Newport Corp.'s Spectra-Physics Lasers division has unveiled the HIPPO 532-14, a new addition to its HIPPO family of Q-switched diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) industrial lasers. The HIPPO 532-14 provides 14 W of 532 nm output at 100 kHz with a short pulse width of <30 ns.
Used for solar thin-film scribing applications, the new laser is ideal for high-speed, multi-beam scribing of P2 and P3 layers in thin film a-Si and CdTe photovoltaic structures, the company says. Scribe speeds in excess of 12 m/s have been achieved on tandem-junction a-Si P2 layers with isolation lines ~65 microns wide and ~2.5 microns deep.
Features of the HIPPO 532-14 include its short pulse width (<30 ns at 100 kHz) and high peak power (up to16 kW at 50 kHz). According to Newport, these characteristics help reduce undesired thermal effects such as heat affected zones, material recast, and micro-cracking of the substrate.
The pulse-to-pulse stability of the HIPPO 532-14 at higher pulse repetition rates (up to 200 kHz) translates to scribe consistency at high processing speeds on solar panels, the company adds, and the TEM00 beam profile and beam quality translates to a larger depth of field for the HIPPO 532-14, making it forgiving of variations in glass substrate flatness and surface irregularities.
Newport Corp.: (650) 966-5496
SOURCE: Newport Corp.
