Controlled depth laser drilling system
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsWilliam H. Kasner, James F. Roach, Vincent A. Toth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A controlled depth laser drilling system for a workpiece containing metallic conductors is provided having at least one laser beam (56 and/or 57 of FIG. 5) where a portion of the laser beam (44) will be reflected from the workpiece and back to a drilling depth monitoring means (43) containing optical means capable of reflecting a portion of the original and reflected laser beams into radiation detector means (46', 46" and/or 45', 45"), where the detector means are capable of converting the radiation received into a measurable electrical signals.
Claims18
A controlled depth laser drilling system for a workpiece which contains metallic conductors and a substrate, the laser drilling system comprising:
- (1) a first laser transmitting means for emitting an original laser beam capable of penetrating metal and substrate material, where the substrate comprises organic resin impregnated fibrous material, and a second laser transmitting means for emitting an original laser beam capable of penetrating substrate material but substantially reflective from metal where a portion of said laser beams will be reflected from the workpiece;
- (2) drilling depth monitoring means comprising optical means capable of:
- (a) focusing each laser beam on the workpiece, (b) reflecting a portion of both original laser beams into a first set of radiation detector means, and (c) reflecting a portion of both laser beams reflected from the workpiece into a second set of radiation detector means, where both sets of detector means are capable of converting received radiation into an electrical signal;
- and
- (3) means to measure said electrical signals.
A laser drilling system containing a laser beam for drilling holes in a substrate which contains metal material, where a portion of the laser beam may be reflected from the substrate, the laser beam having optical lens to focus the laser beam on the substrate, the improvement characterized by use of two laser beams, where the first laser beam can penetrate metal material and substrate material, and the second laser beam can penetrate substrate material but not metal material and is substantially reflective from metal material, and additional optical elements capable of reflecting a portion of reflected laser beams into a radiation detector means where the detector means converts the received radiation into an electrical signal, which electrical signal is measured.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.