This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 9736, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, Introduction (if any), and Conference Committee listing.

The use of glass in semiconductor industry has been growing during the past years and the grow is estimated to continue and accelerate considerably during the coming years. For efficient manufacturing, especially when using ultra-thin wafers, novel bonding technologies are needed. In this paper, a laser assisted additive free glass-glass welding technology is presented. Furthermore, the use of laser assisted welding to manufacture hermetic packages for optical components is investigated. The reliability and robustness of the weld and the process is verified by damp heat (85 °C at 85% RH) testing. A large quantity, one hundred samples, was tested to define the repeatability of the welding process. D263T, a glass type commonly used in manufacturing consumer products, was selected.

Glass-glass welding proved to be a reliable bonding method offering a non-outgassing, room temperature bonding. In addition, it was verified that the weld is hermetic having a good resistance to high temperature and moisture conditions. No changes in the welding seams were observed during or after damp heat testing.

Laser Micromachining is well established in industry. Depending on the application lasers with pulse length from μseconds to femtoseconds and wavelengths from 1064nm and its harmonics up to 5μm or 10.6μm are used. Ultrafast laser machining using pulses with pico or femtosecond duration pulses is gaining traction, as it offers very precise processing of materials with low thermal impact. Large-scale industrial ultrafast laser applications show that the market can be divided into various sub segments. One set of applications demand low power around 10W, compact footprint and are extremely sensitive to the laser price whilst still demanding 10ps or shorter laser pulses. A second set of applications are very power hungry and only become economically feasible for large scale deployments at power levels in the 100+W class. There is also a growing demand for applications requiring fs-laser pulses. In our presentation we would like to describe these sub segments by using selected applications from the automotive and electronics industry e.g. drilling of gas/diesel injection nozzles, dicing of LED substrates. We close the presentation with an outlook to micromachining applications e.g. glass cutting and foil processing with unique new CO lasers emitting 5μm laser wavelength.

We demonstrate how the coupling between (i) polarization of the writing laser beam, (ii) tight focusing and (iii) heat conduction affects the size, shape and absorption in the laser-affected area and therefore the polymerization process. It is possible to control the sizes of 3D laser-produced structure at the scale of several nanometers. Specifically we were able to tune the aspect ratio of 3D suspended line up to 20% in hybrid SZ2080 resist. The focal spot of tightly focused linearly polarized beam has an elliptical form with the long axis in the field direction. It is shown here that this effect is enhanced by increase in the electronic heat conduction when polarization coincide with temperature gradient along with the absorption. Overlapping of three effects (i- iii) results in the difference of several tens of nanometers between two axes of the focal ellipse. Narrow line appears when polarization and scan direction coincide, while the wide line is produced when these directions are perpendicular to each other. The effect scales with the laser intensity giving a possibility to control the width of the structure on nanometer scale as demonstrated experimentally in this work. These effects are of general nature and can be observed in any laser-matter interaction experiments where plasma produced by using tight focusing of linear-polarized light.

This paper presents a method that enables fast and low-cost fabrication of microchannels with oval cross-section. The procedure is based on formation of a concave meniscus at the interface between an initially cured PDMS and a polymeric mould fabricated using excimer laser. The replica is formed by expanding gas trapped within the structures of the mould during thermal curing. A second shaping factor is connected with surface phenomena at the interface between the mould, gas and partially cured PDMS. The final shape of the meniscus is determined when the PDMS reaches the high cure extent.

Carbon nanomaterials is among the most promising technologies for advanced electronic applications, due to their extraordinary chemical and physical properties. Nonetheless, after more than two decades of intensive research, the application of carbon-based nanostructures in real electronic and optoelectronic devices is still a big challenge due to lack of scalable integration in microelectronic manufacturing. Laser processing is an attractive tool for graphene device manufacturing, providing a large variety of processes through direct and indirect interaction of laser beams with graphene lattice: functionalization, oxidation, reduction, etching and ablation, growth, etc. with resolution down to the nanoscale. Focused laser radiation allows freeform processing, enabling fully mask-less fabrication of devices from graphene and carbon nanotube films. This concept is attractive to reduce costs, improve flexibility, and reduce alignment operations, by producing fully functional devices in single direct-write operations. In this paper, a picosecond laser with a wavelength of 515 nm and pulse width of 30 ps is used to pattern carbon nanostructures in two ways: ablation and chemical functionalization. The light absorption leads to thermal ablation of graphene and carbon nanotube film under the fluence 60-90 J/cm² with scanning speed up to 2 m/s. Just under the ablation energy, the two-photon absorption leads to add functional groups to the carbon lattice which change the optical properties of graphene. This paper shows the results of controlled modification of geometrical configuration and the physical and chemical properties of carbon based nanostructures, by laser direct writing.

