Excimer Laser Solutions Ultraviolet Excimer Laser Applications Superior Reliability & Performance
Enabling Industrial Applications with Excimer Technology for Over 30 Years FPD Silicon Annealing ELA and SLS Inkjet Nozzle Drilling Refractive Eye Surgery LASIK and PRK Marking Eye Glasses Serving the Worldwide Laser Community Founded in 1966, Coherent serves commercial, medical, telecommunications, and scientific research markets. As the world s largest laser manufacturer, we provide the industry s widest range of photonics-based products, including semiconductor, solid-state, and gas lasers. Then, in 2005, we acquired TuiLaser, a company that specialized in extremely compact, user-friendly, high reliability excimer lasers designed for low- to medium-power applications, such as LASIK, marking and drilling. The integrated Coherent operation now offers a complete spectrum of excimer lasers. Making Greener Automobiles Medical Disposables Lithography Photomask Qualification Pulsed Laser Deposition In 1982, we acquired a controlling interest in Lambda Physik, which is well-known for its leadership in high energy, high reliability excimer lasers for such demanding applications as microlithography and FPD (flat panel display) annealing. In 2003, Lambda Physik became a wholly owned part of Coherent. To serve our broad base of customers, we have offices, applications centers and manufacturing plants throughout the world, with our main headquarters located in Santa Clara, California. The excimer group operates from facilities in both Goettingen and Munich, Germany.
Industrial-Strength Solutions Excimers are the most powerful ultraviolet lasers, delivering the highest pulse energy and the highest average power available. These unique output characteristics have made excimers the tool of choice for a number of demanding applications. While early excimers developed a reputation as being difficult to operate, with frequent downtime and high service costs, that image is now completely outdated. Today the excimer is well established as a highly reliable industrial workhorse in high throughput applications. Prime examples include flat panel annealing, the low-cost drilling of holes in disposable medical devices, and as a user- friendly light source in handsfree applications such as LASIK. Moreover, ongoing innovations in both lifetime and reliability make the overall cost of excimer ownership continue to decrease. Continuous Innovation Coherent has pioneered a number of excimer innovations in recent years. These developments include the first all-metal-ceramic plasma tube, slide valve mounting of the tube windows, internal halogen generation, isolated mounting of the cavity mirrors outside the plasma tube, and solid-state switching of the high voltage discharge. Tube lifetimes as long as 10 billion pulses are one result of these innovations. And the optics cleaning interval in some models now exceeds the tube lifetime itself, eliminating the need for separate optics maintenance. Superior Reliability & Performance Superior reliability and performance maximize laser value and customer satisfaction. Meeting those standards starts with better design, and extends all the way through manufacturing to quality control. It s how we build every laser, from the individual components through final testing. It s the reason we can back our lasers with a better warranty. It s our total commitment to superior reliability and performance. Applications Support Today s excimer technology enables an incredibly diverse range of medical, industrial and scientific applications. In LASIK, the excimer is a critically enabling light source. In silicon annealing for flat panel displays the excimer provides a better performing end product. And in medical disposables the excimer lowers manufacturing costs. With applications laboratories and experienced applications teams located throughout the world, we also have the expertise to support new applications as they emerge. Strong Partnerships and System Integrators We support these diverse applications by partnering with system integrators, tool builders, and specialty job shops. Our promise in million EUR 100 80 60 40 20 0 58.6 Excimer Yearly Results 76.2 2003 2004 2005* is to deliver the optimum solution for the end user, in terms of performance, reliability and ease of use. Exitech (UK) is a major supplier of excimerbased products and systems. Adrian Baughan notes: Recent years have seen dramatic increases in laser lifetime and similar advances in laser reliability and ease of use these are critical benefits for our systems customers, who are typically not laser experts and who want a simple, reliable turnkey tool. Fostering Industrial Reliability and Growth Coherent excimer lasers provide superior reliability and performance to a wide range of industrial markets. Our excimers are now the first choice in virtually every excimer application, from LASIK ophthalmic procedures to flat panel display annealing. In fact, we sell far more excimer lasers than all other companies combined. And because of the growth in so many excimer applications, 2005 was a record year for our excimer sales, with an increase of greater than 20% over 2004. Difference from previous year 30% 93.4 Difference from previous year 23% * incl. TuiLaser 06/2005 Bookings
Coherent The Applications Experts FPD Silicon Annealing ELA and SLS Excimer-enabled low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) annealing is critical to the performance of several types of high-resolution, highbrightness flat panel displays (FPDs). For both excimer laser annealing (ELA) and two-shot sequential lateral solidification (SLS) our lasers are used by all leading FPD manufacturers. Inkjet Nozzle Drilling To drill the array of tiny nozzles that form the ink pattern of inkjet printers, all the major manufacturers also choose our excimer lasers. Low cost of ownership and superior laser reliability are essential in this high-volume application.
