INDUSTRIAL LASER APPLICATIONS

The use of lasers in industrial fabrication lines is attractive because of the high flexibility caused by the controllability of beam position and beam parameters. Laser processes offer rationalization and sometimes new concepts for innovative products. Some examples for applications of the well established Nd:YAG laser will be given. However, to find acceptance in production floors for new lasers (e.g. excimer lasers) or novel process technologies (e.g. laser-induced thin-film processes) in most cases several preconditions have to be fulfilled; these preconditions will be discussed. An example for successful introduction of KrF excimer lasers into a fabrication line for high-density multilayer printed circuit boards will be described. The multilayer printed circuit board is an essential part of the multi-chip module used in a new Siemens high-speed computer. We will report our first experiences with excimer lasers in a production environment. © 1990.