PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE September 14, 2012 || Page 1 | 4

FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR LASER TECHNOLOGY ILT

INNOSLAB Laser concept wins 2nd prize at the 2012 Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis awards

The project group “INNOSLAB Laser”, with thirteen staff members from the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and its spin-offs EdgeWave and Amphos, received the 2012 Second Prize of the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis for applied laser technology. INNOSLAB is the label of a laser concept for a diode-pumped solid-state laser with a slab-shaped crystal, that is approximately one millimeter thick, which serves as the laser active media. Similar to the diode-pumped disk and fiber laser, the INNOSLAB concept enables lasers to be produced with high average power and beam quality.

In comparison with its relatives, the INNOSLAB models differ in concept and geometry. With its slab design it is halfway between two extremes: the thin disk with a large cross-section of the disk laser and the long thin fibers with small cross-section of fiber lasers. But not only is the geometry halfway between these extremes. Also the slab laser’s properties are in between the excellent but partly contrary properties of the disk and the fiber laser. That is why applications for the INNOSLAB lasers are found where users search for a mediator. In particular, it is often the case with fast and ultra-fast pulsed lasers as well as with pure spectral color lasers spectrally pure lasers with high power. Some of the applications are industrial micro- machining and sensoring such as lidar or photoacoustic diagnostics.

The Diode Pumped Slab Laser

The basic geometry of slab crystals for lasers is not particularly new. Rising solid-state laser powers led to an increased interest in slab lasers in the 1980s. At that time, common rod lasers were faced with the problems of thermal lensing and depolarization at high laser powers - disruptive phenomena that limited the applications of high-power solid-state lasers. However, the high-power field proved to be a gas laser domain until diode lasers were able to replace inefficient lamps as pump sources for solid-state lasers. Pumping with diode lasers, the process of inputting energy into the crystal to convert it to laser light, not only increased the energy efficiency of solid-state lasers since the 1990s, it also made new concepts like the disk and fiber laser possible.

FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR LASER TECHNOLOGY ILT

Peter Loosen, head of laser beam source development department at ILT and his staff PRESS RELEASE member Keming Du, worked against the mainstream developing a diode-pumped slab September 14, 2012 || Page 2 | 4 laser. Several work groups worldwide had failed to develop a commercially relevant concept and it seemed the prospect of success was unlikely. However, Du had the idea that made the “INNOSLAB” different from all previous slab concepts. The crystal itself would not be a boundary for the laser light as had been common practice. Rather the laser light would freely propagate within the crystal. With this patent from 1996 Du eliminated all of the problems that were experienced by others. Another basic patent by Du and Loosen expanded this slab concept to amplifiers in 1998.

Successful Market Introduction

Three years later, Du began to commercialize the concept with the start-up company Edgewave. A prominent application of the first Edgewave lasers was the popular sub- surface engraving of glass. This enabled the creation of three dimensional pictures inside any piece of glass. After this success, development at ILT continued. Hans-Dieter Hoffmann, successor to Peter Loosen, who was named chair for the technology of optical systems at RWTH Aachen and became vice chairman of the ILT, pushed the development in short and ultra short pulse generation and amplification. Continuous Development Parallel to this development, Edgewave continues to work on the further development of beam sources. Keming Du, Daijun Li, Alecander Schell and Rüdiger Haas have been contributing decisively to the commercial success of INNOSLAB lasers. In a joint project of industry and science with the ILT work group of Marco Höfer, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, picoseconds lasers with an average power of up to 400 watts were demonstrated for the first time to machine embossing rollers with highest precision and processing speed. Meanwhile, the ILT work group of Peter Rußbüldt realized an increase in average power for ultrafast lasers to more than one kilowatt. A definitive share of this work had been contributed by Torsten Mans and Johannes Weitenberg. In 2010 it resulted in additional commercial benefits of this innovative concept. Torsten Mans and Claus Schnitzler, together with Jan Dolkemeyer, founded another start-up venture, Amphos.

ILT’s directors Reinhart Poprawe and Peter Loosen see far more potential. Many applications are still waiting for the appropriate beam sources and their adaption to new demands. An example of such an application is the use of lasers in climate research. In conjunction with the partner EADS ASTRIUM and the DLR, Germany's national research center for aeronautics and space, ILT develops lasers for satellite based lidar systems to globally collect data on climate relevant trace gases like methane and CO2. Here, ILT staff members, Jörg Luttmann and Jens Löhring, have been able to prove the excellent energy and spectral properties of INNOSLAB lasers for this application.

FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR LASER TECHNOLOGY ILT

PRESS RELEASE All of the winners of the Second Prize of the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis 2012 September 14, 2012 || Page 3 | 4 are working on the continuous development of the INNOSLAB laser concept and its applications. With the applications of the basic patents by Du and Loosen, the jury recognizes thirteen members of the “INNOSLAB laser” project group for their research, development and successful commercialization of this innovative laser concept.

Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis awards

Every two years, the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis rewards outstanding contributions made in the field of applied laser technology. Since 2000, scientists from all over the world have been encouraged to enter or nominate work that achieves practical insights and applies these in a targeted way so as to realize new technologies. From these submissions, the jury selects a total of eight candidates who are then invited to present their work to the jury in person. All eight nominees receive a finalist award, and the three winners are presented with their prizes at the awards ceremony.

The 2012 jury:

Stephen Anderson, Industry and Market Strategist, SPIE – the international society for optics and photonics Prof. Dr. med. Hans-Peter Berlien, Head of the Laser Medicine Department, Elisabeth Klinik Berlin Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hubertus Christ, former member of the ZF Friedrichshafen AG Board of Management and former president of The Association of German Engineers (VDI) Prof. Dr. Theodor Hänsch, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics Prof. Dr.-Ing. Helmut Hügel, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Laser Tools IFSW Prof. Dr. Ursula Keller, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Institute of Quantum Electronics Prof. Dr. med. John Stuart Nelson, Medical Director of the Beckmann Laser Institute Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Quadbeck-Seeger, former member of the Board of Executive Directors at BASF AG, in charge of research Prof. Dr. Orazio Svelto, Politecnico di Milano, Physics Department Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jürgen Warnecke, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA

Contact person at Berthold Leibinger Stiftung Dipl.-Phys. Sven Ederer │Phone +49 7156 303-35202 [email protected] │ Johann-Maus-Straße 2, 71254 Ditzingen

FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR LASER TECHNOLOGY ILT

PRESS RELEASE September 14, 2012 || Page 4 | 4

Picture: Diode-pumped INNOSLAB laser for medical and industrial precision machining.

Photo: Berthold Leibinger Stiftung.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. Its research activities are conducted by 60 Fraunhofer Institutes at over 40 different locations throughout Germany. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft employs a staff of around 20,000, who work with an annual research budget totaling 1,8 billion euros. Roughly two thirds of this sum is generated through contract research on behalf of industry and publicly funded research projects. Branches in the USA and Asia serve to promote international cooperation.

For further information Dipl. -Ing. Hans-Dieter Hoffmann | Competence Area Manager Laser and Laser Optics | Phone +49 241 8906-206 [email protected] | Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Aachen | www.ilt.fraunhofer.de Dr. Peter Rußbüldt | Group Manager Ultrafast lasers | Phone +49 241 8906-303 [email protected] | Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Aachen | www.ilt.fraunhofer.de

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