A series of laser pulse bundles or bursts are used for micromachining target structures. Each burst includes short laser pulses with temporal pulse widths that are less than approximately 1 nanosecond. A laser micromachining method includes generating a burst of laser pulses and adjusting an envelope of the burst of laser pulses for processing target locations. The method includes adjusting the burst envelope by selectively adjusting one or more first laser pulses within the burst to a first amplitude based on processing characteristics of a first feature at a target location, and selectively adjusting one or more second laser pulses within the burst to a second amplitude based on processing characteristics of a second feature at the target location. The method further includes directing the amplitude adjusted burst of laser pulses to the target location.

There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than 1 kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.

Highly mineralized natural materials often boast unusual combinations of stiffness, strength and toughness currently unmatched by today's engineering materials. Beneficially, according to the embodiments of the invention, these unusual combinations can be introduced into ceramics, glasses, and crystal materials, for example by the introduction of patterns of weaker interfaces with simple or intricate architectures, which channel propagating cracks into toughening configurations. Further, such deliberately-introduced weaker interfaces, such as exploiting three-dimensional arrays of laser-generated microcracks, can deflect and guide larger incoming cracks. Addition of interlocking interfaces and flexible materials provide further energy dissipation and toughening mechanism, by channeling cracks into interlocking configurations and ligament-like pullout mechanisms. Such biomimetic materials, based on carefully architectured interfaces, provide a new pathway to toughening hard and brittle materials.

Systems, apparatus and methods for performing laser operations in boreholes and other remote locations, such operations including laser drilling of a borehole in the earth, and laser workover and completion operations. Systems, apparatus and methods for generating and delivering high power laser energy below the surface of the earth and within a borehole. Laser operations using such down hole generated laser beams.

A series of laser pulse bundles or bursts are used for micromachining target structures. Each burst includes short laser pulses with temporal pulse widths that are less than approximately 1 nanosecond. A laser micromachining method includes generating a burst of laser pulses and adjusting an envelope of the burst of laser pulses for processing target locations. The method includes adjusting the burst envelope by selectively adjusting one or more first laser pulses within the burst to a first amplitude based on processing characteristics of a first feature at a target location, and selectively adjusting one or more second laser pulses within the burst to a second amplitude based on processing characteristics of a second feature at the target location. The method further includes directing the amplitude adjusted burst of laser pulses to the target location.

A laser ablation system, and method, facilitates the execution of user-defined scans (i.e., in which a laser beam is scanned across a sample along a beam trajectory to ablate or dissociate a portion of the sample) and enables the user define additional scans while a scan is being executed.

A patterning device performs patterning in manufacture of a display panel in which thin films including an organic film are laminated above a substrate. The patterning device includes a chamber, light transmissive plates, and a laser emitter. The chamber has a light transmissive window including a first light transmissive plate through which a laser beam is transmitted and accommodates a thin film laminated substrate. A second light transmissive plate through which the laser beam is transmitted is in the chamber between the first light transmissive plate and the thin film laminated substrate at a position spaced away from the thin film laminated substrate. The laser emitter is outside the chamber and emits the laser beam towards the thin film laminated substrate, through the first light transmissive plate and the second light transmissive plate, to irradiate and remove a portion of the thin film.

The automated trimming of an untrimmed plant stem comprises a device for transporting an untrimmed plant stem to an imaging stage, using a camera to capture at least one image of the plant stem, sending the at least one image to a central processor which creates a trim map which constructs a pattern for moving a cutting armature along the plant stem, and trimming the plant stem by cutting structure of the cutting armature to change the untrimmed plant stem to a trimmed plant stem.

Methods capable of forming holes in, etching the surface of, or otherwise ablating substrates, and substrates formed thereby. A first method includes directing a first laser beam pulse towards a substrate to form a hole in a surface thereof and to form a plasma plume at least partially within the hole wherein the plasma plume has insufficient thermal energy and expansion velocity to etch sidewall of the hole, and directing a second laser beam pulse into the plasma plume to increase the temperature and expansion velocity of the plasma plume such that the sidewall is etched causing an increase in the cross-sectional dimension of the hole. A second method includes applying a liquid to a surface of a substrate, and directing a laser beam pulse into the liquid to create plasma on the surface of the substrate that etches portions of the surface of the substrate.

A device for marking an ophthalmic lens (3), the lens (3) being made of at least one preset material, includes a laser (1) configured to produce permanent engravings on the lens (3) and configured to emit a focused beam of pulsed ultraviolet laser radiation that includes at least one radiation wavelength ranging between 200 nm and 300 nm, has a pulse length ranging between about 0.1 ns and about 5 ns, and has an energy per pulse ranging between about 5 J and about 100 J. A laser marking process configured to produce permanent engravings on an ophthalmic lens (3) via this device is also described.