MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 7 -- Spectra-Physics announced the first diode-pumped solid state laser to combine high output power with excellent spatial mode -- a combination that offers critical benefits in several key materials processing applications, the company said. Specifically, Inazuma delivers 8 watts of Q-switched output at 355 nm, in a near diffraction-limited beam (M2 < 1.3).
    With an adjustable pulse rate from 15 to 100 kHz, Spectra Physics expects this laser to impact several materials processing applications, where the increased UV power will translate directly into higher throughput. Examples include microvia drilling, trimming and patterning flex circuits, and marking and dicing semiconductor wafers, and other precision micromachining processes.