Method and apparatus for producing a thin mesh utilizing a laser and mask system

摘要

A laser and mask system is disclosed which can produce a variety of thin meshes, in different materials, without exchanging masks. One device includes a laser oscillator which emits an excimer laser beam through a mask to project a plurality of laser beams onto a thin material. A translator device moves the thin material and the laser beams relative to each other in order to simultaneously create through holes of a desired shape in the thin material. A storage device stores information relating to the desired shape and a control device reads the information from the storage device and provides control signals to the laser and the translator device in accordance with the information. Another device includes an optical system for varying a magnification and a focus of the laser beams in order to create the through holes in the thin material. In another device, the mask has through holes aligned in a sequential pattern along a line and a feeding device advances the thin material parallel to the line. In yet another device, the mask includes two submasks which are overlaid such that their respective openings overlap. An adjusting device varies the degree of overlap in order to create the desired mask pattern.