Product

RAPID

November 9, 2009

The new RAPID™ series consists of four industrial picosecond lasers with 6W, 18W, 25W, and 50W average power, respectively. The laser output features excellent beam quality (and hence focusability) with less than 10ps pulses at 1,064nm and even shorter pulses at its optional harmonics. RAPID™ series lasers are predominantly used in high quality micromachining applications where spatial resolution, reproducibility and precision in the μm/nm range are of utmost importance.

All RAPID™ systems are based on a 50MHz mode locked oscillator which generates a ~10ps-pulse-train. A fast electro-optical switch down-selects single ps-pulses (or a programmed pulse sequences for burst mode operation) for subsequent amplification at repetition rates of up to 2MHz. The combination of high pulse energy and high repetition rate enables very high average power.

The RAPID™ is a 6W average power laser with >40μJ @ 100kHz and >6μJ @ 1MHz. Its laser head is completely sealed and temperature controlled. The embedded control software allows the user to pre-program single pulses, double pulses or groups of pulses with variable delay (bursts). These pulse sequences can be triggered internally with repetition rates of up to 1MHz (optionally to 2MHz) or externally via TTL pulses (pulse on demand). The flexible trigger options allow for straight forward integration into machining systems. Even LUMERA LASER’s lowest average power model, the RAPID™, provides sufficient pulse energy to surpass the ablation threshold up to 1MHz and optionally generate harmonics at 532nm and 355nm.

The new price reduction total cost of ownership has been lowered to about €8 / hr. More specifically, one can machine three perfect 20μm diameter holes in a 50μm steel foil in less than one minute, which results in a cost per hole of less than €0.05.