Fiber Lasers:

Gregg Sucha, IMRA America

Ultrafast laser technology has seen revolutionary development in the last several years. As the technology has developed, so have commercial applications, prompting system developers to consider the needs of their industrial customers.
Industry needs compact, turnkey, ultrafast laser systems for a variety of applications ranging from high-speed circuit testing to ultraprecise micromachining to medical imaging. At the same time, however, these ultrafast systems must offer improved performance without losing ground to conventional solid-state lasers through increased maintenance and operational costs. Fiber lasers offer this performance plus the advantages of high power in a small package, ruggedness, excellent power stability, and hands-off operation.