Materials processing of Nitinol

With its precise beam quality, adaptable pulse energy, and repetition rate, the aeroPULSE FS50 laser is ideal for Nitinol cutting for intricate arterial stents or bulk processing.

Nitinol is a highly unusual metal alloy of Nickel and Titanium. You can bend, twist, and crush it out of shape, only for it to jump back into its original shape when heated or submerged in hot water.

It possesses extraordinary super-elasticity and can survive repeated compressions and levels of repeated strain, whereas an equivalent piece of stainless steel will have long succumbed to fatigue.

Nitinol is nontoxic and does not promote genotoxicity, thus making it widely suitable for long-term medical implants.

The super-elastic properties of Nitinol coupled with its excellent biocompatibility means it has been the metal alloy of choice for demanding medical applications since the late 1980s.

Early medical uses of Nitinol include bone anchoring, tumor localization of specific cancers, and filter implants to trap and manage blood clotting. It is now widely adopted, with growing use, in minimally invasive surgery and dentistry.

The expected market growth for Nitinol in the medical market is expected to grow at over 9% CAGR, driven by improved therapy of chronic diseases and a preference for minimally invasive procedures. Nitinol is well suited to meet these needs.

Stents as an alternative to open surgery

Stents made from Nitinol are used to reinforce strictures within various ducts and canals of the human body caused by trauma or chronic medical conditions.

The use of stents negates any need to perform grafts or bypass surgery which makes it a highly desirable alternative to open surgery, where risks of secondary infection are higher.

Micromachined stent

Minimal thermal impact

Ultrafast lasers are a natural choice to machine Nitinol stents and are widely used for this purpose. The near-diffraction-limited optical beam delivery yields a focused spot size optimized to machine small features. The short pulse dynamics of ultrafast lasers machine the Nitinol with minimal thermal stress or damage to the substrate.

The test piece to the left shows the result of machining Nitinol with feature sizes consistent with an arterial stent. It was machined using our aeroPULSE FS50 laser using a single pass.

The laser beam was delivered using a commercially available processing head with an axial jet with a suitable cover gas to suppress oxidation and manage the generated plasma.

The results were an excellent simulation of the feature size and typical thickness of stents. The side walls are less than 65 µm and the feature sizes are <300 µm.

What lasers to use for Nitinol cutting?

The aeroPULSE FS50 is an ideal laser for cutting Nitinol. The combination of near-perfect beam quality, pulse energy and repetition rate selection means that it can cut delicate features such as arterial stents but can also process larger stents or bulk Nitinol at higher speeds due to the option for higher repetition rate and average power.

The aeroPULSE series of lasers is based on our photonics crystal fiber technology. As a result, it is an extremely reliable laser system ideal for industrial or scientific use. The FS50 is also used for cutting-edge neurostimulation research.

The ORIGAMI XP-S is also a strong candidate for Nitinol machining. Its excellent beam quality and high pulse energy are perfect for cutting fine features into Nitinol. The ORIGAMI laser is a diode-pumped solid-state laser architecture with a proven medical pedigree. It is used in a variety of biomedical applications, including ophthalmic laser surgery.

Both the ORIGAMI XP-S and the aeroPULSE FS lasers can be converted to different wavelengths via additional wavelength conversion units, which extend the range of materials they can process.

Both lasers also benefit from NKT Photonics’ powerful Software Development Kit (SDK), which can be used to independently control almost all laser output parameters.

Using the SDK, the laser, scanners, and stages can be automated to work together, enabling rapid research or production optimization. Both laser sources are ideal tools for basic R&D or full-scale volume production.

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A high contrast mark has been made on a blue nylon tube using our ORIGAMI 10XP. Alphanumeric characters, logos, and barcodes are all achievable.

Laser marking offers the flexibility to directly mark a range of alphanumeric characters, logos, images, or barcodes on polymers without contact with the sample.

Materials processing with ultrafast lasers provides unique advantages over conventional laser processing techniques that typically employ nanosecond and longer pulses.

