Plasma / Flame / Laser Cutters and Cutting Machinery
Carbon Dioxide Laser fires short, high power pulses.
Press Release Summary:
GEM-Q3000(TM) Q-switched CO2 laser produces pulses at 9.25 microns with 15 kW peak power. Pulse widths are controllable to less than 150 ns and peak energies are over 3000 micro J. Wavelength is matched to PCB dielectric materials so it processes cleanly without leaving residue behind. It processes glass without micro cracking or similar collateral thermal damage. Applications include drilling, micromachining, and specialty materials processing.
Original Press Release:
Coherent Expands Industrial Q-Switched CO2 Laser Family
GEM-Q3000(TM) Combines Robust Sealed Package with Ultra-Short, High-Peak-Power Pulses
Santa Clara, Calif., June 18, 2002 - Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) (Nasdaq: COHR) expands its family of Q-switched CO2 lasers with the introduction of the GEM-Q3000. The GEM-Q3000 is the highest repetition rate C02 laser on the market, offering more than 15 kW of peak power. Combining ultra-short, high-peak-power pulses with a rugged, sealed package, the GEM-Q3000 enables increased throughput and yield in drilling and micromachining applications, including PCB microvia drilling, flex-circuit machining and specialty materials processing.
"The GEM-Q3000 is the next step in the evolution of Coherent's patented Q-switch technology," said John Kennedy, product development manager for Coherent. "This unique technology resulted in the world's first commercially available industrial Q-switched laser, the GEM-Q400, which Coherent debuted earlier this year. With the addition of the GEM-Q3000, we now have two offerings for the materials processing marketplace. Both products use the same field-proven technology platform, but we've increased the peak power and pulse energy in the GEM-Q3000 in response to customer demand."
The GEM-Q3000 produces pulses at 9.25 microns with 15 kW peak power. Pulse widths are controllable to less than 150 ns, Full Width Half Maximum, and peak energies to over 3000 micro J. These unique characteristics are particularly important for applications such as PCB microvia drilling, where the laser techniques currently used leave charring or residue on the circuit board. Since the GEM-Q3000 combines narrow-width, high peak power pulses with high rep rates, and a wavelength well matched to PCB dielectric materials, it processes cleanly and precisely without leaving residue behind.
"The GEM-Q3000 has successfully processed materials such as resin-coated copper and other PCB dielectrics, as well as polyimide flex machining and PET marking," said Kennedy. "For processing specialty materials such as glass, the GEM-Q3000 has the ability to rapidly process the material without micro cracking or similar collateral thermal damage."
Originally founded in 1994 as DeMaria ElectroOptics Systems, Inc. (DEOS), DEOS was acquired by Coherent Inc. in April 2001. Coherent-DEOS designs and manufactures carbon-dioxide lasers used in materials processing, electronics packaging, and research applications. The acquisition further enhanced Coherent's CO2 laser portfolio, making the company the only manufacturer to offer a line of sealed CO2 lasers ranging in power from 25W to 500W.
Founded in 1966, Coherent, Inc. is a Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 company and a world leader in providing photonics-based solutions to the commercial, scientific, and telecom markets. Please direct any questions about the new GEM-Q3000 laser to Ron Straayer, product line manager at (860) 243-9557. For more information about Coherent, please visit our Web site at www.CoherentInc.com.
