Feb. 27, 2024
Specialty Optical Fibers
The development of rare-earth-doped fibers, which began in the 1980s, has resulted in the development and utilization of a wide variety of fibers that are critical components for fiber amplifiers and lasers of many types – for example, erbium-doped telecom fiber amplifiers, ytterbium- or thulium-doped high-power lasers, and fiber amplifier systems for short and ultrashort light pulses. Author Rudiger Paschotta delivers a technological overview of these fiber types, explores their key properties, and defines aspects of their use in established lasing applications. Plus, a focus on special variants such as large mode area active fibers and multi-core fibers.
Key Technologies: Optical Fiber, Fiber Amplifiers, Telecom Fiber, and Fiber Lasers, Rare-Earths/Materials Science, Multicore Fibers, Optical Design and Simulation
Lasers in Industrial Production
The market for laser-based additive manufacturing is more informed and better educated than ever before; today's engineers well-know the benefits of additively manufactured parts, both in terms of production efficiency and functionality, and are quick to implement these parts into their designs as a result. A continuous adoption of higher power (to increase building rate) and improvements to beam shaping optics (to optimize melt quality) are core drivers of this trend. Raylase isolates these two themes and overviews recent progress in these areas to frame the narrative of how laser-based additive manufacturing has become a fully accepted production technology. Improvements to individual processes such as welding and laser sintering are discussed through the broader lens.
Key Technologies: Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing, Materials Processing, Alignment (Rotary and Positioning Stages), Beam Focusing, Beam Shaping, Beam Shaping Optics
Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing
For the printing and coating of metal components, the processes of laser powder bad fusion (LPBF) and laser material deposition (LMD) have achieved legacy status. These established and highly effective techniques flourish on the laser-based additive manufacturing value chain -- where the need to upgrade classic and legacy components to more complex parts, as well as the need to repair, or salvage previously-used parts are at a premium. Still, technological progress is ongoing in laser-based additive manufacturing. At Fraunhofer ILT, an extreme high-speed laser material deposition (EHLA) process has now been extended into the realm of 3D printing, where it offers significant advantages to performance and yield. The current five-axis CNC system brings together high precision with high feed rates for additive manufacturing, free-form coating, and component repair, all via EHLA. The system, and its capabilities, are attracting attention attention from industry players.
Key Technologies: Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing, Materials Processing, Alignment (Rotary and Positioning Stages), Beam Focusing
MicroLEDs
Technological hurdles to the mass manufacture of MicroLEDs are well documented, existing as the overarching bottleneck to the mass adoption of this highly coveted technology. As laser transfer technologies continue to improve, the display industry itself -- specifically, the MicroLED Industry Association -- has offered a "roadmap" to for the evolution of the technology. Contributing editor James Schlett dissects this early iteration roadmap with a focus on the (high-end) applications that are driving current demand for MicroLED technology; laser-based solutions targeting the processes needed for scalable MicroLED manufacturing; and the industry players innovating and benefitting from innovations in this technology area.
Key Technologies: Displays Manufacturing, GaN MicroLEDs, UV Lasers in Manufacturing (focus on diode-pumped solid-state lasers especially), MicroLEDs, DUV Sources (UV excimer lasers especially), Semiconductor Process Metrology, Quantum Dots in Displays
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