Adaptive optimization in ultrafast laser material processing (Plenary Paper)

Abstract

Ultrafast lasers promise to become attractive and reliable tools for material processing on micro- and nanoscale. The additional possibility to temporally tailor ultrashort laser pulses by Fourier synthesis of spectral components enables extended opportunities for optimal processing of materials. An experimental demonstration of the technique showing the possibility to design particular excitation sequences tailored with respect to the individual material response will be described, laying the groundwork for adaptive optimization in materials structuring. We report recent results related to the implementation of self-learning, adaptive loops based on temporal shaping of the ultrafast laser pulses to control laser-induced phenomena for practical applications. Besides the fundamental interest, it is shown that under particular excitation conditions involving modulated excitation, the energy flow can be controlled and the material response can be guided to improve processing results. Examples are given illuminating the possibility to control and manipulate the kinetic properties of ions emitted from laser irradiated semiconductor samples using excitation sequences synchronized with the phase transformation characteristic times.