Open AccessBeam Shaping for Advanced Laser Materials Processing
Author(s) -
Fuse Keiji
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
laser technik journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1863-9119
pISSN - 1613-7728
DOI - 10.1002/latj.201500011
Subject(s) - optics , laser beam quality , beam (structure) , materials science , laser , lens (geology) , beam parameter product , gaussian beam , beam diameter , computer science , laser beams , physics
For recent industrial materials processing with advanced high power lasers, beam shaping optics are utilized as a key technology. Aspheric or diffractive beam shapers transform a Gaussian intensity profile of a single mode (TEM 00 ) laser beam into a flattop one. While an aspheric beam shaper can make a circular flattop, a diffractive one can realize much flexibility in output beam shapes, like square, rectangular, linear, or other complex beam shapes. The beam shaping is often combined with a scanning optical system, consisting of galvanometric mirrors and an f‐theta lens. Those beam shapers are used for either pulsed or CW single mode laser applications, i. e. ablation, cutting, drilling, scribing, annealing, etc. of thin films or bulk materials. This article describes principles, design concepts and specification examples of those optical systems used in practical applications.