Over the past fifty year, lasers have perpetuated to find new, often groundbreaking applications in science and technology. The most important features of lasers are that photons are inherently free of elemental contamination, extremely high energy densities can be focused in very small areas and the laser beam can be precisely positioned using deflection mirrors. By reducing pulse lengths from a few nanoseconds down to the picosecond or femtosecond range, material’s ablation is becoming increasingly "athermal", i.e. structure damage by local heating is reduced to well below a few microns. In view of these outstanding characteristics of lasers as tools for micromachining, it is very surprising that sample preparation for microstructure diagnostics so far hasn’t made use of laser technology.

microPREP^TM, the all-new, patented laser-micromachining tool developed by 3D-Micromac is the first instrument to make fast, clean, and efficient laser ablation available for the preparation of samples for microstructure diagnostics. Exemplified for a sample to be investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and following a three-stage approach, a supporting basic structure is cut from the feedstock first. Second, the supported structure is thinned down to a few micron of residual thickness and third, the supported and thinned structure is polished using an ion broad beam.

Illustrated by numerous examples, it is shown that this technology is ready to be applied on different areas of microstructure diagnostics and has very high potential for failure diagnostics.

The 2D and 3D laser direct writing using Cu nanoparticle ink were studied using a compact blue-violet semiconductor laser. The laser direct writing based on a motion controller and G-code language program on PC enabled to prepare various kinds of shaped Cu grids which can be easily designed on-demand. A Cu grid pattern was prepared on a flexible and transparent polymer substrate and applied to a stress sensor. A star-shaped grid was fabricated a polymer substrate and the performance as a stress sensor for detecting the motion of human hand devises was demonstrated toward wearable electronics. In the preliminary 3D study, we have employed the layer-by-layer formation of a 3D structure, where cycle of the spin-coating of a metal nanoparticle ink and the laser direct writing were repeated. The 3D microstructures prepared by the 3D laser direct writing using Ag and Cu nanoparticle inks suggested the possibility of a 3D interconnection.

MultiWave Hybrid^TM laser processing allows two or more laser wavelengths to be combined into a single beam. This technology has been shown to be advantageous for laser cutting composite and laminate materials, where the individual components have different optical or physical properties. In this work we will explore the application of MultiWave Hybrid technology to the fabrication of flexible electronic circuits. The advantages of using multiple laser wavelengths for manufacturing steps, such as opening vias through a Kapton^TM insulator to an underlying copper conductor, will be demonstrated. Several rapid prototyping processes for flexible electronic circuits will be reviewed. These involve selective ablation of conductive materials to pattern an interconnect layer without the need for a costly and time consuming photolithography process. We will also investigate a process for producing laser induced graphene (LIG) from a commercially available polymer substrate.

By the use of a 16 W femtosecond laser we demonstrate steep wall angles and small feature spacings for non-thermal melt-free laser drilling and contour cutting of 100 to 500 μm thick metals like Cu-alloy, stainless steel, titanium and tantalum as well as for ceramics and polymer (polycarbonate). Especially processing of thin materials is a challenge, because heat accumulation in thermal processing usually causes mechanical distortion or edge melting as well as material.

The combination of beam deflection in trepanning optics and sample motion allowed us to work in a special "laser milling mode" with rotating beam. Zero degree taper angle as well as positive or negative tapers can be achieved at micrometer scale.

Nanotextured surfaces which have surface features spanning 10-100 nm in length and height scales are among the most promising for surface enhanced Raman scattering/spectroscopy (SERS). Randomness of the feature sizes and surface morphology of such sensors brings an added benefit of spectrally broadband action and, consequently, augmented SERS intensity. Surfaces which are most promising for high sensitivity yet cost efficient for large scale production are overviewed with black CuO, which is made by chemical oxidation of Cu foil, as a representative example. Application potential and challenges to establishing quantitative SERS measurements are outlined.

A laser-based process for the generation of phase holographic structures directly onto the surface of metals is presented. This process uses 35ns long laser pulses of wavelength 355nm to generate optically-smooth surface deformations on a metal. The laser-induced surface deformations (LISDs) are produced by either localized laser melting or the combination of melting and evaporation. The geometry (shape and dimension) of the LISDs depends on the laser processing parameters, in particular the pulse energy, as well as on the chemical composition of a metal. In this paper, we explain the mechanism of the LISDs formation on various metals, such as stainless steel, pure nickel and nickel-chromium Inconel® alloys. In addition, we provide information about the design and fabrication process of the phase holographic structures and demonstrate their use as robust markings for the identification and traceability of high value metal goods.

