Ultrafast fiber beam delivery: system technology and industrial application

Max C. Funck; Sebastian Eilzer; Björn Wedel

doi:10.1117/12.2252922

22 February 2017 Ultrafast fiber beam delivery: system technology and industrial application

Max C. Funck, Sebastian Eilzer, Björn Wedel

Proceedings Volume 10097, High-Power Laser Materials Processing: Applications, Diagnostics, and Systems VI; 100970L (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2252922
Event: SPIE LASE, 2017, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Flexible beam delivery of high power pico- and femtosecond pulses offers great advantages in industrial applications. Complex free space beam delivery as found in robot or gantry systems can be replaced, laser safety and uptime increased and system integration in production environment simplified. Only recently fiber beam delivery has become available for ultrafast lasers while it has been an established standard for cw and pulsed laser sources for many years. Using special kinds of fiber that guide the laser beam mostly inside a hollow core, nonlinear effects and catastrophic damage that would arise in conventional glass fibers can be avoided. Today, ultrafast pulses with several 100 μJ and hundreds of MW can be transmitted in quasi single mode fashion with micro-structured hollow core fibers. During the last years we have developed a modular beam delivery system that suits industrial ultrafast lasers and can be integrated into existing processing machines. Micro-structured hollow core fibers inside the sealed laser light cable efficiently guide high-power laser pulses over distances of several meters with excellent beam quality, while power, pulse duration and polarization are maintained. We report on the technology required for fiber beam delivery of ultrafast laser pulses and discuss requirements for successful integration into industrial production as well as achievable performance under realistic operation and show examples of micromachining applications.

Citation Download Citation

Max C. Funck, Sebastian Eilzer, and Björn Wedel "Ultrafast fiber beam delivery: system technology and industrial application", Proc. SPIE 10097, High-Power Laser Materials Processing: Applications, Diagnostics, and Systems VI, 100970L (22 February 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2252922

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KEYWORDS

Beam delivery

Ultrafast lasers

Fiber lasers

Structured optical fibers

Laser sources

Ultrafast phenomena

Pulsed laser operation

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