Application of Combined Millisecond and Nanosecond Pulses to Increase Laser Processing Productivity

A method for increasing the productivity of laser processing of materials has been proposed, based on combining the advantages of high-energy laser pulses and short high-intensity pulses, while redistributing the generated energy according to the temporal profile of the pulse in accordance with the physical processes occurring in the laser processing zone. The practical implementation of this approach has been demonstrated using an YAG:Nd laser with combined pumping and Q-switched mode, which generates complex-profile pulses with a millisecond duration, including short trains of nanosecond pulses.