Electro-optical deflectors (EOD) and acousto-optical deflectors (AOD) are based on deflection of laser light within a solid state medium. As they do not contain any moving parts, they yield advantages compared to mechanical scanners which are conventionally used for laser beam deflection. Even for arbitrary scan paths high feed rates can be achieved. In this work the principles of operation and characteristic properties of EOD and AOD are presented. Additionally, a comparison to mirror based mechanical deflectors regarding deflection angles, speed and accuracy is made in terms of resolvable spots and the rate of resolvable spots. Especially, the latter one is up to one order of magnitude higher for EOD and AOD systems compared to conventional systems. Further characteristic properties such as response time, damage threshold, efficiency and beam distortions are discussed. Solid state laser beam deflectors are usually characterized by small deflection angles but high angular deflection velocities. As mechanical deflectors exhibit opposite properties an arrangement of a mechanical scanner combined with a solid state deflector provides a solution with the benefits of both systems. As ultrashort pulsed lasers with average power above 100 W and repetition rates in the MHz range have been available for several years this approach can be applied to fully exploit their capabilities. Thereby, pulse overlap can be reduced and by this means heat affected zones are prevented to provide proper processing results.

Irradiation of focused laser pulses to transparent materials leads to structural changes and can be used for the fabrication of e.g. LED light guiding components. In these applications both small spot sizes and a high lateral resolution in the μm range are absolutely essential. In order to achieve the industrially required throughput of nearly one million laser markings per second, ultrafast lasers with 100 W of average power and pulse repetition frequencies of several MHz are required. Laser machining of polymers additionally necessitates a wide spatial separation of the markings to avoid heat accumulation effects. Therefore, neither commercially available galvanometer based nor Polygon based scanners with their limited scan speed can be used for beam deflection. In our work, we developed an experimental setup based

Laser pulses in the picosecond and femtosecond regime enable nearly non-thermal material processing where heat effects like molten pools and thermal tensions are often significantly reduced. However, a residual amount of laser energy transforms into heat. As a consequence cumulative multiple shot processing leads to heat accumulation and subsequently lower manufacturing accuracy. To increase the processing throughput without losing quality, it is important to optimize the laser pulse properties and the ablation strategy to further reduce thermal effects. Due to a low heat capacity in small structures, it is necessary to consider the substrate dimensions while performing micro- and nanoprocessing. In contrast to bulk material ablation, the heat dissipation is confined by the small heat capacity of microstructures. Especially for complex structures, it is time-consuming to find efficient processing parameters manually. For this reason, an in-situ evaluation system based on electrical resistivity measurements for on-line control of the ablation process was developed to optimize the laser parameters. In the work presented, the efficiency of 35 femtosecond pulsed laser ablation was evaluated on copper structures in the micrometer range. Furthermore, these results have been compared and evaluated with surface profiles measured by white-light interferometry.

Using ultra-short laser pulses for the generation of microstructures results in a high flexible tool for free form geometries in the micro range. Increasing laser power and repetition rates increase as well the demand of high flexible and efficient process strategies. To increase the ablation efficiency the optimal fluency can be determined, which is a material specific value. By varying the beam shape, the ablation efficiency can be enhanced. In this study a deformable mirror was used to vary the beam shape. This mirror is built by combining a piezo-electric ceramic and a mirror substrate. The ceramic is divided into several segments, which can be controlled independently. This results in a high flexible deformable mirror which influences the beam shape and can be used to vary the spot size or generate line geometries. The ablation efficiency and roughness of small generated cavities were analyzed in this study as well as the dimensions of the cavity. This can be used to optimize process strategies to combine high volume ablation and fine detail generation.

In this paper, high-throughput ultrashort pulse laser machining is investigated on various industrial grade metals (Aluminium, Copper, Stainless steel) and Al₂O₃ ceramic at unprecedented processing speeds. This is achieved by using a high pulse repetition frequency picosecond laser with maximum average output power of 270 W in conjunction with a unique, in-house developed two-axis polygon scanner. Initially, different concepts of polygon scanners are engineered and tested to find out the optimal architecture for ultrafast and precision laser beam scanning. Remarkable 1,000 m/s scan speed is achieved on the substrate, and thanks to the resulting low pulse overlap, thermal accumulation and plasma absorption effects are avoided at up to 20 MHz pulse repetition frequencies. In order to identify optimum processing conditions for efficient high-average power laser machining, the depths of cavities produced under varied parameter settings are analyzed and, from the results obtained, the characteristic removal values are specified. The maximum removal rate is achieved as high as 27.8 mm³/min for Aluminium, 21.4 mm³/min for Copper, 15.3 mm³/min for Stainless steel and 129.1 mm³/min for Al₂O₃ when full available laser power is irradiated at optimum pulse repetition frequency.

