Picosecond And Femtosecond Lasers Perform Previously Impossible Tasks

Conventional production lasers have been successfully used for many years to perform manufacturing tasks ranging from scribing to drilling to cutting. However, conventional lasers can cause thermal or mechanical damage such as burrs and cracks or unwanted changes in the surface condition of sensitive materials. A new class of lasers with ultra-short pulsed outputs ranging from picoseconds to femtoseconds (10-12 or 10-15 seconds) overcome the disadvantages of conventional lasers and protect the material being processed. These ultra-short pulsed lasers actually enable certain production steps, particularly when drilling, milling and cutting micromaterials in the microscopically small range.

For example, high-powered ultra-short pulsed lasers can drill much smaller and more precise holes for diesel fuel injection nozzles than has been previously possible. Since the fuel dispensed through these tiny holes is more finely atomized, soot particles are minimized and fuel consumption is reduced.

"Ultra-short pulsed lasers have the potential to replace traditional production processes for cutting, drilling and material removing in many areas" said Dr. Sascha Weiler, Micromachining Product Manager, Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH. "However, they also permit entirely new applications which have not been conceivable to date. Ultra-short pulsed lasers are very efficient because the energy has an effect in exactly the place where it should without heat or any other influences on the surrounding area. The process is therefore especially suitable for fine machining operations and sensitive materials."

LASER World of PHOTONICS 2011 will present the latest solutions in the area of ultra-short pulsed lasers at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from May 23 to 26, 2011. The show will feature a separate exhibition area entitled "Lasers and laser systems in production engineering" during the trade fair. Companies and research institutes will exhibit new ultra-short picosecond and femtosecond pulsed lasers. Their high performance and robust design are opening up new industry applications including cutting silicon wafers and composite fiber materials, microstructuring of surfaces and very fine, very precise drilling.

New possibilities for production engineering
Ultra-short picosecond pulsed lasers are already used in production engineering. "Especially in LED production, ultra-short pulsed lasers recently started replacing the current nanosecond lasers", said Dr. Müller, Director Marketing/Sales, Lumera Laser. "It has been revealed that in LED dicing, i.e. separation of LEDs, high diode efficiency and higher output can be attained using picosecond lasers." His company will present these and other industrial picosecond lasers from 6 to 60 Watts.

Picosecond lasers are also used in the printing industry to produce print cylinders, in toolmaking and in glass processing to produce touch displays. High Q Laser, Austria, will exhibit its latest generation of picosecond pulsed lasers. The new lasers are extremely compact - just 0.8" x 0.5" x 0.375" - and are small and robust enough to retrofit into existing systems.

Femtosecond lasers attaining market maturity
The first generation of femtosecond lasers were used for eye surgery, and had very limited output power. The next generation of ultra-short femtosecond pulsed lasers are now reaching market maturity. Beam output power up to 10W are making possible applications such as exact microstructuring and nanostructuring of thin-film solar cells.

TOPAG Lasertechnik GmbH., will exhibit 10W femtosecond lasers made by Light Conversion GmbH, Lithuania. The lasers are temperature-stabilized and hermetically sealed, making them suitable for both laboratory and industrial environments without modification.

Increasing output power for wider use
The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) will demonstrate a remarkable femtosecond laser with an average output of 830 Watts. The Institute will present its research and their application to material processing both in the exhibition area of LASER World of PHOTONICS and during the practical talks in the World of Photonics Congress.

Many other exhibitors will also present ultra-short pulsed lasers at the trade fair. They include

• Coherent Deutschland GmbH
• Edgewave GmbH
• High Q Laser Innovation GmbH
• Lumera Laser GmbH
• Kaiserslautern and Rofin Sinar Laser GmbH

Ultra-short pulsed lasers and production engineering - World of Photonics Congress
The World of Photonics Congress (May 22 to 26, Munich International Congress Center) will focus on ultra-short pulsed laser innovations for industrial production. Lasers in industrial production will be examined during the Lasers in Manufacturing Conference (LIM 2011), organized by the German Scientific Laser Society (WLT). Messe München, Bayerisches Laserzentrum GmbH and the Institute for Machine Tools and Management Science of Munich Technical University are jointly staging a special show entitled "Photons in Production" in Hall C1 which will be devoted to the topic of laser manufacturing, and specifically resource efficiency.

