from nanosecond lasers to the ultrafast, pulsed picosecond and femtosecond lasers, said consultant Stock. How big a jump? The newer type lasers are about 10 times the cost of nanosecond lasers, she said. Darren Kraemer, president of Attodyne Inc., a Toronto- based picosecond laser maker, said: “The reason they are typically more expensive than their nanosecond cousins is because of additional components.”


For example, Kraemer said, a femtosecond laser’s added chirp pulse amplifier stretches a short pulse and then com- presses it, an unnecessary step in his view. “With a picosecond laser you don’t need to stretch and compress,” he said. “As long as your laser pulse is less than 10 picoseconds, it doesn’t make a big difference.” In addition, Attodyne has reduced the cost of its pico- second lasers by using the best of fiber-based and diode- pumped, solid-state technology without a lot of extra compo- nents that drive up price.


“Our goal is to essentially bring the cost of picosecond lasers down to or below the cost of an ultraviolet, nanosecond laser,” said Kraemer. Weiler agrees that the cost for the faster lasers will always be higher due to additional components needed to create the pulse; however, he has a strong rationale for why his company uses them anyway. “Yes, the equipment may be more expensive, but due to the savings you get from [eliminating] postprocessing, the cost is actually lower [per part],” he said.


Also on the upside, ultrafast, pulsed lasers are more com- pact (especially fiber-based ones) and more efficient (espe- cially fiber-based, which are 10% more efficient than crystal- based lasers, said Stock). The size of a femtosecond laser, for instance, has gone down from that of an old-fashioned luggage trunk to about the size of an inkjet printer, she said. The smaller size is important when it comes to issues related to integrating the laser into a closed platform for industrial use.


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