Using ultra-short laser pulses for micro structuring or drilling applications reduces the thermal influence to the surrounding material. The best achievable beam profile equals a Gaussian beam. Drilling with this beam profile results in cylindrical holes. To vary the shape of the holes, the beam can either be scanned or – for single pulse and percussion drilling – manipulated by masks or lenses. A high flexible method for beam shaping can be realized by using a deformable mirror. This mirror contains a piezo-electric ceramic, which can be deformed by an electric potential. By separating the ceramic into independent controllable segments, the shape of the surface can be varied individually. Due to the closed surface of the mirror, there is no loss of intensity due to diffraction. The mirror deformation is controlled by Zernike polynomials and results e.g. in a lens behavior. In this study a deformable mirror was used to generate e.g. slits in thin steel foils by percussion drilling using ultra-short laser pulses. The influence of the cylindrical deformation to the laser beam and the resulting geometry of the generated holes was studied. It was demonstrated that due to the high update rate up to 150 Hz the mirror surface can be varied in each scan cycle, which results in a high flexible drilling process.

Ultrashort pulse lasers enable reliable and versatile high precision ablation and surface processing of various materials such as metals, polymers and semiconductors. However, when modifications deep inside the bulk of transparent media are required, nonlinear pulse material interactions can decrease the precision, since weak focusing and the long propagation of the intense pulses within the nonlinear media may induce Kerr self-focusing, filamentation and white light generation. In order to improve the precision of those modifications, simultaneous spatial and temporal focusing (SSTF) allows to reduce detrimental nonlinear interactions, because the ultrashort pulse duration is only obtained at the focus, while outside of the focal region the continuously increasing pulse duration strongly reduces the pulse intensity.

In this paper, we review the fundamental concepts of this technology and provide an overview of its applications for purposes of multiphoton microscopy and laser materials processing. Moreover, numerical simulations on the nonlinear pulse propagation within transparent media illustrate the linear and nonlinear pulse propagation, highlighting the differences between conventional focusing and SSTF. Finally, fs-laser induced modifications in gelatine are presented to compare nonlinear side-effects caused by conventional focusing and SSTF. With conventional focusing the complex interplay of self-focusing and filamentation induces strongly inhomogeneous, elongated disruptions. In contrast, disruptions induced by SSTF are homogeneously located at the focal plane and reduced in length by a factor >2, which is in excellent agreement with the numerical simulations of the nonlinear pulse propagation and might favor SSTF for demanding applications such as intraocular fs-laser surgery.

Securely storing large amounts of information over relatively short timescales of 100 years, comparable to the span of the human memory, is a challenging problem. Conventional optical data storage technology used in CDs and DVDs has reached capacities of hundreds of gigabits per square inch, but its lifetime is limited to a decade. DNA based data storage can hold hundreds of terabytes per gram, but the durability is limited. The major challenge is the lack of appropriate combination of storage technology and medium possessing the advantages of both high capacity and long lifetime. The recording and retrieval of the digital data with a nearly unlimited lifetime was implemented by femtosecond laser nanostructuring of fused quartz. The storage allows unprecedented properties including hundreds of terabytes per disc data capacity, thermal stability up to 1000 °C, and virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature opening a new era of eternal data archiving.

Pulsed lasers with spot diameters in the μm range are widely used for the laminar treatment of surfaces. The laminar treatment is achieved by a two-dimensional overlap of the small laser pulses going from lines to a surface. This publication states the numerical description of the average amount of laser pulses per surface increment and its spread considering processing parameters such as line feed, pulse repetition rate and hatch distance. Based on the numerical results an empirical formula was derived and the basic approach of calculating an accumulated energy as a benchmark for comparing pre-treatment parameters was investigated for different laser systems.

The combination of both, fast beam scanning systems and high repetition rate, high average power lasers, represents an interesting technological solution for surface texturing by Ultra-Short Pulses Laser to gain a foothold into industrial environment for commercial purposes. Nevertheless unwanted thermal effects are expected when the average power exceeds some tens of W. An interesting strategy for a reliable heat management would consists of texturing surfaces with a low fluence values (slightly higher than the ablation threshold) and utilising a polygon scanning head which is able to deflect the laser beam with unprecedented speed.

Here we show that over stainless steel, it is possible to obtain different surface textures (in particular ripples, micro grooves and spikes) by utilising a 2 MHz femtosecond laser jointly with a fast and accurate polygonal scanner head at relatively low fluence (0.11 J·cm^-2). The evolution of the Laser induced surface structures morphology is shown when varying the scan speed between 25 m·s^-1 and 90 m·s^-1. Two different wavelengths have been utilised for the process λ= 1030 nm and λ = 515 nm and the difference of the results obtained have been highlighted. Moreover, a full structures morphology characterization by SEM has been carried out for all the textured surfaces. Finally, by increasing the number of successive surface scans is possible to tailor the surface reflectivity. As a result an average reflectivity value of < 5% over the visible range has been extracted from a blackened stainless steel surface.

