Femtosecond vs. picosecond laser material processing

Laser materials processing has been an intensive research topic since the invention of the laser. nowadays, lasers are used as efficient and qualified tools in many industrial processes, like heavy industrial cutting, hardening, and welding. however, as the miniaturization of components and devices is progressing, finer structures are required. here, the flexible laser processing with conventional laser sources is typically limited by thermal or mechanical damage (melting, formation of burr and cracks, changes in the morphology etc.), which is especially true if metals have to be processed. In order to overcome these limitations and to minimize collateral damage various research activities based on the use of ultrashort laser pulses with picosecond or femtosecond duration have been started in the early 1990s (e.g. [1-8]).