Structured light for ultrafast laser micro- and nanoprocessing

TL;DR

This paper reviews how structured light combined with ultrashort pulsed lasers enhances micro- and nanoprocessing, enabling new industrial applications through advanced beam shaping techniques suitable for high energies and powers.

Contribution

It introduces novel methods for generating customized focus distributions using structured light for ultrafast laser processing, emphasizing industrial applicability.

Findings

Effective generation of customized focus distributions from infrared to deep ultraviolet

Demonstrated impact on micro- and nanomachining of various materials

Beam shaping techniques suitable for high energies and powers

Abstract

The industrial maturity of ultrashort pulsed lasers has triggered the development of a plethora of material processing strategies. Recently, the combination of these remarkable temporal pulse properties with advanced structured light concepts has led to breakthroughs in the development of novel laser application methods, which will now gradually reach industrial environments. We review the efficient generation of customized focus distributions from the near infrared down to the deep ultraviolet, e.g., based on non-diffracting beams and 3D-beam splitters, and demonstrate their impact for micro- and nanomachining of a wide range of materials. In the beam shaping concepts presented, special attention was paid to suitability for both high energies and high powers.