Laser interference lithography (LIL) is a maskless lithography technique with many advantages such as simple optical design, inexpensive, infinite depth of focus, and large area patterning with single exposure. However, the intensity of normal laser beam is Gaussian distribution. In order to obtain large area uniform structure, we have to expand the laser beam much bigger than the wafer and use only the center part of the beam. Resulting in wasting lots of energy and the production capacity decrease. In this study, we designed a beam shaping device which consists of two parallel fused silicon optical window with different coating on both side. Two optical window form an air thin film. When the expanded laser beam pass through the device, the beam will experience many refraction and reflection between two optical window and interference with each other. The transmittance of laser beam will depend on the incident angle. The output intensity distribution will change from Gaussian distribution to a flat top distribution. In our experiment, we combined the beam shaping device with a Lloyd’s mirror LIL system. Experiment results indicated that the LIL system with beam shaping device can obtain large area uniform pattern. And compare with the traditional Lloyd’s mirror LIL system, the exposure time is shorten up to 4.5 times. In conclusion, this study design a beam flattening device for LIL system. The flat top beam can improve the large area uniformity and the production capacity of LIL. Making LIL more suitable for industry application.

Periodic surfaces structures with micrometer or submicrometer resolution produced on the surface of components can be used to improve their mechanical, biological or optical properties. In particular, these surfaces can control the tribological performance of parts, for instance in the automotive industry. In the last years, substantial efforts have been made to develop new technologies capable to produce functionalized surfaces. One of these technologies is the Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) technology, which permits to combine high fabrication speed with high resolution even in the sub-micrometer range. In DLIP, a laser beam is split into two or more coherent beams which are guided to interfere on the work piece surface. This causes modulated laser intensities over the component’s surface, enabling the direct fabrication of a periodic pattern based on selective laser ablation or melting. Depending on the angle between the laser beams and the wavelength of the laser, the pattern’s spatial period can be perfectly controlled. In this study, we introduce new modular DLIP optical heads, developed at the Fraunhofer IWS and the Technische Universität Dresden for high-speed surface laser patterning of polymers and metals. For the first time it is shown that effective patterning speeds of up to 0.90 m²/min and 0.36 m²/min are possible on polymer and metals, respectively. Line- and dot-like surface architectures with spatial periods between 7 μm and 22 μm are shown.

In this work we present a promising method for fabrication of conductive tracks on paper based substrates by laser assisted reduction of Graphene Oxide (GO). Printed electronics on paper based substrates is be coming more popular due to lower cost and recyclability. Fabrication of conductive tracks is of great importance where metal, carbon and polymer inks are commonly used. An emerging option is reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), which can be a good conductor. Here we have evaluated reduction of GO by using a 532 nm laser source, showing promising results with a decrease of sheet resistance from >100 M Ω/Sqr for unreduced GO down to 126 Ω/Sqr. without any observable damage to the paper substrates.

In the past 15 years, many efforts were made to create functionalized artificial surfaces showing special anti-bacterial and anti-biofouling properties. Thereby, the topography of medical relevant materials plays an important role. However, the targeted fabrication of promising surface structures like hole-, lamella- and pyramid-like patterns with feature sizes in the sub-micrometer range in a one-step process is still a challenge. Optical and e-beam lithography, molding and selfassembly layers show a great potential to design topographies for this purpose. At the same time, most of these techniques are based on sequential processes, require masks or molds and thus are very device relevant and time consuming. In this work, we present the Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) technology as a capable method for the fast, flexible and direct fabrication of periodic micrometer- and submicrometer structures. This method offers the possibility to equip large plain areas and curved devices with 1D, 2D and 3D patterns. Simple 1D (e.g. lines) and complex 3D (e.g. lamella, pillars) patterns with periodic distances from 0.5 μm to 5 μm were fabricated on polymeric materials (polyimide, polystyrene). Subsequently, we characterized the adhesion behavior of Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus bacteria under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The results revealed that the topographies have a significant impact on bacteria adhesion. On the one side, one-dimensional line-like structures especially with dimensions of the bacteria enhanced microbe attachment. While on the other hand, complex three-dimensional patterns prevented biofilm formation even after implantation and contamination in living organisms.

Graphitic wires embedded beneath the surface of single crystal diamond are promising for a variety of applications. Through a combination of ultra short (femtosecond) pulsed fabrication, high numerical aperture focusing and adaptive optics, graphitic wires can be written along any 3D path. Here, we demonstrate a non-reciprocal directional dependence to the graphitization process: the features are distinct when the fabrication direction is reversed. The non-reciprocal effects are significantly determined by the laser power, the fabrication speed, the light polarization and pulse front tilt. The influences of these factors are studied.

Laser radiation of 3 μm wavelength was generated by frequency conversion of an industrial IR laser and applied in the context of CFRP bonding pre-treatment. Reinforced and non-reinforced epoxy resins were treated with this radiation varying the relevant parameters such as laser power or treatment time. The interaction between laser radiation of 3012 nm and 1064 nm wavelength and matrix resin was analyzed mechanically (e.g. ablation depth), optically (such as fiber exposure) and chemically (e.g. contamination removal). The results gathered show that, even with the small achievable pulse fluences, a sufficient treatment of the specimens and a sensitive removing of the contaminated layers are possible.

