each of the plurality of rays is positioned on a side opposite to a converging point of non-modulated light of the laser light with respect to an ideal converging point of the processing light, or the converging point of each of the plurality of rays is positioned on a side opposite to the ideal converging point with respect to the converging point of the non-modulated light.

There is provided a laser processing machine for processing a workpiece having a scribe line set thereon. The processing machine includes a controller configured to perform a procedure of moving a focal point of a laser beam in a first moving direction, which intersects a processing feed direction, in a range of a width of the line when the focal point and the holding unit relatively move along the processing feed direction, and a procedure of controlling power of the laser beam so that, upon movement of the focal point in the first moving direction, the power of the laser beam is smaller when the focal point is located in regions on outer edge sides of the line than when the focal point is located in a region on a center side of the scribe, whereby a groove is formed along the line.

There is provided a laser processing machine for processing a workpiece having a scribe line set thereon. The processing machine includes a controller configured to perform a procedure of moving a focal point of a laser beam in a first moving direction, which intersects a processing feed direction, in a range of a width of the line when the focal point and the holding unit relatively move along the processing feed direction, and a procedure of controlling power of the laser beam so that, upon movement of the focal point in the first moving direction, the power of the laser beam is smaller when the focal point is located in regions on outer edge sides of the line than when the focal point is located in a region on a center side of the scribe, whereby a groove is formed along the line.

Laser cutting a dieboard using a laser cutting system, including: setting a width of material to be removed from the dieboard using the laser cutting system; capturing an image of the width of the material removed by the laser cutting system using at least one image capture unit; measuring the captured width of the material captured on the image using the at least one image capture unit; and comparing the measured width of the material to the set width of the material, and moving a laser head of the laser cutting system up and down to adjust a focal length of the laser cutting system and moving the laser head of the laser cutting system sideways to adjust a speed of the laser head, until the measured width and the set width are substantially similar.

An automatic surface tracing method, system, and storage medium are for laser processing. The method includes, at the initial moment, identifying the state of the laser beam on the surface of the workpiece to be processed. If the state is in an out-of-focus state, the relative distance between the microscope objective and the surface of the workpiece to be processed is adjusted, and the state is simultaneously identified until it is identified as an in-focus state. The method for identifying the state of the laser beam includes capturing a position image of the laser beam on the surface of the workpiece to be processed in real-time, and identifying the state of the laser beam accordingly. The method can effectively improve the processing success rate, processing quality and processing accuracy, and is economical and efficient.

The present disclosure provides a laser cutting method comprising steps of: (a) emitting a laser light to a spatial light modulator that has a plurality of pixels; (b) the laser light modulated by the spatial light modulator being irradiated on an uncut object, which is to be cut, for forming a focal point and cutting the uncut object; (c) measuring a cutting depth of the object; (d) the spatial light modulator converting a phase of each of the laser light modulated by each of the pixels to change a light pattern distribution at the focal point when the cutting depth of the object reaches a first predetermined depth; and (e) repeating the step (b) to the step (d) until the cutting depth of the object reaches a second predetermined depth; wherein the first predetermined depth is varied when the step (b) to the step (d) are repeated.

A detector is configured to detect an output of a reflected beam from an exit end surface of a parallel plate. A determination unit is configured to determine that an abnormality occurs in the parallel plate when a detection value of the detector is smaller than a determination threshold.

A preliminary processing step of forming modified parts in an outer circumferential region of a workpiece is executed prior to a main processing step of forming modified parts and cracks in each of plural linear regions included in the workpiece. This can promote extension of the cracks in the outer circumferential region of the workpiece in the main processing step. As a result, splitting-off of a substrate from the workpiece in a splitting-off step becomes easy. In addition, the probability of occurrence of large chipping in the outer circumferential region of the workpiece in this splitting-off can be reduced.

A preliminary processing step of forming modified parts in an outer circumferential region of a workpiece is executed prior to a main processing step of forming modified parts and cracks in each of plural linear regions included in the workpiece. This can promote extension of the cracks in the outer circumferential region of the workpiece in the main processing step. As a result, splitting-off of a substrate from the workpiece in a splitting-off step becomes easy. In addition, the probability of occurrence of large chipping in the outer circumferential region of the workpiece in this splitting-off can be reduced.