Laser micromachining with short pulsed fiber lasers

Abstract

There is an increased interest in the laser micromachining of variable shape and size features for a wide variety of materials. Quality and throughput requirements continue to rise, with tighter tolerances regarding dimensional and positional accuracy. Consequently, improved laser sources and manufacturing techniques, with advanced system integration and process control need to be developed to address increasingly demanding industry requirements.This paper discusses recent advances enabled by a new generation of IPG Photonics (IPGP) fiber lasers with short pulse duration in the picosecond and nanosecond regimes.Examples are given using a new fiber laser operating at near IR (1064 nm) that combines high average power (30 W) and high pulse energy up to 1 mJ with the capability of adjusting pulse duration from 150 ps to 5 ns. Application results are shown discussing how the pulse duration can be adjusted to optimize machining quality and throughput in micro milling ceramics, thin film patterning, and marking of metals.A new generation of green (532 nm) fiber lasers operating in the nanosecond regime is also introduced. IPGP’s pulsed green fiber lasers provide high peak power with scalable average output power up to 50 W and constant pulse duration of ∼ 1 ns. Applications include high quality cutting & drilling of polymers from PEEK, to silicone, epoxy, and FR4.Laser micromachining techniques and their implementation in high-volume manufacturing workstations are also discussed.There is an increased interest in the laser micromachining of variable shape and size features for a wide variety of materials. Quality and throughput requirements continue to rise, with tighter tolerances regarding dimensional and positional accuracy. Consequently, improved laser sources and manufacturing techniques, with advanced system integration and process control need to be developed to address increasingly demanding industry requirements.This paper discusses recent advances enabled by a new generation of IPG Photonics (IPGP) fiber lasers with short pulse duration in the picosecond and nanosecond regimes.Examples are given using a new fiber laser operating at near IR (1064 nm) that combines high average power (30 W) and high pulse energy up to 1 mJ with the capability of adjusting pulse duration from 150 ps to 5 ns. Application results are shown discussing how the pulse duration can be adjusted to optimize machining quality and throughput in micro milling ceramics, thin film patterning, and marking...