We report on practical, industrially relevant, welding of optical components to themselves and aluminum alloy components. Weld formation is achieved through the tight focusing of a 5.9ps, 400kHz Trumpf laser operating at 1030nm. By selecting suitable surface preparation, clamping and laser parameters, the plasma can be confined, even with comparatively rough surfaces, by exploiting the melt properties of the glass. The short interaction time allows for a permanent weld to form between the two materials with heating limited to a region ~300 µm across. Practical application of these weld structures is typically limited due to the induced stress within the glass and, critically, the issues surrounding post-weld thermal expansion. We report on the measured strength of the weld, with a particular emphasis on laser parameters and surface preparation.

In this study, we demonstrated a facile method for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by applying femtosecond laser pulse irradiation in aqueous colloidal solution. Utilization of femtosecond (fs) laser pulse irradiation enabled us to control GO reduction by adjusting laser fluence and irradiation time. The formation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was induced by solvated electrons generated through laser irradiation of colloidal GO solution, which was confirmed by means of UV-visible and Raman spectroscopy, XPS and XRD. By applying an optimum femtosecond laser condition, the interplanar spacing between carbon layers decreased significantly from 9.81 Å to 3.52Å indicating the effective removal of oxygen-containing groups from the basal plane of GO. Furthermore, the sheet resistivity of the fabricated rGO in disk form was 1,200 times lower than GO.

Experiments with an ultrashort pulsed laser system emitting pulses ranging from 350 fs to 10 ps and a maximum average power of 50 W at 1030 nm are presented. The laser beam gets deflected by a galvanometric scan-system with maximum scan speed of 2500 mm/s and focused by F-theta lenses onto the substrates. By experiments the influences of pulse energy, fluence, laser wavelength, pulse length and material conditions on the target figures is analyzed. These are represented by the material characteristics mean squared roughness, ablation depths as well as the microcrack distribution in depth. The experimental procedure is applied onto a series of fused silica and SF6 samples.

Laser-assisted modification of metals, polymers or ceramics yields a precise adjustment of wettability, biocompatibility or tribological properties for a broad range of applications. Due to a specific change of surface topography on micro- and nanometer scale, new functional properties can be achieved. A rather new scientific and technical approach is the laserassisted surface modification and structuring of metallic current collector foils for lithium-ion batteries. Prior to the thick film electrode coating processes, the formation of micro/nano-scaled surface topographies on current collectors can offer better interface adhesion, mechanical anchoring, electrical contact and reduced mechanical stress during cycling. These features in turn impact on the battery performance and the battery life-time. In order to generate the 3D surface architectures on metallic current collectors, two advanced laser processing structuring technologies: direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) and ultrafast laser-induced periodic surface structuring (LIPSS) were applied in this study. After laser structuring via DLIP and LIPSS, composite electrode materials were deposited by tape-casting on the modified current collectors. The electrode film adhesion was characterized by tensile strength measurements. The impact of various surface structures on the improvement of adhesive strength was discussed.

NMC thick films were prepared by tape-casting and subsequent ultrafast laser-structuring. The lithium distribution in electrochemically cycled and unstructured or fs laser-structured NMC cathodes was investigated by using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The main goal is to develop an optimized three dimensional cell architecture with improved electrochemical properties based on studies of the homogeneity of the local State-of-Charge. LIBS experiments were carried out using a LIBS workstation equipped with a mode-locked diode pumped solid state Nd:YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 1063 nm. The element distribution was investigated using two different techniques: element mapping and element depth-profiling of the unstructured / fs laser-structured electrode surface. Results achieved from post-mortem studies using LIBS will be presented.

Micro-/nano-scale power supply units with high energy and high power densities are critical components for the development of compact miniaturized portable electronic devices. Supercapacitors have attracted many research attentions due to their high power density, robust cycle performance, pollution-free operation, and maintenance-free features. Besides, the properties of small size, light weight, and flexibility are also required. On-chip microsupercapacitors (MSCs) have the potential acting as power supply units in portable devices, due to their simplified packaging processes and compatibility to the integrated circuits. However, the fabrication methods and materials should be cost-effective, scalable, and compatible to current electronic industry. Carbon materials own high specific surface areas, electrochemical stability, and high electrical conductivity, which are critical parameters for high-power supercapacitors. Moreover, the high mechanical tolerance makes them good candidates for flexible wearable devices. Therefore, MSCs based on carbon materials would satisfy the requirements of portable electronics. In this work, we demonstrated the fabrication of carbon MSCs by laser direct writing on commercial polyimide sheets in Ar with lowcost semiconductor cw-laser with a wavelength of 405nm. The obtained structures are macro-nanostructures comprising graphitized and amorphous carbon with relatively smooth surfaces and low resistance, in compared with the structures obtained by laser writing in air. As-prepared micro-supercapacitors show a high capacitance of about 14.9 mF/cm² at a scanning rate of 10 mV/s, which is comparable to the reported highest capacitance of carbon-based supercapacitors fabricated by pulse-laser writing.

