UV Nanosecond Lasers Enable Finer Detail

By Jan-Willem Pieterse

CO₂ lasers have long been the laser of choice for processing applications due to their power/cost ratio. CO₂ lasers in sapphire create a classic melt pool, which can be blown out to achieve a full cut. However, the cut is often too crude for semiconductor applications.

Pulsed UV lasers enable machining with much finer detail, and their lack of excess heat adds another benefit — Each pulse removes a small amount of material but the high repetition rate turns it into a fast process.

Nanosecond Nd:YAG lasers can micromachine sapphire substrates of any shape and a wide variety of thicknesses. A combination of 3D cutting and a galvanometer-scanner system delivers high accuracy and edge smoothness. Continue reading →