Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Making named article
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-06
2001-04-17
Duda, Kathleen (Department: 1756)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Making named article
C430S396000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218081
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a nozzle member and a work apparatus, and is suitable for projecting a mask pattern formed on a mask onto a predetermined surface by uniformly and efficiently illuminating the mask surface with linear stripe-shaped illumination light, e.g., for the manufacturing method and work apparatus upon manufacturing a nozzle member to be used in an ink-jet printer.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, precision parts are popularly manufactured by a mask projection method. In the mask projection method, a laser is used as a light source, and a pattern on a mask illuminated by the laser beam is projected onto the surface to be worked via a projection lens, thereby precisely working a workpiece by means of optical energy.
As one part suitable for laser work based on the mask projection method, orifice forming work of an orifice plate (nozzle member) of a bubble-jet printer (to be referred to as an ink-jet printer hereinafter) is known. In general, an ink-jet printer is of the type that prints characters and figures by intermittently ejecting ink from an array of a large number of small orifices each having a diameter of 20 &mgr;m to 50 &mgr;m onto the sheet surface, and the orifice plate is a member having the large number of small orifices (nozzles) for ejecting ink. In order to improve the quality of characters to be printed, it is important to precisely control the ink ejection timings and to manufacture the large number of small orifices on the orifice plate with high precision.
Such mask projection method is required to have especially high productivity and to assure stable, high-precision work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a nozzle member and a work apparatus with high production efficiency.
A method of manufacturing a nozzle member according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: the step of splitting light from a light source by amplitude splitting to form a plurality of illumination beams, and the step of illuminating a plurality of mask patterns formed on a mask with corresponding ones of the plurality of illumination beams so as to expose a workpiece via the mask patterns.
Especially, each of the mask patterns has a pattern formed by arranging a plurality of small openings corresponding to nozzle orifices of a nozzle member in a first direction.
The illumination beams are condensed on a plurality of linear illumination regions extending in the first direction at a position of the mask.
The plurality of mask patterns are formed parallel to each other along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
The plurality of mask patterns are formed on a common substrate.
The step of splitting the light from the light source includes the step of splitting the light from the light source into n (n≧2) illumination beams L
0,1
to L
0,n
, which are substantially parallel to each other, by amplitude splitting in a second section including an optical axis, splitting each light beam L
0,j
(for j=1 to n) into m (m≧2) illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
and directing the illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
in different directions to cross each other at a first position in a first section which includes the optical axis and is perpendicular to the second section, and directing illumination beams L
i,1
to L
i,n
(for i=1 to m) that cross each other at the first position in different directions to cross each other at a second position in the second section so as to form a plurality of illumination beams L
1,1
to L
m,n
, or further splitting each of the illumination beams L
i,1
to L
i,n
(for i=1 to m) that cross each other at the first position into q illumination beams L
i,j,1
to L
i,j,q
and directing the split illumination beams in different directions to cross each other at the second position so as to form a plurality of illumination beams L
1,1,1
to L
m,n,q
.
The light beams that pass through the plurality of mask patterns illuminate different positions on a common workpiece.
The light beams that pass through the plurality of mask patterns illuminate different workpieces.
The plurality of illumination beams are directed toward the plurality of mask patterns via a common optical system.
The illumination beams that pass through the plurality of mask patterns are directed onto the workpiece via a projection optical system to form images on the plurality of mask patterns on the workpiece.
The light source comprises a laser.
The light source comprises an excimer laser.
A method of manufacturing an ink-jet printer according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the step of manufacturing a nozzle member by the above-mentioned method of manufacturing a nozzle member and the like.
An ink-jet printer according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a nozzle member manufactured by the above-mentioned method of manufacturing a nozzle member and the like.
A work apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by manufacturing a nozzle member by the above-mentioned method of manufacturing a nozzle member and the like.
The apparatus comprises beam splitting means for splitting light from a light source into n (n≧2) illumination beams L
0,1
to L
0,n
by amplitude splitting in a second section including an optical axis, a first optical member for splitting each light beam L
0,j
(for j=1 to n) into m (m≧2) illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
and directing the illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
in different directions to cross each other at a first position in a first section which includes the optical axis and is perpendicular to the second section, a second optical member for forming a plurality of illumination beams L
1,1,1
to L
m,n,q
by directing illumination beams L
i,1
to L
i,n
(for i=1 to m) that cross each other at the first position in different directions to cross each other at a second position in the second section or by further splitting each of the illumination beams L
i,1
to L
i,n
(for i=1 to m) that cross each other at the first position into q illumination beams L
i,j,1
to L
i,j,q
and directing the split illumination beams in different directions to cross each other at the second position, and an anamorphic optical system for forming a linear illumination region corresponding to one mask pattern on a mask by making a plurality of illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
or L
1,j,k
to L
m,j,k
(for j=1 to n, k=1 to q) coming from the second optical member overlap each other on the mask.
The beam splitting means comprises a beam splitter and a reflection mirror.
The apparatus further comprises beam adjustment means, inserted between the light source and the beam splitting means, for adjusting a position of light from the light source in the second section.
The first optical member comprises a plurality of prisms.
The second optical member comprises a plurality of prisms.
The second position and a position of an entrance pupil of the projection optical system have an optically conjugate positional relationship therebetween.
The optical system comprises an anamorphic lens having different refractive powers in the first and second sections, and a lens system having mutually equal refractive powers in the first and second sections.
The anamorphic lens focuses the plurality of illumination beams L
1,1
to L
m,n
or L
1,1,1
to L
m,n,q
on a plane, which is located at the second position and is perpendicular to the optical axis, in the first section, and the lens system makes a plurality of illumination beams L
1,j
to L
m,j
or L
1,j,k
to L
m,j,k
(for j=1 to n, k=1 to q) coming from the plane overlap each other on the mask and focuses the illumination beams on the mask in the second section.
The anamorphic lens comprises at least one cylindrical lens.
The rear focal point in the first section of the anamorphic lens is located at the secon
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Duda Kathleen
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
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