The present study analyses three beam shaping approaches with respect to a light-efficient generation of i) patterns and ii) multiple spots by means of a generic optical 4f-setup. 4f approaches share the property that due to the one-to-one relationship between output intensity and input phase, the need for time-consuming, iterative calculation can be avoided. The resulting low computational complexity offers a particular advantage compared to the widely used holographic principles and makes them potential candidates for real-time applications. The increasing availability of high-speed phase modulators, e.g. on the basis of MEMS, calls for an evaluation of the performances of these concepts.

Our second interest is the applicability of 4f methods to high-power applications. We discuss the variants of 4f intensity shaping by phase modulation from a system-level point of view which requires the consideration of application relevant boundary conditions. The discussion includes i) the micro mirror based phase manipulation combined with amplitude masking in the Fourier plane, ii) the Generalized Phase Contrast, and iii) matched phase-only correlation filtering combined with GPC. The conceptual comparison relies on comparative figures of merit for energy efficiency, pattern homogeneity, pattern image quality, maximum output intensity and flexibility with respect to the displayable pattern. Numerical simulations illustrate our findings.

We investigated the relationship between size of melting marks formed inside glass and irradiation time and absorptivity of femtosecond laser beam. For this investigation the absorptivities for static exposure in fs-laser processing (femtosecond laser microprocessing inside glass) was estimated to approximately 4.5 [%]. Also the size of melting marks formed by fs-laser processing was measured with two irradiation times (1/125 [s] and 1/4 [s]). The sizes were much the same. Thus, in this time scale, the size was nearly independent of the irradiation time. Furthermore, luminescence phenomenon that occurred in fs-laser processing was observed. The duration of this luminescence was less than 2/1000 [s]. With the above experimental results, we demonstrated numerical heat transfer analysis during the fs-laser processing. From the experimental and numerical results it thought that the most process in fs-laser processing finishes within 2/1000 [s].

Quasi-simultaneous laser transmission welding is a well-known joining technique for thermoplastics and mainly used in the automotive as well as in the medical industry. For process control usually the so called set-path monitoring is used, where the weld is specified as "good" if the irradiation time is inside a defined confidence interval. However, the detection of small-sized gaps or thermal damaged zones is not possible with this technique. The analyzation of the weld seam temperature during welding offers the possibility to overcome this problem. In this approach a 3D-scanner is used instead of a scanner with flat-field optic. By using a pyrometer in combination with a 3D-scanner no color-corrected optic is needed in order to provide that laser- and detection-spot are concentric. Experimental studies on polyethylene T-joints have shown that the quality of the signal is adequate, despite the use of an optical setup with a long working distance and a small optical aperture. The effects on temperature are studied for defects like a gap in the joining zone. Therefore a notch was milled into the absorbent polymer. In case of producing housings for electronic parts the effect of an electrical wire between the joining partners is also investigated. Both defects can be identified by a local temperature deviation even at a feed rate of four meters per second. Furthermore a strategy for signal-processing is demonstrated. By this, remaining defects can be identified. Consequently an online detection of local defects is possible, which makes a dynamic process control feasible.

Nanostructures have a widespread field of applications. The structuring of sapphire assisted by a nanosecond laserinduced self-organized molten molybdenum layer deformation process was studied. At low laser fluence the irradiation of a thin metal layer on dielectric surface results in a melting and nanostructuring of the metal layer and partially of the dielectric surface. Furthermore, a subsequent high laser fluence treatment of the metal nanostructures results in different features: (i) pattern transfer, (ii) self-organized surface nanostructuring, and (iii) nanodrilling. (i) Pattern transfer: The irradiation of the pre-structured metal layer with high laser fluences allows the transfer of the lateral geometry of the metal nanostructures into the dielectric surface. (ii) Self-organized surface nanostructuring: The multi-pulse irradiation of the metal layer/dielectric system with moderate laser fluences results in a selforganized nanostructuring of the dielectric surface. (iii) Nanodrilling: The multi-pulse low laser fluence irradiation of the metal layer results in the formation of metal droplets and a further high fluence irradiation of the laser-generated metal droplets results in a stepwise evaporation of the metal and in a partial evaporation of the dielectric and, finally, in the formation of cone-like holes. The resultant structures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Techniques for joining materials, especially optical materials such as glass to structural materials such as metals, or to other optical materials, while maintaining their surface and optical properties are essential for a wide range of industrial applications. Adhesive bonding is commonly used but leads to many issues including optical surface contamination and outgassing. It is possible to generate welds using an ultra-short pulsed laser process, whereby two flat material surfaces are brought into close contact and the laser is focused through the optical material onto the interface. Highly localised melting and rapid resolidification form a strong bond between the two surfaces whilst avoiding significant heating of the surrounding material, which is important for joining materials with different thermal expansion coefficients. Previous reports on ultrafast laser welding have identified a requirement for the surface separation gap to be less than 500nm in order to avoid cracking or ablation at the interface. We have investigated techniques for increasing this gap (to reduce weld fit-up problems), and tested by bonding two surfaces with a weld-controlled gap. These gaps were generated either by a series of etched grooves on the surface of one of the substrates, or by using a cylindrical lens as a substrate. By careful optimisation of parameters such as laser power, process speed and focal position, we were able to demonstrate successful welding with a gap of up to 3μm.

