The fronteer of applications of ultrashort pulse lasers is currently set at the Femtosecond regime, that allow damage free machining of any material. The pulse duration threshold between damage free and processes with residual thermal damage lies between 1 and 50 picoseconds, depending on material characteristics. Pulse duration below 400 femtoseconds ensure the operation in the damage free region.

In order to remove parasitic emitter diffusion around wafer edges of Solar Cells, laser technology is gaining more and more interest. The technique is fast, suitable for inline process, and contactless for safe handling of thin solar cell wafers. We have developed a very efficient process that makes use of high power, high quality single mode laser emitting at 355 nm, resulting in a process as fast as 1.5 s/cell, with isolation efficiency as high as 99% (as mesured by LBIC technque).

Laser Scanhead building blocks: Smart Detectors. Inspired by the flexible use of servos in radio controlled model aeroplanes, Newson designed an adaptable scan solution for laser beam steering. The keystone is the Smart Deflector.