Santa Clara, Calif., September 15, 2014 – The RAPID NX from Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) (Nasdaq: COHR) is the first member of a newly developed platform designed to deliver all the benefits of ultrafast laser materials processing at a lower price point than previously available. Specifically, RAPID NX combines the best aspects of Coherent’s Talisker and RAPID series lasers, including pulse-on-demand and burst mode operation.
The first RAPID NX offers 6W of average power at 1064 nm and a pulsewidth of <15 ps. Pulse energy is adjustable up to 50 µJ, and repetition rate can be varied over a wide range: from 50 kHz to 1 MHz. This makes RAPID NX an ideal source for diverse precision applications, including high value marking, surface structuring for friction reduction, photovoltaics manufacturing, LED dicing, thin film applications, and many more micromachining tasks.
Numerous microstructuring and microprocessing tasks exhibit superior results when performed with an industrial ultrafast laser, as opposed to longer pulsewidth (nanosecond regime) lasers. But, the higher cost of picosecond lasers has kept them from more widespread adoption. By offering a dramatically lower price point without sacrificing operational capabilities, RAPID NX now makes many of these potential applications economically viable, thus significantly expanding the applications space for ultrafast microprocessing. Additionally, the use of high reliability components, such as Coherent’s state-of-the-art, long lifetime pump diodes, and a modular construction that enables easy field service, enables a low cost-of-ownership matrix for the RAPID NX.
Founded in 1966, Coherent, Inc. is a world leader in providing photonics based solutions to the commercial and scientific research markets, and is part of the Standard & Poor’s SmallCap 600 Index and the Russell 2000. Please direct any questions about this press release to Dirk Müller, Ph.D., director of product line management, at (720) 412-7281. For more information about Coherent, including product and financial updates, visit our website at http://www.Coherent.com.