Fast high-precision processing

The short pulse widths and high repetition rates of ultrafast lasers allow for faster processing speeds – with high precision – giving rise to the possibility of creating incredibly small marking features compared to longer pulse durations marking.

The multiphoton absorption of ultrashort pulses means that the wavelength of the femtosecond pulses plays a less critical role and in the cold processing regime, the marks are free of melting and charring.

Nylon tubing is widely used in manufacturing of medical devices because of its lightweight, corrosion, and abrasion resistance.

High-quality marks on transparent samples

Ultrafast lasers can be used to process a number of polymers, irrespective of transparency or thickness. The same laser that can cut the material, can also produce a permanent, high-quality mark, simplifying manufacturing by enabling more than one process by a single laser. In most cases, the quality of such cuttings and markings eliminate the need for post-processing and reduces the manufacturing cost.

Marking of medical devices

At NKT Photonics we have recently completed a study of marking various polymer tubes that are commonly used in medical device manufacturing.

Polyimide is a high-performing polymer commonly used in implantable medical device manufacturing since it is fully biocompatible.

Here, a high contrast mark has been produced on a 1.7 mm diameter tube. Precise, fine features are easily achieved with ultrafast lasers.

The ORGIAMI 10XP laser can process a wide range of polymers, producing high quality and high contrast
marks that are both human readable and machine readable.

Polyimide tube has been marked using
our ORIGAMI 10XP laser.

PTFE tube

PTFE is commonly used in the medical industry. It offers usage up to high temperatures, excellent non-stick properties due to its low coefficient of friction, good abrasion resistance, chemical inertness, excellent dielectric stability, and excellent wear resistance.

PTFE tube has been marked using our
ORIGAMI 10XP laser.

Summary

The Ultrashort pulses delivered by NKT Photonics’ ultrafast laser range are well suited to precision marking fine features onto a wide range of polymers that are frequently used within the medical device manufacturing industry.

The Origami XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

The ORIGAMI system is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

Download this application note as pdf.

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As medical devices develop and get smaller, the ability to make high-quality cutting and fine features become more important.

With high peak-power ultrafast lasers, you can make high-quality fine features without any thermal effects.

In recent years, the use of ultrafast lasers to fabricate polymer medical devices has gained wide acceptance due to the lasers’ ability to create fine, precisely machined features and markings. Unlike mechanical methods of polymer cutting, a laser cut is a non-contact process without any tool wear which ensures a consistently high-quality cut. The transition from mechanical processing to laser machining was primarily driven by the need to create very small precise features at a high yield and lower cost.

Cut and mark in one process

Ultrafast lasers can process a wide variety of polymers, regardless of transparency or thickness. You can use the same laser to cut fine features and to produce permanent, high-quality marks. This way, you simplify manufacturing since one laser can do more than one process. The high-quality cutting and marking eliminate the need for post-processing and reduce the overall manufacturing cost.

Cold ablation ensures precise, debris-free features

The duration of laser pulses has a dramatic effect on laser cutting results. When the pulse-duration is below some tens of picoseconds, the laser-material interaction enters the “cold” or “athermal” ablation regime. The cutting quality significantly improves by breaking down the material instantly in a precise manner, while the surrounding material is unaffected.

In our applications lab, we have demonstrated the cutting of various polymer tubes using our ORIGAMI 10XP femtosecond laser.

200 µm wall blue nylon tube cut using our ORIGAMI 10XP laser.

Nylon tubing is ideal for medical devices because it is lightweight, corrosion and abrasion resistant. It can withstand repeated stress over extended periods. Its strength, crush, cracking and tear resistance makes nylon perfect as the outer jacket of catheters.

Typical uses: Structural heart, peripheral, general medical, endovascular, cardiovascular, cardiac rhythm management/electrophysiology.

Polyimide tube

Polyimides are a family of high-performing polymers. They are particularly known for their mechanical performance and their chemical resistance.

Polyimides exhibit exceptional thermal stability throughout high and low temperatures and excellent insulating performance through a range of environments and frequencies. In addition, they are also known for their high strength and exceptional tensile strength.

50 µm wall polyimide tube using our ORIGAMI 10XP laser.