The topic of ultra-short pulsed lasers will be discussed during several practical talks in the World of Photonics Congress. These talks will describe the possibilities of the practical use of lasers and photonics. The talk entitled "Latest applications of highly brilliant and short-pulsed laser systems" on May 25 will discuss ultra-short pulsed lasers for different application aspects. The practical talk entitled "Energy & Lightweight Construction: Laser Enables Productivity & Quality" on May 23 will deal with the topic area of production engineering. Both practical talks will take place on Stand 569 in Hall C2 during the Photonics Forum.

About LASER World of PHOTONICS
LASER World of PHOTONICS is regarded as the home base of the photonics industry. According to a survey conducted by Infratest, 98% of exhibitors and 97% of visitors were extremely satisfied with the trade fair and intend to return in 2011. In addition to business objectives, the cultivation of contacts in the industry plays a very important role for all participants.

This year will feature four focus topics "Lasers and Laser Systems in Production", "Green Photonics", "Biophotonics and Life Sciences" and "Security and Defense".

LASER World of PHOTONICS has been held every two years since 1973. In 2009 it attracted 1,034 exhibitors and 25,365 visitors. The number of exhibitors and visitors from outside Germany has risen continuously and is presently 57% for exhibitors and 51% for visitors.

A sister event, LASER World of PHOTONICS China, is the leading regional trade show for optical technologies in China. It takes place in Shanghai March 15-17, 2011.

Claudia Sixl, Project Group Leader for LASER World of PHOTONICS at Messe München, explains the special nature of this event: "Due to the close connection between industry and research at an international level and the fact that LASER World of PHOTONICS covers the entire spectrum of optical technologies from components and systems through to application areas, we offer unique advantages. These advantages have become indispensable in a tough competitive environment with which our customers are now faced. This fact is also recognized by all the leading names in the industry through their attendance at LASER World of PHOTONICS."

Information on LASER World of PHOTONICS can be found in the Internet at www.world-of-photonics.net/en

Please click here to order your tickets online

About the World of Photonics Congress
The World of Photonics Congress, Europe's largest photonics conference, is organized with the cooperation of the world's leading photonics organizations. This conference will be held May 22 to 26, 2011, concurrently with the LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fair. The World of Photonics Congress conferences include:

• CLEO/Europe-EQEC, organized by the European Physical Society (EPS)
• Optofluidics and Manufacturing of Optical Components, organized by the European Optical Society (EOS)
• LIM - Lasers In Manufacturing, organized by the Scientific Laser Society (WLT)
• ECBO-European Conference on Biomedical Optics, organized by SPIE and the Optical Society of America (OSA)
• Optical Metrology, organized by SPIE Europe
• Application Panels - practical applications of lasers and photonics, organized by Messe München.

The program will also include conferences and events on material processing topics such as the "Lasers in Manufacturing" Conference (LIM 2011), which is being organized by the German Scientific Laser Society (Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Lasertechnik e.V. (WLT)).

The Congress program will include a new event, "Optofluidics", organized by the European Optical Society (EOS). The Optical Metrology Conference includes a new subconference, "Videometrics" in addition to its traditional program contents. More information about the Congress is available at: www.photonics-congress.com .

About Messe München International
Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world's leading trade-fair companies. It organizes around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and key high-tech industries. Each year over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part in the events in Munich. In addition, MMI organizes trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and South America. Via its six subsidiaries - in Europe and in Asia - and 64 foreign representatives actively serving over 90 countries, MMI has a worldwide business network. Environmental protection and sustainability are key priorities in all MMI´s operations, at home and abroad. Further information: www.messe-muenchen.com .

With a combined total of 1,300 exhibitors and more than 50,000 visitors in Munich and Shanghai, Messe München International is one of the world's leading trade show organizers for lasers and photonics. The World of Photonics websites at www.world-of-photonics.net/en offer information on the photonics trade shows, industry information, market data, details on product innovations, and application reports.

SOURCE: LASER World of PHOTONICS