Jul 17 2007
Newport Corporation today reported that its new fiber-based picosecond UV laser, which delivers 12 watts of output power at a wavelength of 355nm, offers 50 percent higher output power than competitive offerings.
This new laser platform enables higher throughput and lower cost of ownership for many of the most challenging applications in semiconductor, solar cell, flat panel and printed circuit board manufacturing.
Robert G. Deuster, Newport's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer stated, "Our unique expertise in diode laser technology, fiber coupling and frequency conversion has allowed us to take this laser's performance to the next level. We believe that our new fiber-based lasers represent a paradigm shift in many industrial and microelectronics applications that have previously been served by conventional lamp-pumped and diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) technologies. These new systems combine very high repetition rates with extremely high power to achieve new levels of process productivity."
This new UV laser has been used to successfully process a wide range of dielectric, glass and semiconductor materials. First results show record processing speeds and superior edge quality compared to previous results. For example, polyimide, a widely used dielectric material in the electronics industry, was processed at speeds up to 10 m/s (400"/s) with clean edges and no post-processing necessary. Indium tin oxide (ITO), which is commonly used for flat panel display and solar cell manufacturing, was scribed at speeds up to 25m/s (1000"/s) with excellent line quality. Both results produced superior scribing performance quality at speeds 5 to 10 times faster than conventional q-switched technology.
Deuster continues, "Customers who are currently using existing technology at lower power levels will appreciate the increase in throughput made possible by our new fiber laser platform because it directly translates into lower manufacturing costs per part."
Deuster concluded, "Moving forward, we will continue to conduct more application tests with these exciting new products. This week, at the upcoming CLEO conference in Baltimore, and then in June at the LASER conference and exhibition in Munich, we will be presenting additional data about our new fiber-based lasers. We will continue to work with our key customers to drive our new product line, and to develop new fiber-based laser solutions that offer key advantages in output power, cost of ownership, and reliability."
ABOUT NEWPORT CORPORATION
Newport Corporation is a leading global supplier of advanced photonics technologies to customers in the scientific research, microelectronics manufacturing, aerospace and defense/security, life and health sciences and precision industrial manufacturing markets. Newport's innovative solutions leverage its expertise in high-power semiconductor, solid-state and ultrafast lasers, photonics instrumentation, sub-micron positioning systems, vibration isolation and optical subsystems and precision automation to enhance the capabilities and productivity of its customers' manufacturing, engineering and research applications. Newport is part of the Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000 Index.
http://investor.newport.com/