These properties, and more, have led to widespread use of polyimide in the medical, aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries. Since polyimides are fully biocompatible, polyimide tubing can be used for both vascular and urinary catheter constructions. With its extremely small sizing capabilities, polyimide tubing can be produced to reach the smallest sized vasculatures while retaining strength and rigidity.


Typical uses: Polyimide tubing with its small sizing capabilities can be used for both vascular and urinary catheter construction.

150 µm wall PTFE tube using our ORIGAMI 10XP laser.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) liners are commonly used at the heart of catheters. The combination of extremely thin walls and the material’s superior lubricity make it the ideal material for catheter liners.

PTFE is a good fit for the medical industry; it offers usage up to high temperatures, superior non-stick properties due to its low coefficient of friction, good abrasion resistance, chemical inertness, out-standing dielectric stability, and excellent wear resistance.

Typical uses: Cardiovascular, endovascular, structural heart, cardiac rhythm management / electrophysiology, peripheral, general medical.

Summary

The ultrashort pulses delivered by our ultrafast laser are well suited to precision cutting of polymer tubes.

The Origami XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

The ORIGAMI system is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

Download this application note as pdf.

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Polyimide (or PI or Kapton) is a thin film widely used in the medical and microelectronics industries due to its mechanical strength, electrical insulation, thermal stability, chemical inertness, and biocompatibility. 

Ultrafast lasers provide the needed precise, non-contact micromachining processing technique with a minimal need for post-processing.

Good for medical and microelectronics industries

Polyimide (or PI or Kapton) is widely used in the manufacturing of microelectronic components for the semiconductor, computer, automotive, aerospace, and display industries. It is popular due to its mechanical strength, electrical insulation, and thermal stability. In microelectronic components, polyimide is used in wafer carriers, test holders, hard disk drives, electrical connectors, wire insulators, flexible printed circuit boards, digital copier and inkjet printer components. Due to its chemical inertness and biocompatibility, polyimide is used increasingly in medical applications such as the manufacturing of cardiovascular catheters, retrieval devices, push rings, marker bands, angioplasty, stent delivery devices, neurological devices, and drug delivery systems.

Increase miniaturization and avoid post-processing

If you work in the semiconductor or medical device industry, you know the importance of manufacturing lighter, smaller, higher-density, and higher-functionality products to meet market demands. You need to find ways to make a wide range of tiny and precise features. In the early days, nanosecond pulse-width ultraviolet (UV) lasers made it possible to create small precise micron-size features in polyimide film. However, the big drawback of long nanosecond pulse UV lasers is the black carbon shoot debris that is generated around the ablated machined features1.

Figure 1. Typical surface debris around the features left behind by nanosecond UV laser

Two challenges are

1) it is necessary to post-process the sample to remove the surface debris which adds to the overall cost

2) there is a limit to how closely you can machine two features, which limits the density of features and the degree of product miniaturization.

It is well-known that ultrafast femtosecond laser pulses ensure clean debris-free metal removal. We wanted to explore if our ORIGAMI ultrafast laser could perform equally debris-free machining when it came to the ablation of polyimide film.

Trepanning using IR and green wavelength lasers

The first set of experiments was conducted using our ORIGAMI IR wavelength laser. With a multi-pass process, we trepanned large 1 mm diameter holes in a 25 µm thick polyimide film using a 20 µm diameter focused laser beam.

We observed a large decrease in debris-generation compared to nanosecond pulse UV laser machining. The high peak-power of the femtosecond laser pulse pulverizes the material instantly and leaves the surface debris-free.

So, if you want to decrease debris-generation during machining of polyimide, one of the ways is to use a high peak-power femtosecond laser.

Figure 2. Trepanned holes drilled using ORIGAMI IR laser.

Upon further higher-magnification inspection of the holes, we did observe a small heat-affected zone (HAZ) of ≈ 52 to 74 µm around the edges of the hole.

Figure 3. HAZ around ORIGAMI IR laser machined hole.

We extended our study further to explore the reduction of HAZ in polyimide machining using a green wavelength laser.

