Achieving Ultraprecision in Volume Production with Coherent HyperRapid NXT Green USP Laser

The COHERENT HyperRapid NXT is a green USP laser that enables precision materials processing in high volume.

The newest Coherent HyperRapid NXT 532-100 industrial ultra-short pulse laser delivers an unmatched combination of high-power (100 W) green output and consistently excellent beam quality. This enables it to support demanding, high-precision materials processing applications that also require high throughput.

HIGH-THROUGHPUT SOLAR CELL SCRIBING

One prime use for the Coherent HyperRapid NXT is the scribing and grooving of next-generation solar cells, made from thin-film materials like perovskite or innovative technologies such as interdigitated back contact panels. High-power, green, ultra-short pulses are needed to deliver the necessary precision and desired material removal rates (and, hence, overall throughput) for this process. But it’s not just about power; it's about enabling manufacturers to scale production while still ensuring impeccable quality and cost-effectiveness. A key factor in achieving this is beam quality.

The reason that beam quality plays such a critical role in this application is that diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are often used in the optical system to transform the laser beam. The DOE might split the input laser beam into multiple beams which enables several different areas on the solar cell to be processed simultaneously. This parallel processing dramatically increases throughput. Other processes use the DOE to transform the round Gaussian intensity profile laser beam into a square beam with uniform intensity to optimize the ablation process itself.  

The challenge here is that DOEs require a very round input beam to perform optimally. Plus, the beam characteristics must be stable over time. If they’re not, the optical alignment of the system will change which will make the process inconsistent. 

However, it’s difficult to get a high-quality beam that remains completely stable over time from a high-power, green USP laser. This is because these solid-state lasers use non-linear crystals to transform (frequency double) their infrared output into green light. However, the high pulse energy of a high-power USP laser can damage or affect the crystal in ways that reduces output beam quality.

Growing our own high-quality non-linear crystals in-house enables Coherent to consistently deliver green and ultraviolet high-power lasers with unmatched stability and lifetime.

Coherent fabricates our own non-linear crystals and we have extensive experience in manufacturing them in high volume for both green and ultraviolet high-power lasers. Simply stated, we make better quality crystals which can withstand the extreme operating environment of a high-power green USP laser and not distort the beam shape. This is a key element in achieving the superior long-term output stability of the HyperRapid NXT. 

Advanced Features for Advanced Applications

This new laser is not just about high power. It's about intelligent power. With stable power modulation, pulse-on-demand, and variable repetition rates, it’s designed to deliver the finesse and control necessary for ultraprecision processing tasks. 

Coherent has long supported ultraprecision materials processing applications with a variety of products. These include the USP lasers like the Coherent HyperRapid and Monaco, our extensive range of excimer lasers, and nanosecond pulsewidth industrial lasers like the AVIA LX and AVIA NX. 

The Coherent HyperRapid NXT 532-100 is a 100 W, green, USP laser that offers exceptional performance and reliability.

Now we’re enabling many of these applications to move into higher volume production, without sacrificing the advantages – like smoother, cleaner feature production and material removal with minimal heat-affected zones – that made these lasers useful to begin with. The Coherent HyperRapid NXT 532-100, in particular, promises to enhance productivity in challenging applications such as thin film solar cell patterning, battery foil cutting, silicon wafer scribing and more.