Photonics Spectra: femtosecond This is the syndication feed for Photonics Spectra: femtosecond. https://www.photonics.com/Splash.aspx?Tag=femtosecond Fri, 29 Mar 2024 06:16:19 GMT Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:14:38 GMT 1800 TRAQC Awarded Top Prize at 2024 SPIE Startup Challenge
During a ceremony yesterday at SPIE Photonics West, TRAQC was named as the winner of the $10,000 top prize at the 14th annual SPIE Startup Challenge. Their real-time inspection solution for the printed electronics industry uses terahertz radiation and metamaterial technology to ensure quality while reducing waste.
(From left) Jenoptik’s Ralf Kuschnereit, TRAQC's Benjamin Dringoli, and 2024 SPIE President Jennifer Barton. Courtesy of SPIE.
ClearVision, developer of a noninvasive alternative to permanent vision-correction surgeries based on corneal sculpting with femtosecond laser technology, received $5,000 for second place. UriMetrics came in third, winning $2,500 for their lens-free imaging solution for reducing the incidence...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/TRAQC_Awarded_Top_Prize_at_2024_SPIE_Startup/p5/a69686 A69686 Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:14:38 GMT
Femtosecond Fiber Laser Ushers in New Class of Visible Sources
Researchers from Laval University reported the development of the first fiber laser that can produce femtosecond pulses in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Fiber lasers producing ultrashort, bright visible-wavelength pulses could be useful for a variety of biomedical applications as well as other areas such as material processing.

Visible femtosecond pulses are usually obtained using complex and inherently inefficient setups. Although fiber lasers represent a promising alternative due to their ruggedness, reliability, small footprint, efficiency, lower cost, and high brightness, it hasn’t been possible, until now, to produce visible pulses with durations in the femtosecond (10−15 s) range directly with...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Femtosecond_Fiber_Laser_Ushers_in_New_Class_of/p5/a69148 A69148 Mon, 10 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Laser Method Drills Taper-, Crack-Free Holes in Glass
Researchers from the Institute of Intense Lasers and Applications (CELIA) at the University of Bordeaux have developed a glass micro-drilling method using a femtosecond laser operating in gigahertz-burst (GHz burst) mode. The researchers used the method to achieve taper-free, elongated holes with smooth inner walls without creating cracks in the glass.

Typically, laser drilling with standard single femtosecond pulses results in tapered holes of strongly limited length and rough inner surface. The laser-matter interaction regime permits the drilling of holes with high aspect ratio in a single step without any chemical etching.

The operating regime of the femtosecond laser in gigahertz-bursts instead of repetitive single pulses...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Laser_Method_Drills_Taper-_Crack-Free_Holes_in/p5/a68688 A68688 Tue, 17 Jan 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Juronis Takes Over as EKSPLA CEO
Vilnius, Lithuania-based high-speed laser technology manufacturer EKSLPA has appointed Aldas Juronis CEO. He succeeds Kestutis Jasiunas in the position.
EKSPLA has named Aldas Juronis CEO. Courtesy of EKSPLA. Juronis currently serves as EKSPLA’s manager of manufacturing operations. He joined the company as supervisor of the OEM laser program four years ago, and last year he took over as head of EKSPLA’s laser manufacturing department.

With the move, which is effective this month, Ingrida Navickiene assumes management of the manufacturing unit. Outgoing CEO Jasiunas will continue in his role on the company’s board of directors, with a focus on the company’s strategic development.

EKSPLA named a president...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Juronis_Takes_Over_as_EKSPLA_CEO/p5/a68653 A68653 Wed, 04 Jan 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Ursula Keller Awarded Marcel Benoist Prize: People in the News: 09/14/22
Ursula Keller was named as the recipient of the Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist for her work in ultrafast lasers. The prize is often referred to as the “Swiss Nobel prize” and is granted to a scientist of Swiss nationality or residency for outstanding research important to human life. The award recognizes Keller’s work developing SESAM technology (semiconductor saturable absorber mirror), which enabled light pulses to be sent from solid-state lasers at femtosecond intervals, allowing the investigation of ultrafast phenomena such as the movement of atoms or the mechanisms of chemical reactions.
ETH Zurich physics professor Ursula Keller is the recipient of the 2022 Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist. Courtesy of...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Ursula_Keller_Awarded_Marcel_Benoist_Prize/p5/a68360 A68360 Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT
Laser-Based Logic Gate Speeds Up Information Processing
A logic gate developed by researchers from the University of Rochester and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg operates at femtosecond timescales, potentially enabling information processing at the petahertz limit. Logic gates, which are the basic building blocks necessary for computation, control how incoming information taking the form of a 1 or 0 is processed. Logic gates require two input signals and yield a logic output.