A multi-pass trepanning hole drilling using a green wavelength ORIGAMI laser gave us holes with virtually no HAZ

Figure 4. Trepanned holes drilled using ORIGAMI green laser.
Figure 5. Clean debris-free surface with no HAZ, machining achieved using green wavelength ORIGAMI laser.

We verified the debris-free surface by higher-magnification inspection and confirmed non-existent HAZ as shown in Figure 5.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that our ORIGAMI femtosecond laser can be used to achieve a debris-free no-HAZ machining of polyimide film. The higher peak power of femtosecond laser pulses indeed helps to vaporize polyimide film instantly, leaving a debris-free surface.

Summary

Our results demonstrate that femtosecond pulses, delivered by our ultrafast lasers, are well suited for debris and HAZ free micromachining of polyimide film.

The ORIGAMI XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

The ORIGAMI system is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

1 https://www.laserfocusworld.com/software-accessories/positioning-support-accessories/article/16552519/excimer-lasers-drill-inkjet-nozzles

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Since their introduction in 1986, stents have transformed the treatment of coronary heart disease.

By 1999, stent-based surgeries accounted for 84% of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). Laser cutting was used in coronary stent fabrication almost from the start.

Laser cutting with nanosecond pulsed infrared (IR) lasers easily met the accuracy requirements for large feature machining of stainless-steel stents in the early days. However, the thermal nature of nanosecond laser ablation resulted in poor cut-edge quality. This called for costly cleaning, deburring, etching, and final polishing to bring the stent’s edge quality to the level and consistency required for implantable devices.

Fine-feature demands call for ultrashort pulse lasers

When stent material transitioned from stainless steel to nickel-titanium and then to high-strength superalloys with more challenging fine-feature requirements it became necessary to use ultrashort pulse (USP) lasers to avoid the thermal nature of machining. The migration to drug-eluting and later bioresorbable stent technology boosted the adoption of USP laser technology.

Third-generation bioresorbable stent (BRS) technology further accelerated the implementation of USP laser machining in stent manufacturing. The scaffolding in BRS technology is made from biodegradable polymers. The polymers gradually dissolve in the body making them less intrusive than metal scaffolding while helping to reduce the occurrence of blood clots and other ill effects.

High-quality USP micromachining

The duration of laser pulses has a dramatic effect on laser micromachining results. When pulse duration is below some tens of pico-seconds, the laser material interaction enters the “cold” or “athermal” ablation regime and the machining quality improves significantly.

While the advantages of ultrafast laser-material interaction physics are clear, the commercial viability of USP lasers was not so obvious until recently, when a robust alternative to classic Ti:sapphire gain media emerged.

At NKT Photonics we have put tremendous effort into developing the ORIGAMI XP laser – the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market.

The laser head, controller, and air-cooling system are all integrated into one small and robust package, with a very small footprint.

Recently, we have demonstrated cold ablation of nitinol stent cutting using an Origami XP laser and have achieved a very high cut quality.

Summary

The Ultrashort pulses delivered by NKT Photonics’ ultrafast lasers are well suited to micromachine a lot of different stent materials. Lasers are extremely reliable in creating the precise fine features demanded by today’s state-of-the-art stent designs cost-effectively.

The Origami XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

The ORIGAMI XP laser is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

Download this application note as pdf. 

Contact us to know more
Laser marking has rapidly become the preferred UDI marking process.

The FDA requires that all medical devices are marked with a Unique Device Identifier (UDI).

The marking must have lifelong durability to ensure traceability and patient safety.

It must contain plain text which is readable by humans as well as machine-readable code. Both must be permanently legible because traceability is crucial for medical implants and surgical devices. An ultrafast laser provides a smooth mark with high contrast.

Marking of all kinds of material

Medical devices can range from implants and catheters to less invasive multi-use surgical tools such as scissors, forceps, and scalpels.

Typical materials that are used in the manufacture of medical devices are:

  • Stainless steel
  • Aluminum
  • Titanium
  • Plastics (such as PEEK, HDPE, nylon)

All can be marked using our ultrafast lasers.