Capabilities and advantages of laser ablation processes utilizing ultrashort pulses have been demonstrated in various applications of scientific and industrial nature. Of particular interest are applications that require high geometrical accuracy, excellent surface integrity and thus tolerate only a negligible heat-affected zone in the processed area. In this context, this work presents a detailed study of the ablation characteristics of common ultrahard composite materials utilized in the cutting tool industry, namely polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride composite (PCBN). Due to the high hardness of these materials, conventional mechanical processing is time consuming and costly. Herein, laser ablation is an appealing solution, since no process forces and no wear have to be taken into consideration. However, an industrially viable process requires a detailed understanding of the ablation characteristics of each material. Therefore, the influence of various process parameters on material removal and processing quality at 10 ps pulse duration are investigated for several PCD and PCBN grades. The main focus of this study examines the effect of different laser energy input distributions, such as pulse frequency and burst pulses, on the processing conditions in deep cutting kerfs and the resulting processing speed. Based on these results, recommendations for efficient processing of such materials are derived.

Ongoing progress in mass analysis applications such as laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry of solid samples and ultraviolet photoionization mediated sequencing of peptides and proteins is to a large extent driven by ultrashort wavelength excimer lasers at 193 nm. This paper will introduce the latest improvements achieved in the development of compact high repetition rate excimer lasers and elaborate on the impact on mass spectrometry instrumentation. Various performance and lifetime measurements obtained in a long-term endurance test over the course of 18 months will be shown and discussed in view of the laser source requirements of different mass spectrometry tasks. These sampling type applications are served by excimer lasers delivering pulsed 193 nm output of several mJ as well as fast repetition rates which are already approaching one Kilohertz. In order to open up the pathway from the laboratory to broader market industrial use, sufficient component lifetimes and long-term stable performance behavior have to be ensured. The obtained long-term results which will be presented are based on diverse 193 nm excimer laser tube improvements aiming at e.g. optimizing the gas flow dynamics and have extended the operational life the laser tube for the first time over several billion pulses even under high duty-cycle conditions.

A cost effective method for optical emission enhancement in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been proposed in this research. The pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 532 nm was used for sample ablation and plasma generation. A cost effective commercial butane micro-torch was put parallel to the sample surface to generate a small flame above the surface. The laser-induced plasma expanded in the flame environment. The time-resolved optical emission intensity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) have been observed with and without micro torch. For laser with pulse energy of 20 mJ, the relationship between optical emission intensity and delay time indicates that signal intensities have been greatly enhanced in the initial several microseconds when using micro torch. The time-resolved study of signal-to-noise ratio shows that the maximum SNR occurs at the delay time of 2 μs. The laser energy effects on the enhancements of optical emission intensity and SNR have also been analyzed, which indicates that the enhancement factors are both delay time and laser energy dependent. The maximum enhancement factors for both optical emission intensity and SNR gradually decreases with the laser energy increase. The limits of detection (LODs) for aluminum (Al) and molybdenum (Mo) in steel have been estimated, which shows that the detection sensitivity has been improved by around 4 times. The LODs of Al and Mo have been reduced from 18 to 6 ppm and from 110 to 36 ppm in LIBS, respectively. The method of LIBS by a micro torch has been demonstrated to be a cost effective method for detection sensitivity improvement, especially in the situation of low laser pulse energy.

The main advantage of laser processing is a non-contact character of material removal and high precision attainable thanks to low laser beam dimensions. This technique enables forming a complex, submillimeter geometrical shapes such as vascular stents which cannot be manufactured using traditional techniques e.g. injection moulding or mechanical treatment. In the domain of nanosecond laser sources, an ArF excimer laser appears as a good candidate for laser micromachining of bioresorbable polymers such as poly(L-lactide). Due to long pulse duration, however, there is a risk of heat diffusion and accumulation in the material. In addition, due to short wavelength (193 nm) photochemical process can modify the chemical composition of ablated surfaces. The motivation for this research was to evaluate the influence of laser micromachining on physicochemical properties of poly(L-lactide). We performed calorimetric analysis of laser machined samples by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It allowed us to find the optimal process parameters for heat affected zone (HAZ) reduction. The chemical composition of the ablated surface was investigated by FTIR in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode.