High-power ultrafast lasers for micromachining

Coherent Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has introduced the Talisker 500 line of industrial ultrafast lasers for precision high-throughput micromachining applications.

The Talisker 500 comes in three versions: a 10 W output UV laser (355 nm), a 15 W green laser (532 nm), and 25 W infrared laser (1064 nm). Repetition rate has been improved to 500 kHz Short pulse duration (10 ps) and flexible wavelength options makes the Talisker 500 ideal for micromachining applications (e.g. microelectronics) where peripheral laser damage, the heat-affected zone (HAZ), must be avoided but without sacrificing throughput. The system is based on a modular fiber laser with regenerative amplifier platform, Coherent AAA (aluminum free active area) pump diodes, and long-lifetime harmonics generation. The laser head, power supply, and control interfaces are compact (1020 mm × 390 mm × 170 mm), and mirror the company's current Talisker Ultra revision.

Applications include micromachining involving delicate, thin film, and hard, wide-bandgap materials such as glass and ceramics. Examples include semiconductors (silicon scribing and dicing, drilling of through silicon vias, and scribing of low-k dielectrics), LED fabrication (scribing sapphire substrates), and solar and displays (scribing various thin films, including transparent conductive oxides).