Cost-effective permanent marking

Most marks are required to remain durable after regular use and cleaning, which makes laser marking ideal.

Laser marking is an attractive and cost-effective marking solution with many advantages: The process reliability, the non-contact nature, the inherent flexibility, the capability to create intricate details, the micron precision. And there is no need for consumables.

Why use ultrafast lasers?

Ultrafast lasers have many advantages compared to nanosecond lasers. You can mark a wide range of materials due to the short pulse duration that gives a high peak power. The short pulse duration reduces the unwanted thermal effects of traditional laser marking.

Medical device markings must repeatedly withstand the high temperatures and humidity of autoclave cleaning and sterilization. Conventional thermal laser markings typically fade or corrode when cleaned frequently.

Our ultrafast product range produces high-contrast black marking on stainless steel. The marking is insensitive to the viewing angle. These markings are smooth to the touch and do not encourage biological traps.

Ultrafast lasers create smooth marks which can survive many cleaning cycles. During ultrafast laser marking, the laser removes no material, and there is no microcracking or surface damage.

The ultrashort pulses produce nanostructures on the surface of the medical device. These structures trap light and provide a high-contrast matt black “printed” appearance. You can see the marking from every angle.

The markings are smooth to the touch and do not cause biological traps.

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Summary

The ultrashort pulses delivered by NKT Photonics’ ultrafast laser range are well suited to marking in the medical industry and fulfilling the requirements for UDI-compliant marking.

The ORIGAMI XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller, and air-cooling system are all integrated into one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

Contact us now for more information
NKT white glass
Lab-on-a-chip sample produced by NKT Photonics’ ORIGAMI XP femtosecond laser.

For biomedical applications, laser micromachining of glass is in high demand – particularly to create lab-on-a-chip or microfluidic chips.

One of the biggest challenges when making lab-on-a-chip is to machine the high-precision pipes, vessels, and valves inside the glass chip.

Micromachining of very small features in glass is difficult due to its brittleness and transparency. With conventional tools, it is practically impossible. However, ultrafast lasers can do the job. When the pulse duration is below some tens of picoseconds, the laser-material interaction enters the cold ablation regime and the machining quality and precision become very high.

Lab-on-a-chip enables faster diagnoses

The lab-on-a-chip technology is expected to become an important diagnostic tool. These miniaturized devices allow healthcare providers to perform a range of diagnostic tests with very small quantities of reagents and test specimens. Due to their portability, tests can be performed in the field, away from laboratory environments.

High-power ultrafast laser pulses cut through glass

Conventional micro-manufacturing fabrication methods, such as lithography, imprinting, and soft lithography, have been used for the preparation of microfluidic chips. However, these methods face challenges to achieve complex microfluidic chips with multifunction integration as they require many steps and are costly.

Tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses can produce general microfluidic chips with multifunctional features, cost-effectively.

The ultra-short pulse width provides the incredible peak power needed for surface and internal bulk material modification for scribing – even in transparent materials.

Close up of channel produced with a femtosecond laser.

Ultrafast lasers ensure high precision and quality

By utilizing the laser’s highly spatial selectivity, it is possible to precisely set the interaction region at a specifically localized area of the material. This enables a very high-resolution patterning and sculpturing of complex three-dimensional shapes at micro-scales in transparent materials.

The energy delivered by an ultrashort pulse is at a time scale shorter than electron-phonon coupling processes. The ultrashort pulse width suppresses the formation of the heat-affected zone, allowing laser processing with high precision and resolution through a cold ablation regime with unrivalled process reliability.

Close up of a channel measuring <10 µm in depth. Very fine depth control and channel width can be achieved with our ultrafast lasers.
Close up of lab-on-a-chip sample processed with our ORIGAMI XP femtosecond laser, showing a circular reservoir feature with diameter of ≈0.6 mm.

Summary

The ultrashort pulses delivered by NKT Photonics’ ultrafast laser range is well-suited for producing lab-on-a-chip devices.

We recommend our ORIGAMI XP for laser processing of glass and other transparent materials.

