Processing apparatus including a three-dimensional interferometric imager

A processing apparatus comprising:

• workpiece holding means having a holding surface for holding a workpiece;
• processing means, including laser beam applying means, for processing said workpiece held on the holding surface of said workpiece holding means;
• feeding means for relatively moving said workpiece holding means and said processing means in an X direction as a feeding direction;
• an imaging means for detecting a subject area of said workpiece, held on the holding surface of said workpiece holding means, to be laser processed by said laser beam applying means;
• a three-dimensional imaging mechanism for imaging said workpiece held on the holding surface of said workpiece holding means, after laser processing in three dimensions composed of said X direction, a Y direction perpendicular to said X direction, and a Z direction perpendicular to both said X direction and said Y direction and then outputting an image signal obtained above;
• control means for generating a three-dimensional image according to said image signal output from said three-dimensional imaging mechanism;
• and
• output means for outputting said three-dimensional image generated by said control means,
• wherein said three-dimensional imaging mechanism includes:
• an imaging device having a plurality of pixels arranged in said X direction and said Y direction,
• focusing means opposed to the holding surface of said workpiece holding means,
• light applying means for applying light through said focusing means to said workpiece held on the holding surface of said workpiece holding means,
• interference light generating means for generating interference light according to return light reflected on said workpiece held on the holding surface of said workpiece holding means,
• first Z direction moving means for moving said three-dimensional imaging mechanism in said Z direction independently of said laser beam applying means,
• second Z direction moving means for moving said focusing means in said Z direction, and
• Z position detecting means for detecting the Z position of said three-dimensional imaging mechanism to be moved by said first Z direction moving means;
• and
• said control means obtains the X and Y coordinates of said pixels in said imaging device means that have captured the interference light having a high intensity as generated by said interference light generating means at every Z position according to a Z position signal from said Z position detecting means and an image signal from said imaging device and then generates said three-dimensional image according to said X and Y coordinates obtained at every Z position.