Will 355nm Ultraviolet lasers continue to explode in the 5G era?

Ultraviolet lasers are lasers with a wavelength of 355 nm. Due to its short wavelength and narrow pulse characteristics, it can produce a very small focused spot and keep the heat-affected zone to a minimum. It can not only provide extremely fine processing effect, but also maintain good positioning accuracy, which is the advantage of UV laser.

At present, in view of the continuous improvement of laser processing efficiency and requirements for industrial applications, nanosecond ultraviolet lasers with a power of more than 10W have become the new favorite in the market. Therefore, high-power, narrow pulse width, high repetition frequency medium and high power nanosecond ultraviolet lasers are developed by various companies. mainstream direction.

Ultraviolet lasers work by directly breaking the chemical bonds that connect the atomic components of a substance. This process of separating substances into atoms is a "cold" process that does not generate heat to the periphery. On the other hand, most materials absorb UV light efficiently, allowing them to be used to process materials that cannot be processed by infrared and visible lasers. High-power UV lasers are mainly used in the high-end market of fine processing, including flexible circuit board (FPCB), printed circuit board (PCB) drilling/cutting, ceramic material drilling and dicing, glass/sapphire cutting, LED substrate crystal Circular scribing, special glass cutting, laser precision marking and other fields.

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Since 2016, the domestic UV laser market has grown rapidly. Although the development slowed down last year, the total domestic sales volume is still close to 9,000 units, a year-on-year increase of more than 15%. Foreign companies such as TRUMPF, Coherent, Spectrophysics and Fortis still occupy the main high-end market. In terms of domestic brands, there are mainly Wuhan Huari, Suzhou Beilin, Yinggu, Shenzhen Ruifengheng, Yingnuo, Gelai, Beijing Zhuolai Laser, Daozhongdao, Changchun New Industry and other enterprises, they occupy 90% of domestic ultraviolet lasers. % share.

5G communication brings opportunities for laser applications

All major countries in the world are seeking the most advanced technology as a new economic growth point. China has formed its own competitiveness in the independent development of science and technology, and can compete with Europe, the United States and Japan on the same stage, especially led by Huawei. 5G technology is regarded as a thorn in the eyes of the United States, and Huawei has recently been involved in the whirlpool of the Sino-US trade war. 2019 is the first year of 5G pre-commercialization in China, and it is obvious that 5G has become a hot industry today. The folding screens launched by many manufacturers in February have attracted wide attention, but they are still not widely used. Our country and various industries are also looking forward to 5G to bring a new generation of communication experience and bring new vitality to the consumer electronics industry, especially the huge demand for product replacement on the mobile phone side. Under its construction, the digital economy covering online and offline, consumption and production, platform and ecology will gain greater driving force.

At present, China has more than 1 billion mobile phone users, and has already entered the era of smart phones. Recalling that the fastest development stage of smart phones in China should be from 2010 to 2015, many people forget the rapid development during this period. There is a rapid transition of communication signals from 2G to 3G, as well as the contribution of 4G. During this period, represented by smartphones, products such as PC tablets and mobile wearables brought real heavy demand for laser precision processing. A group of laser precision equipment companies received good orders. demand has increased.

Ultrashort pulse ultraviolet laser or trend

Lasers can be divided into infrared light, green light, ultraviolet light and blue light according to the spectrum. According to the pulse time, it can be divided into microseconds, nanoseconds, picoseconds and femtoseconds. Ultraviolet light is obtained by doubling the frequency of infrared light, which is much more expensive and difficult. At present, various domestic manufacturers have basically mature technologies in nanosecond UV lasers, and they have completely localized products in the range of 2-20 watts, and many performances such as power stability control are also relatively reliable. In the past two years, due to the market competition of ultraviolet lasers, the price has dropped, which makes more people realize the advantages of ultraviolet laser processing. Like infrared lasers, ultraviolet lasers are used as heat sources for precision machining. There are two aspects of future development: one is higher power, and the other is the development of ultra-short pulses.

It is still difficult to increase the power of ultraviolet lasers, and foreign companies are still leading in this regard. At present, Spectra Physics has already launched a 60-watt ultraviolet laser, and it is said that TRUMPF has the ability to provide products with hundreds of watts. The highest power that can be done in China is that Huari Laser can provide 40 watts of products. At the application level, many 1-5 watts were used for marking in the past, such as plastics, glass, resin, ceramics and other materials, especially in the processing of electronic components; 10 watts were used for some precision cutting in the early days, and later began to be used. After using a laser of more than 20 watts, I believe that the ultraviolet laser cutting of more than 40 watts will not be unfamiliar in the future.

It is a trend for the development of ultraviolet lasers to develop to the picosecond and femtosecond level. At present, domestic companies such as Beilin Laser, Huari Laser, and Yinggu Laser all have picosecond ultraviolet lasers, while Wuhan Anyang Laser has launched a 30-watt or more. The femtosecond ultraviolet fiber laser, Raycus has also launched a 20-watt ultraviolet picosecond laser through the acquisition of Guoshen Optoelectronics. The nanosecond UV laser cutting machine has slight carbonization on the upper edge of cutting FPC and CLV products, and the ultra-fast picosecond UV laser cutting machine can effectively solve the problem of processing effect and avoid carbonization. At present, in addition to Han's Laser, Shengxiong Laser, as a leading company in precision laser processing equipment, has already launched UV laser cutting machines, including Haimuxing, Delong and other companies also have similar models. At the Shenzhen Laser Show in May, Celestica exhibited the latest picosecond UV laser cutting machine. Ultra-precision UV laser equipment is a direction for future laser micromachining.

The development of ultraviolet laser puts forward new requirements for water cooling system

In actual production and application, the requirements for UV laser power stability and pulse stability are relatively high, so it must be equipped with a very stable and reliable constant temperature water cooling system. Nowadays, most of the UV lasers above 3 watts use a water cooling system. To ensure that the laser temperature is well and accurately controlled, strictly speaking, the laser should be equipped with a water cooling system. At present, nanosecond ultraviolet lasers are still the largest lasers in the market, and the annual demand for laser chillers is close to 10,000 units.

As a comprehensive solution service provider focusing on R&D, production and sales of industrial chillers in China, Teyu Electromechanical is also accelerating its own growth pace. Teyu electromechanical chillers are widely used in various industrial manufacturing, laser processing and medical industries, and are mainly exported to Europe, America, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Its chiller series products are diversified and cover a wide range of fields. With many advantages such as precision and efficiency, convenience and intelligence, stable refrigeration and support for computer communication, it has established an excellent brand image in the industry.