Optical materials for blue-laser processing

Blue laser light has unique capabilities for material processing of copper gold or aluminium. The energy absorption efficiency at 450 nm in gold is orders of magnitude higher than the absorption at typical infrared wavelengths. Modern blue laser diodes enable very high energy densities. For focusing the laser beam usually fused silica optics are used. Fused silica is known for the very high solarization stability over wide range wavelengths but optical designs are limited to its specific optical position (refractive index and Abbe number). It would be beneficial for the optical design in terms of performance and flexibility to use optical glass for such applications. Only limited data is available on the solarization behavior of optical glass for high power laser radiation at 450 nm. This paper discusses the requirements on optical materials used for blue laser processing applications regarding long time stability aspects, showing recent results in the development of solarization stable glass optical glasses.