In recent years, lasers have been developed that are able to generate pulses lasting a few femtoseconds to generate ultrafast bursts of electrical currents. This is done by illuminating tiny graphene-based wires connecting two gold metals. The ultrashort laser pulse sets in...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Laser-Based_Logic_Gate_Speeds_Up_Information/p5/a68025 A68025 Tue, 17 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT
EU-Funded Kilowatt-class Ultrafast Laser Achieves Milestone
Collaborators on the EU-funded LAMpAS (high throughput laser structuring with multiscale periodic feature sizes for advanced surface functionalities) project have reportedly reached the target parameters of a kilowatt-class ultrafast laser. TRUMPF developed the pulsed laser, which in tests exceeded 1.5 kW of average optical power and operated at gigawatt-class peak power, with fundamental mode beam quality at a near-infrared wavelength of 1 μm.

A demonstrator system will be integrated into a machine designed for industrial laser micro-machining of larger square-meter-size surfaces within the LAMpAS project.

The LAMpAS project is an initiative of the Photonics Public Private Partnership. It began in 2019 with a grant of...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/EU-Funded_Kilowatt-class_Ultrafast_Laser_Achieves/p5/a67571 A67571 Wed, 08 Dec 2021 07:00:00 GMT
Fluence Opens Micromachining Facility
The micromachining station is composed of positioning stages, galvoscanners, and various fixed and beam-shaping optics. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including Fluence’s Jasper 30 femtosecond fiber laser. Additionally, partnerships with SCANLAB, ACS Motion Control, Direct Machining Control, and Holo/Or have provided the facility with additional equipment to enable the machining of large samples with precise motion...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Fluence_Opens_Micromachining_Facility/p5/a67531 A67531 Tue, 23 Nov 2021 09:26:55 GMT
Ti:Sapphire Laser Breaks Record for Pulse Intensity
At the Center for Relativistic Laser Science (CoReLS, Institute for Basic Science in the Republic of Korea), researchers report they have achieved high-laser pulse intensity of over 1023 W/cm2. The intensity, the researchers said, is a record that is approximately 10× higher than that previously reported by a team at the University of Michigan in 2004.

The ultrahigh intensity pulses will enable exploration of complex interactions between light and matter in ways not previously possible

The achievement builds on previous work in which the researchers demonstrated a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser system that produced 4 petawatt (PW) pulses with durations of less than 20 fs while focused to a 1-µm spot. The laser,...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/TiSapphire_Laser_Breaks_Record_for_Pulse/p5/a66958 A66958 Thu, 06 May 2021 10:00:00 GMT
Partnership to Launch SYLOS3 Laser System
The Extreme Light Infrastructure Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) facility, a European research center aimed at providing the international research community with exceptional laser pulses and secondary sources, and a consortium between fiber laser developer EKSPLA and femtosecond laser source provider Light Conversion UAB are collaborating to build a laser system called SYLOS3. The approximately €6 million laser system, for which delivery is planned for 2022, will be installed at ELI-ALPS’ headquarters in Hungary.

The system will feature more than 15 TW peak power at a repletion rate of 1 KHz and a fewer than 8-femtosceond pulse duration. SYLOS3 will operate at more than 3× higher peak power than the SYLOS2A...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Partnership_to_Launch_SYLOS3_Laser_System/p5/a66509 A66509 Thu, 17 Dec 2020 07:00:00 GMT
Single-cavity Laser Emits High-Power, Dual-Comb Femtosecond Pulses
The researchers used a single laser cavity multiplexed with birefringent calcite crystals to allow for lasing in the two polarization states, and combined this birefringent crystal polarization multiplexing technique with a diode-pumped solid-state...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Single-cavity_Laser_Emits_High-Power_Dual-Comb/p5/a66293 A66293 Wed, 21 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT
LENSAR Spinoff Completed
LENSAR is a commercial-stage medical device company focused on designing, developing, and marketing an advanced femtosecond laser system for the treatment of cataracts and the management of preexisting or surgically induced corneal astigmatism. Its LENSAR Laser System incorporates a range of proprietary technologies designed to assist surgeons in obtaining better outcomes, efficiency, and reproducibility through advanced imaging and procedure planning.]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/LENSAR_Spinoff_Completed/p5/a66240 A66240 Tue, 06 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT
Ultrafast Yellow Laser Ramps Up the Power for Biomedical Applications
Researchers at the Physical Research Laboratory at Gujarat University have developed a compact and ultrafast high-power yellow laser. The tunable laser shows excellent beam quality, helping fill a need for a practical yellow light source emitting ultrafast light pulses.

While studies have shown lasers in the yellow spectral range are useful for certain medical treatments, their wavelengths are typically created using bulky and inefficient copper vapor lasers, dye lasers, and optical parametric oscillators. These sources have been successful in their use for various applications but suffer from drawbacks that can include low average power, the lack of an optimal spatial beam profile, limited or no wavelength tunability, and broad...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Ultrafast_Yellow_Laser_Ramps_Up_the_Power_for/p5/a66160 A66160 Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT
Researchers Define New Law in Laser Physics Via Pulsation
Scientists at the University of Sydney Institute of Photonics and Optical Science have developed a new type of laser that can deliver high amounts of energy in short bursts, with potential applications in eye and heart surgery or the engineering of delicate materials.


