A beam branching device capable of suppressing an increase in the cost and the like even when the number of branching directions of an incident beam is large and increasing the coupling efficiency even when the rotation accuracy of a rotary motor is not increased too high and coping with high-speed switching of the optical path is provided. In a beam branching device, a rotation shaft of a rotary motor is rotated to rotate a rotating member together with a plurality of reflection mirrors so that an incident beam is reflected from a reflection mirror surface portion of any one of the plurality of reflection mirrors and the incident beam is branched to a plurality of directions to switch an optical path of a reflection beam. A central axis of the rotating member is at a skewed position in relation to a central line of the incident beam, and the plurality of reflection mirrors are arranged at a position on the rotating member to face both sides in an axial direction of the rotating member with a position closest to the incident beam interposed therebetween.

A method of laser processing a workpiece, the method comprising focusing a pulsed laser beam into a laser beam focal line directed into the workpiece, the laser beam focal line generating an induced absorption within the material, and the induced absorption producing a defect line along the laser beam focal line within the workpiece, wherein the focal line has length L and a substantially uniform intensity profile such that the peak intensity distribution over at least 85% of the length L of the focal line does not vary by more 40%, and preferably by no more than 30 or 20% from its mean peak intensity.

A method includes transferring multiple discrete components from a first substrate to a second substrate, including illuminating multiple regions on a top surface of a dynamic release layer, the dynamic release layer adhering the multiple discrete components to the first substrate, each of the irradiated regions being aligned with a corresponding one of the discrete components. The illuminating induces a plastic deformation in each of the irradiated regions of the dynamic release layer. The plastic deformation causes at least some of the discrete components to be concurrently released from the first substrate.

A laser welding method includes a welding process of irradiating a multiple laser beam so as to weld together a first member and a second member at a boundary. The multiple laser beam includes a first beam that is advanced while forming a first molten pool in which the first member is melted, a second beam that is advanced while forming a second molten pool in which the second member is melted, and a main beam that is advanced subsequently to the first beam and the second beam and irradiated to an integrated molten pool formed by integration of the first molten pool and the second molten pool. The first beam and the second beam do not swing, while the main beam swings with respect to the boundary.

An apparatus for structuring a roller surface is proposed, wherein the apparatus has a laser source and an optical system, wherein the laser source is designed for generating laser pulses, wherein the optical system has at least one beam shaper, at least one beam splitter, and a focusing unit, wherein the combination of beam shaper and beam splitter is arranged between the laser source and the focusing unit.

A device for working a surface of a workpiece with a laser beam, with a laser system for providing the laser beam and with a plasma nozzle which is configured to generate an atmospheric plasma jet. The plasma nozzle having a nozzle head from which a plasma jet generated in the plasma nozzle emerges during operation. The laser system and the plasma nozzle are arranged relative to one another and configured in such a way that the laser beam emerges from the nozzle head of the plasma nozzle during operation, and wherein the nozzle head can be rotated about an axis of rotation (R) which extends at an angle and/or offset with respect to the plasma jet emerging from the nozzle head during operation and/or with respect to the laser beam emerging from the nozzle head during operation. The invention also relates to a method for operating such a device.

A method for manufacturing a large-area volume grating includes: (1) splitting a laser beam into two or more laser beams, converging the two or more laser beams into a sample at an angle less than 60 to form a first plasma grating; (2) moving the sample in a longitudinal direction of a plane vertical to the first plasma grating to etch out a first prefabricated volume grating; (3) moving the sample laterally to form a second plasma grating, an effective cross section of the first prefabricated volume grating partially overlapping with that of the second plasma grating, then moving the sample in a longitudinal direction of a plane vertical to the second plasma grating to etch out a second prefabricated volume; and (4) repeating steps (2) and (3) n times to obtain a volume grating in any size.

Described herein are an apparatus and a method for direct engraving an elastomeric printing plate or sleeve by multiple laser beams simultaneously. In one embodiment, an elastomeric printing plate or sleeve is positioned on an imaging drum for direct engraving. The imaging drum is rotatable around its longitudinal axis. Such rotation defines a circumferential direction, also called the transverse direction. The axis of rotation defines an axial direction, also called the longitudinal direction. The printing plate or sleeve has an body and a surface made of an elastomer (made of polymer or rubber). A drive mechanism provides relative motion between a plurality of laser beams and the plate or sleeve in both the transverse and longitudinal directions.

Laser device for tempering metal-containing or metal-oxide-containing coatings on large-area glass substrates having at least: a) at least one laser source, b) at least two bridges spanning a conveyor belt with the glass substrate, wherein each bridge contains a plurality of optical arrangements, which are alternatingly arranged on the bridges, each optical arrangement generates a laser line, and the laser lines of all optical arrangements together cover the entire width of the glass substrate.

Laser-drilling apparatus includes a gas-discharge for laser emitting laser-radiation pulses, and two acousto-optic modulators (AOMs). The laser radiation pulses are characterized as having two temporal central portions between temporal leading and trailing edge portions. The AOMs are arranged to spatially separate the central temporal portions of the pulses from each other and from the leading and trailing edge portions of the pulses.