A system that uses a scalable array of individually controllable laser beams that are generated by a fiber array system to process materials into an object. The adaptive control of individual beams may include beam power, focal spot width, centroid position, scanning orientation, amplitude and frequency, piston phase and polarization states of individual beams. Laser beam arrays may be arranged in a two dimensional cluster and configured to provide a pre-defined spatiotemporal laser power density distribution, or may be arranged linearly and configured to provide oscillating focal spots along a wide processing line. These systems may also have a set of material sensors that gather information on a material and environment immediately before, during, and immediately after processing, or a set of thermal management modules that pre-heat and post-heat material to control thermal gradient, or both.

A laser processing method includes a step of processing a workpiece by relatively moving the workpiece with respect to a plurality of laser spots including a first spot, a second spot, and a third spot which are linearly arranged so that the first spot, the second spot, and the third spot pass through a processing target portion of the workpiece in this order. To a total amount of energy of laser beam in the first spot, the second spot, and the third spot, a ratio of energy in the first spot is not less than 20% and not more than 30%, a ratio of energy in the second spot is not less than 20% and not more than 30%, and a ratio of energy in the third spot is not less than 45% and not more than 55%.

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 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.

Methods for joining a first blank and a second blank, at least one of the first and second blanks comprising at least a layer of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy or a layer of zinc or of a zinc alloy. The method comprises selecting a first portion of the first blank to be joined to the second blank, and selecting a second portion of the second blank to be joined to the first portion, and welding the first portion to the second portion. The welding comprises using a filler metal laser beam and a welding laser beam, and displacing both laser beams in a welding direction to melt and mix a filler wire material with the melted portions of the two blanks. The present disclosure further relates to blanks obtained by any of these methods and to products obtained from such blanks.

This laser processing apparatus includes a controller. The controller executes first control for causing the laser light to be modulated such that the laser light is branched into a plurality of rays of processing light and a plurality of converging points of the plurality of rays are positioned in different positions in a direction perpendicular to an irradiation direction of the laser light. In the first control, the laser light is modulated such that, in the irradiation direction, the converging point of each of the plurality of rays is positioned on a side opposite to a converging point of non-modulated light of the laser light with respect to an ideal converging point of the processing light, or the converging point of each of the plurality of rays is positioned on a side opposite to the ideal converging point with respect to the converging point of the non-modulated light.

Systems and methods for additive manufacturing, and, in particular, such methods and apparatus as employ pulsed lasers or other heating arrangements to create metal droplets from donor metal micro wires, which droplets, when solidified in the aggregate, form 3D structures. A supply of metal micro wire is arranged so as to be fed towards a nozzle area by a piezo translator. Near the nozzle, an end portion of the metal micro wire is heated (e.g., by a laser pulse or an electric heater element), thereby causing the end portion of the metal micro wire near the nozzle area to form a droplet of metal. A receiving substrate is positioned to receive the droplet of metal jetted from the nozzle area.

A system for and a method of processing a transparent material, such as glass, using an adjustable laser beam line focus are disclosed. The system for processing a transparent material includes a laser source operable to emit a pulsed laser beam, and an optical assembly (6′) disposed within an optical path of the pulsed laser beam. The optical assembly (6′) is configured to transform the pulsed laser beam into a laser beam focal line having an adjustable length and an adjustable diameter. At least a portion of the laser beam focal line is operable to be positioned within a bulk of the transparent material such that the laser beam focal line produces a material modification along the laser beam focal line. Method of laser processing a transparent material by adjusting at least one of the length of the laser beam focal line and the diameter of the laser beam focal line is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method of laser processing a glass substrate, the method comprising: focusing a pulsed laser beam into a laser beam focal line into the glass substrate, the glass substrate having a feature formed on a first surface of the glass substrate, wherein a first portion of the laser beam focal line is focused at the first surface of the glass substrate and a second portion of the laser beam focal line is focused at a second surface of the glass substrate that is opposite the first surface, wherein a first set of rays exiting the optical arrangement at a first radius R1, as measured from a center of the optical arrangement forms the first portion of the laser beam focal line with a deflection angle of θ.sub.1, wherein a second set of rays exiting the optical arrangement at a second radius R2, as measured from the center of the optical arrangement forms the second portion of the laser beam focal line with a deflection angle of θ.sub.2, wherein R1 is less than R2; and wherein θ.sub.1 is greater than θ.sub.2, and wherein θ.sub.1 decreases to θ.sub.2 from R1 to R2 in one of a step-wise decrease or a graded decrease; and translating the glass substrate and the laser beam relative to each other along a first contour, thereby laser forming a plurality of defect lines along the first contour within the substrate.

Methods for thermal treatment on a semiconductor device is disclosed. One method includes obtaining a pattern of a treatment area having amorphous silicon, aligning a laser beam with the treatment area, the laser beam in a focused laser spot having a spot area equal to or greater than the treatment area, and performing a laser anneal on the treatment area by emitting the laser beam towards the treatment area for a treatment period.

A method of processing a wafer includes removing a functional layer on projected dicing lines, thereby exposing a substrate, and cutting the wafer along the projected dicing lines where the substrate is exposed, thereby fabricating individual device chips. A laser applying apparatus includes a beam branching unit for branching a laser beam spot into at least two slender spots spaced from each other in a processing direction along the projected dicing lines, and orienting longer sides of the slender spots transversely across the projected dicing lines and shorter sides of the slender spots in the processing direction. A wafer region processed by the laser beams is expanded by moving the at least two slender spots from the beam branching unit in such a manner as to make the longer sides of the slender spots shifted in opposite directions transversely across the projected dicing lines.