Antoine Runge in a lab at the University of Sydney’s School of Physics. Courtesy of Louise Cooper and the University of Sydney.
“This laser has the property that as its pulse duration decreases to less than a trillionth of a second, its energy could go through the roof,” said Martijn de Sterke, the director the institute. “This makes them ideal candidates for the processing of materials that require short, powerful pulses. One application...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Researchers_Define_New_Law_in_Laser_Physics_Via/p5/a65814 A65814 Thu, 28 May 2020 13:09:52 GMT
Research Group Develops Thermo-Photoluminescence for Rapid Imaging and Measurement
Today, the most common optical technique for imaging and measurement of thermal conductivity of semiconductors is time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR), in which a femtosecond pump pulse is used to heat up the sample through a metal film. While widely adopted, the difficulties are well known. Besides the expensive femtosecond lasers, the samples have to be polished to provide a clean, flat surface for a controlled thermal contact with the metal film, so TDTR is invasive and requires careful sample preparation.

To overcome these shortcomings, a joint research group from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, University of Houston, Sichuan University, and Baylor University developed a nondestructive k measurement...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Research_Group_Develops_Thermo-Photoluminescence/p5/a65793 A65793 Wed, 20 May 2020 08:00:00 GMT
Scientists Develop Spectrometer to Detect Molecular Signatures
The research team led by Ferenc Krausz of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics built its device to capture spectra of infrared light, revealing the molecular signatures of precancerous and malignant cells that are often found in biological samples too small to detect.

The research builds on technologies originally developed in the LAP for the production of ultrashort laser pulses. The spectrometer, built by Ioachim Pupeza and his colleagues, is designed to emit pulses of laser light...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Scientists_Develop_Spectrometer_to_Detect/p5/a65422 A65422 Thu, 02 Jan 2020 12:03:10 GMT
NASA Team Experimenting with Femtosecond Lasers
An ultrafast laser that fires pulses of light 100 millionths of a nanosecond in duration could potentially revolutionize the way that NASA technicians manufacture and ultimately assemble instrument components made of dissimilar materials.

A team of optical physicists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has been experimenting with a femtosecond laser and has already shown that it can effectively weld glass to copper and glass to glass, as well as drill hair-sized pinholes in different materials.

Now the group, led by optical physicist Robert Lafon, is expanding its research into more exotic glass such as sapphire and Zerodur, and metals such as titanium, Invar, Kovar, and aluminum — materials...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/NASA_Team_Experimenting_with_Femtosecond_Lasers/p5/a64366 A64366 Thu, 07 Feb 2019 15:26:01 GMT
Ultrafast Optics Faces Challenges Outside of Research Labs
Ultrafast optics is currently a scientifically dominated area with a lot of dynamics in both research and development. Often, complex setups make it challenging to create compact devices that can be employed for applications outside of the laboratory or in medical environments.

But stepping toward commercial approaches goes hand in hand with the development of industry-proven fiber lasers, as well as multifunctional and multimodal microscopy technologies.

Doctoral students adjust the pump laser of a high-repetition rate optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) at the Munich-Centre for Advanced Photonics (MAP). Courtesy of Thorsten Naeser/Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics.
Today, ultrashort laser pulses with...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Ultrafast_Optics_Faces_Challenges_Outside_of/p5/a62238 A62238 Mon, 10 Jul 2017 15:08:18 GMT
FS Pulses in Mid-IR Wavelengths Could Reveal Inner Workings of Atoms
Much like a musical synthesizer combines notes to generate a new sound, the laser pulse synthesizer combines pulses from the range of mid-IR wavelengths to generate shorter pulses. When the pulses are combined, constructive interference in the middle of the pulses is...]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/FS_Pulses_in_Mid-IR_Wavelengths_Could_Reveal/p5/a61284 A61284 Tue, 01 Nov 2016 16:00:00 GMT
Ultrafast Lasers Enable High-Density Data Storage
A laser-based data storage and retrieval technique could increase the storage capacity of conventional optical discs, such as DVD and Blu-ray, without the need for special preparatory steps. The scalable technique stores information bits in a multilayer structure using the 3D volume of the disc, and ultrafast lasers are used to keep the changes in the disc on a micron scale.

Conventional discs can currently be transformed into ultrahigh capacity storage media by encoding multilevel and multiplexed information within the 3D volume of the recording medium. However, in most cases the recording medium must be photosensitive, which requires doping with photochromic molecules or nanoparticles.

5-bit (32 grey-level) image fabrication....]]>
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Ultrafast_Lasers_Enable_High-Density_Data_Storage/p5/a60815 A60815 Wed, 22 Jun 2016 08:20:42 GMT