The Origami XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!

The ORIGAMI system is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

Download this application note as pdf.

Contact us now for more information

PMMA has excellent optical properties and is suited for many applications. PMMA is also known as acrylic or acrylic glass. It is a transparent, ultraviolet (UV) light, and scratch-resistant, lightweight, rigid thermoplastic material with an excellent optical transmission.

PMMA is a tough plastic that exhibits glass-like qualities at half the weight and with up to 10 times the impact resistance. It is a great alternative to the high cost glass and is widely used as a shatterproof replacement for glass.

Due to PMMA’s excellent optical clarity, high light transmission, and scratch resistance, it is widely used in the manufacturing of LCD/LED tv screens, laptops, smartphones display as well as electronic equipment displays. PMMA is also used as cover materials in solar panels because of the excellent UV resistance and light transmission, which allows high energy conversion efficiencies. Furthermore, the material is high purity and easy-to-clean and can be used to fabricate incubators, drug testing devices, and storage cabinets in hospitals and research labs.

Ultrafast pulses give a high precision

The growing use of PMMA in medical device and display manufacturing demands a high-precision micro-machining process to create fine features.

Ultrafast lasers have delivered high-quality solutions to similar challenges in the automotive, aerospace, and semiconductor industries. These lasers provide a precise, non-contact micromachining processing technique with a minimal need for post-processing.

Traditionally, longer-wavelength infrared (IR) CO2 lasers have been used to process PMMA. It works well when machining large features. However, thin PMMA films used in display and medical device manufacturing requires precise machining of much smaller features (10-100s of a µm).

High peak-powers remove material instantly

Femtosecond lasers provide a cold ablation micromachining process due to their high peak-power. The high peak-power breaks down the material almost instantly and removes it without affecting the surrounding material. It is an ideal solution to process fine 100s of microns, or smaller, features with a minimal heat-affected zone (HAZ).

An optimized PMMA machining process, using CO2 lasers, has shown a heat-affected zone (HAZ) of up to ≈100 to 400 µm1. A different laser source is required to create 100s of microns, or smaller, features. A high peak-power femtosecond laser can be one of the solutions.

In our application lab, we have processed a thin 100-micron PMMA film using our compact ORIGAMI XP femtosecond laser. Figure 1 below shows a 25-micron diameter percussion-drilled array of holes and a large trepanned 500-micron diameter single hole using infrared wavelength.

Figure 1. Holes drilled in 100 µm thick PMMA film using an infrared ORIGAMI XP laser.
Figure 2. Magnification x500.0.

The inspection of a large 500-micron diameter hole showed that edge roughness is ≈2.5 µm and HAZ is ≈10 µm. The edge of the 500-micron diameter hole also showed many flakes.

Figure 3 and 4. Quality of holes
drilled using an infrared ORIGAMI XP laser

Further improvement in hole quality was achieved by using a green wavelength. Holes drilled using the green ORIGAMI XP are shown below. The use of a green wavelength laser clearly shows improvement in the edge quality as well as a reduction in HAZ. We observed very clean edges with HAZ reduced to ≈4.5 µm.

Figure 5 and 6. Hole drilled in 100 µm thick PMMA film using a green ORIGAMI XP laser.

Conclusion

Our results show that our ORIGAMI XP femtosecond laser is well suited to machine PMMA films. We have seen that using infrared wavelengths to process PMMA films yields much better quality than a long-pulse laser CO2 laser. A green wavelength laser can improve quality even further.

Summary

Our results demonstrate that femtosecond pulses, delivered by NKT Photonics’ ultrafast lasers, are well suited for micromachining of thin glass.

The ORIGAMI XP is the first all-in-one, single-box, microjoule femtosecond laser on the market. The laser head, controller and air-cooling system are all integrated in one small and robust package, with a footprint so small it even fits into a hand-luggage!


The ORIGAMI system is based on a compact monolithic chirped pulse amplification platform capable of delivering up to 70 μJ pulse energy at 1030 nm, a 5 W average power, and a pulse duration below 400 fs.

Download this application note here.

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