New Laser Syatem for Precision Processing Applications

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This project aims to generate the technology platform for the subsequent developmentof a range of competitive new laser products based on a novel planar (slab) laserarchitecture, variants of which will closely align with growing market opportunities.These variants include: 1) picosecond lasers for materials processing (marking,cutting, drilling, micromachining), based on recent research which shows that pseclaser pulses at~ 1 micron produce high precision results without the detrimentalthermal effects seen with standard laser processing; 2) longer pulse eye-safe ~2micronlasers for targeted marking and medical applications. RSUL is the leading Europeansupplier of compact slab lasers based on gas discharges, and is ideally positioned toenter this market by extending its slab laser technology to diode pumped solid statelasers, building expertise by close linkage with the world-class skills in planar solidstate lasers of its HWU partners. To achieve this, we propose a strategic mix of 53%industrial research and 4 7% pre-competitive development in a coordinated programmestructured to generate the underpinning laser/production technology for the futuredevelopment of a new family oflasers (at SOW, lOOW, 300W) which arecompetitive/superior in performance and reliability against current offerings. Wepropose to develop novel planar oscillator/amplifier designs with high efficiencydiode pump modules, low M2 resonators and advanced low cost fabricationtechnologies.