In December 2008 Jenoptik completed the purchase of the wafer manufacturer Three-Five Epitaxial Services AG (TESAG). The Thuringia-based optoelectronics group is consequently now one of the world's few total service providers for high-power diode lasers. Jenoptik offers the complete range of diode lasers from wafer to unmounted semiconductor material and mounted diode laser bars through to high-quality finished products in the form of fiber coupled diode lasers and stacks.
Epitaxy is a process used in wafer coating and finishing for creating the laser functionality. This makes it the key step for the functionality and quality of high-power laser bars which Jenoptik has been producing since 2007 in Berlin both for its own further processing as well as for worldwide sale.
TESAG was created in 1999 as a spin-off from the Ferdinand Braun Institute for Ultra High Frequency Technology (FBH) and is based in Berlin-Adlershof nearby to Jenoptik's laser bar production site. The company is a highly specialized provider of epitaxial structures in particular for laser diodes and, as such, is a long-established and reliable supplier to Jenoptik.
Jenoptik will be presenting numerous developments from the world of optics, micro-optics and laser technology at Photonics West.
At the end of January Jenoptik will be exhibiting the entire value-added chain for high-power diode lasers together with additional innovations from the Lasers & Material Processing division at the Photonics West trade fair in San Jose, CA. These include, amongst others, a new air-cooled, fiber-coupled diode laser with a 100 Watt output capacity. The laser requires no water cooling whatsoever, providing users with easy handling e.g. for direct material processing where an increased output capacity is required.
The innovations offered by the Lasers & Material Processing division include the JenLas® D2.fs femtosecond laser, the output parameters of which have been dramatically increased, opening up a wide spectrum of uses ranging from medical applications in the field of microsurgery through to industrial micro-material processing. The advantage of femtosecond pulses lies in the minimal thermal penetration of the laser radiation into the material to be processed. This means that there is virtually no damage to or effect on the surrounding material. In terms of precision and quality the femtosecond laser is clearly superior to other beam sources.
The JenLas® disk IR50 disc laser will also be on show. With individual pulse length selection the user is able to identify and define the optimum set of parameters for each individual application. The ability to now vary the laser properties allows a wider range of parameters to be addressed; this previously required a number of different laser beam sources. The spectrum of applications extends to amongst others micro-material processing in industrial environments such as e.g. wafer structuring or processing of solar cells. Other applications include micro-cutting, micro-structuring and micro-drilling. This laser is used both in innovative markets in the solar industry as well as for traditional industrial applications and is designed as an OEM unit for integration into a system or production line.
The Optical Systems division is represented at Photonics West through the new client-specific precision aspheres and cylindrical optics as well as by optical components for laser material processing. Jenoptik is one of the few suppliers in the world able to manufacture aspheres and cylinders from a large number of optical materials to meet customer specifications for surface quality, geometry and optical film.
In addition to reflection gratings for femtosecond lasers the new products from the Micro Optics business unit include micro-optic solutions based on innovative materials. Thanks to the optimization of the manufacturing process Jenoptik will for the very first time be exhibiting micro-optic components made from calcium fluoride (CaF2) and zinc selenide (ZnSe). The innovative solutions will enhance the customer's applications profile, particularly in the areas of lithography, semi-conductor inspection and medical technology.
Highly efficient micro-optics for projection systems have been developed by the Micro Optics and Optoelectronical Systems business units. A new tool technology means that both sides of polymer lenses can be aligned on a defined basis and so joined together in congruence. These double-sided lenses are used e.g. in micro projectors, for example as found in video projectors or mobile phones. In this context Jenoptik offers both development and mass production of the so-called arrays to customer specifications.