A beam coupling device includes a light source, optical units, and a coupling optical system. The light source includes light emitters arranged in a first direction and a second direction, to emit light beams having a light ray direction intersecting the first and second directions from each of the light emitters. The optical units are arranged to guide each light beam for each set of light emitters arranged in the first direction in the light source. The coupling optical system is arranged to couple the light beams guided by each optical unit. Each of the optical units is arranged to direct outward the light ray direction of the light beam emitted by a light emitter that is located outside in the first direction for the set of light emitters, to guide the light beam from the light emitter into the coupling optical system.

A spatial light modulator (SLM) including a two-dimensional (2D) array of n rows of m pixels, and a stacked drive circuit including at least one, one-dimensional (1D) array of n*m drivers monolithically integrated on the same substrate and methods of fabricating and methods of using the same in materials processing applications are provided. Generally, each pixel includes at least one modulator, and is configured to modulate light incident thereon in response to drive signals received from the stacked drive circuit. The 1D array of the stacked drive circuit includes a single row of n*m drivers arranged adjacent to and laterally separated from the 2D array of pixels. Other embodiments are also described.

The invention relates to a method for forming a structuring at surfaces of components using a laser beam. In the invention, a laser beam is directed onto a diffractive optical element. The diffractive optical element is configured such that the laser beam is split into at least two part beams and the part beams are directed at an angle α with respect to the optical axis of the laser beam onto at least one further optical element which is transparent for the laser radiation. The further optical element(s) has/have a first surface and a second surface which is inclined at an angle to the optical axis of the laser beam at which the beam direction of the part beams is changed by optical refraction. A focusing optical lens is arranged in the optical path of the part beams between the further optical element(s) and a component surface to be processed, and the part beams are focused such that they are incident onto the surface of the component at a common position at an angle of incidence β with respect to the optical axis of the laser beam. The distance d1 between the optical elements is changed to change the interference period.

A light irradiation apparatus includes a light source, a dispersive element, a spatial light modulator, and a focusing element. The dispersive element disperses pulsed light output from the light source and outputs the light. The dispersive element includes, for example. The spatial light modulator modulates a phase spectrum or an intensity spectrum of the light output from the dispersive element and outputs the light. The focusing element receives the light output from the spatial light modulator in a dispersing state, and focuses the light on a common region (focusing region) in a surface or an inside of an object.

Provided are a machining device and a machining method in which machining of higher precision can be performed with a simple configuration. The machining device has an irradiation head (16) and a controller; and the irradiation head (16) can be divided into a collimate optical system, a laser revolving unit (35), and a light collection optical system (37). The laser revolving unit (35) has a first prism (51), a second prism (52), a first rotation mechanism (53), and a second rotation mechanism (54). The controller controls the rotational speeds and the difference in phase angles of the first prism (51) and the second prism (52), on the basis of at least the relationship between a heat affected layer of a member to be machined and the revolving speed of the laser.

This is to provide a laser irradiation apparatus which can drive a deflection optical system (33) with a high speed by a small and lightweight structure and can cope with heat generation of the optical system. The laser irradiation apparatus includes a condensing optical system (32) for condensing a laser beam (B) generated by a laser oscillator (10) at a predetermined focal point (FP), a deflection optical system (33) for deflecting the laser beam (B) generated from the condensing optical system (32) with a predetermined deflection angle, and a driving unit (100) for rotationally driving the deflection optical system (33) around a rotation axis provided substantially in parallel to an optical axis of the condensing optical system (32), wherein the driving unit (100) has an air motor (100) which convert an energy possessed by a gas supplied from a gas supplying source (60) to a rotational force.

An optical wheel assembly for a laser transmission welding apparatus includes a double-convex optical lens having two spherical surfaces that are joined by a polished side surface extending circumferentially around the lens. Each of the two spherical surfaces has a known spherical diameter. The optical lens is disposed between a pair of dish cup holders, each having a spherical concave surface with the known spherical diameter and engaging the spherical surfaces of the lens. Each dish cup holder has an axial projection extending away from a side of the dish cup holder that is opposite the spherical concave surface. The axial projections are received within respective bearings that are mounted within a housing. The bearings allow the dish cup holders and the optical lens to rotate while pressure is being applied to plastic workpieces during laser transmission welding thereof.

Systems, devices, apparatuses and methods for formation of multiple separate light spots with adjustable intensity due to lossless redistribution of the light energy between the separate spots, and with a variable geometry of the multi-spot pattern; advantageously, for laser processing of materials by focusing the laser radiation on a workpiece. The multi-spot pattern is created due to angular polarization splitting of the light beam into several beamlets using a beam splitter and further focusing these beamlets onto a workpiece by a focusing optical system, advantageously by the scanning focusing optics. The beam splitter can include optical birefringent prisms, prism groups and waveplates capable to operate simultaneously at two different wavelengths. Some of these optical elements are rotatable, and their rotations are used for lossless redistribution of light energy between the spots and for a change in the geometric shape of the multi-spot patterns. Embodiments can provide various geometrical configurations of 2, 3, 4, 9 and more separate focused spots: linear, rhombus-shaped, square, parallelogram, rectangular patterns composed in the form of a line or a matrix, with the ability to vary portions of the light energy at the specified separate spots.

An electrode welding method includes a laser irradiation apparatus preparation step of preparing a laser irradiation apparatus including a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam with a wavelength having absorbability with respect to a semiconductor chip and a spatial light modulator that adjusts the energy distribution of the laser beam emitted by the laser oscillator, an electrode positioning step of positioning, corresponding to electrodes of a wiring substrate, bump electrodes of a device, and an electrode welding step of irradiating the back surface of the semiconductor chip with the laser beam and welding the bump electrodes to the electrodes of the wiring substrate.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for varying the beam parameter product of diode lasers in laser material processing. The present invention provides an apparatus for laser material processing, comprising laser diodes as a laser source; a focusing lens; a fiber into which the light is coupled, wherein the beam parameter product of the fiber is greater than the beam parameter product of the incident laser light; and a substrate for producing an offset of the beam axis.