DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MATERIAL SEPARATION USING LASER PULSES, THE ENERGY OF ONE OF WHICH IS LESS THAN THE ENERGY OF A LASER PULSE USED FOR SEPARATING MATERIAL

摘要

The invention relates to a method for removing material by means of a laser, wherein a sequence of laser pulses is generated and an area of material to be machined is irradiated with the sequence of laser pulses. Methods of this kind are used to cut a number of different materials. One problem with this method is that thermal or mechanical damage occurs in the surroundings of the area being machined and causes impairment of areas of material that are not being machined. The invention solves this problem by the pulse energy of a single pulse in the sequence of laser pulses being lower than the laser pulse energy required to produce material removal using an isolated laser pulse in the region irradiated with the single laser pulse of the sequence of laser pulses.