Optics for material processing

摘要

Since the invention of the laser in 1960, material processing has been one of major applications of lasers, and the use of lasers in material processing is still a rapidly growing area of research and development. The main driving force behind this situation is that the lasers can offer distinct features in material processing of high quality, high efficiency, high flexibility, high resolution, versatility, low environmental load, and so on. Thus, laser material processing is currently used widely from fundamental research to industrial applications. Furthermore, recent advances in ultrafast lasers, which is a generic term for picosecond and femtosecond lasers, have opened a new door to laser material processing in terms of the capabilities in ultrahigh-precision microand nanofabrication of opaque and transparent materials, three-dimensional (3D) and volume processing.