MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 20 -- Spectra-Physics said it hopes its display at Laser Munich 2003 (Munich, Germany, June 23-26, 2003) will get people thinking about novel ways to employ laser technology. In 
that spirit, the laser manufacturer has created this logo marked within the glass of a whiskey bottle.
The sealed bottle will be on exhibit at the Bavarian Laser Center booth (B2 379).
The logo was created from a simple CAD/CAM file using a laser with a 355-nm ultraviolet (UV) output. Unlike most glass marking systems, which use carbon dioxide infrared lasers, Spectra-Physics said the UV laser marks with a cold process, with no damage to the bottle surfaces and no effect on the bottle contents. The UV laser also can mark glass with a much higher spatial resolution than with an infrared laser, the company said.
Gerd Esser of the Bavarian Laser Center said UV laser glass marking has applications in many industries. "One example is in flat-panel displays, where it's important to mark the panels and parts with serial numbers. Surface marking or engraving is very undesirable in that application, because of the risk of fracture or contamination."
Wolfgang Juchmann of Spectra-Physics added, "The key to supporting new applications is systems integrators like the Bavarian Laser Center who understand laser interaction with materials and can combine all the technologies necessary to produce turnkey systems."
For more information, visit: www.thermo.com