Refractive Eye Surgery LASIK and PRK Coherent is the leading independent supplier of excimer lasers for refractive ophthalmic surgeries both LASIK and PRK. The superior beam homogeneity and high pulse-to-pulse stability of our lasers are particularly important in these procedures. Marking Eye Glasses Excimer lasers are ideal for marking glass components and products when using photomask or direct-write methods. Marking ophthalmic lenses is a good example of this capability. Lenses are marked with the manufacturer's logo, as well as alphanumeric codes that specify each lens focal properties.
Coherent The Applications Experts Making Greener Automobiles Audi-Volkswagen uses Coherent excimer lasers to create low-friction cylinder liners that reduce the emissions from high-performance diesel engines. Rugged laser reliability has enabled Audi-Volkswagen to implement this technology in the production of turbo direct injection (TDI) engines for many popular models. Medical Disposables Our excimer lasers are widely used to produce plastic medical disposables, such as microcatheters and state-of-the-art stents to treat blocked or diseased blood vessels. Coherent excimer lasers also create indelible marks on many of these products.
Lithography Photomask Qualification Coherent excimer lasers are key components of the Carl Zeiss AIMS* fab 193 mask evaluation system used to support state-ofthe-art microlithography. According to the company, With the decreasing dimensions in microlithography, the requirements for our products are growing strongly. The AIMS tools in mask shops run 24 hours a day and thus we depend on reliable high quality components to grant our customers the required process security. Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) PLD is a fast-growing process used to create novel thin films products such as superconducting tape. The high pulse-topulse stability of our excimer lasers enables PLD to deliver consistent film composition, even at high production rates.
Coherent as your partner. To compete and succeed in today s fast-paced research and manufacturing environments, you need a laser partner who understands your needs. A partner who can provide a wide range of technology solutions, and the support that goes with them. Since 1966, Coherent has been helping customers by providing complete laser-based solutions for a wide range of commercial and scientific applications. With a heritage of innovation and an uncompromising position on quality, Coherent is the most forward-thinking and diversified manufacturer of solid-state, gas, excimer and semiconductor lasers in the industry. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.coherent.com. Or call 800-527-3786. Coherent, Inc. 5100 Patrick Henry Drive Santa Clara, CA 95054 phone (800) 527-3786 (408) 764-4983 fax (800) 362-1170 (408) 988-6838 e-mail tech.sales@coherent.com Benelux +31 (30) 280 6060 China +86 (10) 6280 0209 France +33 (0)1 6985 5145 Germany +49 (6071) 9680 Italy +39 (02) 34 530 214 Japan +81 (3) 5635 8700 UK +44 (1353) 658 833 www.coherent.com Printed in the U.S.A. MC-028-06-5C0206 Copyright 2006 Coherent, Inc. *All product names contained herein are the trademarks of their respective holders. Coherent s scientific and industrial lasers are certified to comply with the Federal Regulations (21 CFR Subchapter J) as administered by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health on all systems ordered for shipment after August 2, 1976. VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION. AVOID EYE OR SKIN EXPOSURE TO DIRECT OR SCATTERED RADIATION. CLASS IV LASER RADIATION PRODUCT PER EN60825-1 (1994) MAX. AVERAGE POWER: 600W MAX. OUTPUT ENERGY: 2.5J/pulse PULSE DURATION: 10 to 50 ns WAVELENGTH: 157 to 800 nm ISO 9001:2000 Registered