Systems, devices, and techniques for creating blind annular vias for metallized vias are described. For example, a vortex beam may be applied to an optically transmissive substrate, where the vortex beam may modify a portion of the substrate in an annular shape. The annular shape may extend from a surface of the substrate to a depth that is less than a thickness of the substrate, and the annular shape may have an annular width (e.g., a ring width) that is the same for various diameters of the annular shape. A blind annular via may be formed by etching the modified portion of the substrate, where the blind annular via may include a pillar comprising the same material as the surrounding substrate. In addition, a metallized annular via may be created by filling the blind annular via with a conductive material, and removing a portion of the substrate opposite the surface.

In various embodiments, workpieces are processed, e.g., via welding or cutting, while the shape and/or one or more other parameters of the laser processing beam are altered. The shape and/or one or more other parameters of the laser processing beam may be varied based on one or more characteristics of the workpiece.

An optically powered system for rapid, focused heating and melting of water ice. The optical wavelength is chosen to fall in a range where transmissivity through liquid water is higher than through ice. An alternative embodiment of the invention further comprises a length of fiber optic tether between source and output to allow for motion of the melt head. A further embodiment includes probing the ice using various sensing modalities exploiting the presence of the fiber in the ice, searching for biomarkers and characterizing the radiation/light environment for subsurface habitability, including photosynthetic potential and radiation environment as a source for energy.

A surface processing machine for processing a surface of a workpiece has a processing unit which includes a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, a condenser that forms the laser beam which has been emitted by the laser oscillator, into a plurality of beams, a collimation lens that is arranged between the laser oscillator and the condenser and collimates the laser beam into parallel light, a beam intensity adjuster that is arranged between the condenser and the collimation lens and adjusts an intensity of the beams, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the condenser.

A method for generating Bessel beams includes the steps of: utilizing a light source to generate an incident beam to a phase modulation module; utilizing the phase modulation module to rectify the incident beam into a circular beam, and to modulate a phase of the circular beam into an asymmetric phase so as to form an asymmetric collimated circular beam provided to a scanning module; utilizing the scanning module to compensate the asymmetric collimated circular beam, and utilizing the asymmetric collimated circular beam to scan at different angles and then enter a focusing element; and, utilizing the focusing element to focus and interfere the asymmetric collimated circular beam into form a Bessel beam for machining.

A laser head apparatus that enables the use of smaller parallel converging laser beams that create multiple smaller holes in a material followed by a larger parallel diverging laser beams that remove additional material. The laser head apparatus includes laser optics and purging nozzles. A process for removing material using the laser head apparatus includes moving the laser head apparatus to a position to generate parallel converging laser beams at a target location in the material and moving the laser head apparatus to a position to generate parallel diverging laser beams at the target location from the converging laser beams.

A laser machining device includes: a broadband light source, which generates a broadband laser beam; a first lens unit to which the broadband laser beam is incident and having a first effective focal length; a second lens unit spaced apart from the first lens unit in a first direction and having a second effective focal length; a beam splitter disposed between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, and which is movable in the first direction and a direction opposite to the first direction within the first effective focal length from the first lens unit, and splits the broadband laser beam passing through the first lens unit into a plurality of sub-laser beams; and a focusing lens spaced apart from the second lens unit in the first direction, and which focuses the sub-laser beams passing through the second lens unit on a substrate.

A laser head apparatus that enables switching between a laser beam and a purging stream. The laser head apparatus includes a bracket that provides for translation and rotation of the laser optics and purging nozzle. The laser optics and purging nozzle are located on opposite sides of the bracket and may be rotated to different rotational positions around a center axis of the bracket and translated to different linear positions along a length of the bracket. Methods of removing material using the laser head apparatus to between a laser beam and a purging stream are also provided.

The invention provides a method for laser modification of a sample to form a modified region at a target location within the sample. The method comprises positioning a sample in a laser system for modification by a laser; measuring tilt of a surface of the sample through which the laser focusses; using at least the measured tilt to determine a correction to be applied to an active optical element of the laser system; applying the correction to the active optical element to modify wavefront properties of the laser to counteract an effect of coma on laser focus; and laser modifying the sample at the target location using the laser with the corrected wavefront properties to produce the modified region.

A system includes a first group of optic lenses within a focusing unit positioned along the propagation direction of a collimated laser beam, the first group of optic lenses separated by a predetermined fixed distance. The first group of optic lenses in conjunction cause the collimated beam to form as an annular beam as it passes through the first group of optic lenses. An axicon lens located distal from the first group of optic lenses along the propagation direction, the axicon lens operable to bifurcate the annular beam into two deflected collimated beam sections, and the axicon lens having a focus that causes the two deflected collimated beam sections to merge at a distance distal from the axicon lens to create an interference pattern region.