LASER BEAM MACHINING APPARATUS AND METHOD, DEBRIS RECOVERY MECHANISM AND METHOD, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF DISPLAY PANEL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently remove machining scatterings produced from a workpiece when performing a patterning by irradiating the workpiece with a laser beam to reduce debris stuck to the workpiece. SOLUTION: In patterning a resin film or a metallic film 26 that is formed on a substrate 4 using a laser beam 3, debris recovery is performed with a debris recovering means 22 which includes: a transmitting window 19 for transmitting the laser beam 3; a vortex generating mechanism 23a that generates a vortex air current B by making gases C1, C2, C3, C4 flow into near the laser beam irradiation part of the resin film or the metallic film 26; and a shielding means 42 that has an opening 42a for passing an incident laser beam 3 and that shields the flow of the machining scatterings. First, the debris recovering means 22 is made close to the target film 26 for machining, with the laser beam 3 emitted thereto. Then, the machining scatterings generated by the irradiation of the laser beam 3, before and after being deposited on the target film 26, are entrained in the vortex air current and exhausted outside through the opening 42a of the shielding means 42. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT