# US 10,442,032 B2 · Processing device and processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,442,032 B2 - Document ID: US10442032B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/300,207 - Filed: 2015-01-26 - Published: 2017-06-29 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2014-03-31 - Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. - Applicants: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. - Inventors: Saneyuki Goya; Kenji Muta; Toshiya Watanabe; Takashi Ishide - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10442032B2 ## CPC - B23K 26/062: by direct control of the laser beam - B23K 26/0622: by shaping pulses - B23K 26/0624: {using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1 ns or less} - B23K 26/082: Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head - B23K 26/0884: {in at least three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots} - B23K 26/21: by welding - B23K 26/32: taking account of the properties of the material involved - B23K 26/34: Laser welding for purposes other than joining - B23K 26/342: Build-up welding - B23K 26/38: by boring or cutting - B23K 26/40: taking account of the properties of the material involved - H01S 5/0071: {for beam steering, e.g. using a mirror outside the cavity to change the beam direction} - H01S 5/02423: {Liquid cooling, e.g. a liquid cools a mount of the laser} - H01S 5/02476: {Heat spreaders, i.e. improving heat flow between laser chip and heat dissipating elements} - H01S 5/042: Electrical excitation {; Circuits therefor (monolithically integrated laser drive components H01S5/0261)} - H01S 5/4012: {Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms} - H01S 5/423: {having a vertical cavity} - B23K 2103/05: {Stainless steel} - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL ## Abstract Provided are a processing device and a processing method with which the device can be made more compact, and with which highly precise processing can be performed. The processing device, which processes a member to be processed by irradiating the member to be processed with a laser, has: a laser oscillator having a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips that output laser light having a wavelength of 1,070 nm or less, and a substrate on the surface of which the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips are arranged in a matrix; a guidance optical system that guides the laser light output from the laser oscillator; and a control device that controls the output of the laser oscillator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A processing device that processes a member to be processed by irradiating the member to be processed with a laser, the device comprising: a laser oscillator including a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser elements that output a laser having a wavelength of no greater than 1,070 nm, and a substrate on the surface of which the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips are arranged in a matrix; a guidance optical system that guides the laser outputted from the laser oscillator; and a control device that controls the output of the laser oscillator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the laser oscillators, wherein the plurality of laser oscillators are arranged so that laser output surfaces thereof are adjacent to each other. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The processing device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of laser oscillators are arranged in a matrix. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The processing device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of laser oscillators are arranged in a single row. ### Claim 5 A processing device that processes a member to be processed, the device comprising: a processing head that processes the member to be processed; a heating head that heats the member to be processed, the heating head including a laser oscillator, which has a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips that output a laser and a substrate on the surface of which the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips are arranged in a matrix, and a guidance optical system that guides the laser outputted from the laser oscillator; and a control device that controls the heating of the member to be processed by controlling the output of the laser oscillator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the processing head processes the member to be processed by irradiating the member to be processed with a laser. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the heating head is fixed to the processing head. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the guidance optical system includes a focusing unit that focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips, and an optical fiber cable on which the laser focused by the focusing unit is incident and that transmits the laser. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the laser oscillator includes a cooling mechanism that cools the substrate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls a laser power distribution of the vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips of the laser oscillator. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing is one of three-dimensional printing, cladding, welding, surface treatment, boring a hole, cutting, and engraving. ### Claim 13 A processing method for processing a member to be processed by irradiating the member to be processed with a laser, the method comprising: outputting a laser having a wavelength of no greater than 1,070 nm from a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips arranged in a matrix on a surface; and processing the member to be processed by guiding the outputted laser using a guidance optical system. ### Claim 14 A processing method for processing a member to be processed by irradiating the member to be processed with a laser, the method comprising: heating the member to be processed by outputting a laser from a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips arranged in a matrix on a surface and guiding the outputted laser using a guidance optical system; and processing the member to be processed using a processing head. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The processing device according to claim 6, wherein the heating head is fixed to the processing head. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The processing device according to claim 2, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 3) The processing device according to claim 3, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The processing device according to claim 4, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 5) The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed. ### Claim 20 (depends on 6) The processing device according to claim 6, wherein the guidance optical system focuses the laser outputted from the plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser diode chips onto the member to be processed.