This PDF file contains the front matter associated with SPIE Proceedings Volume 8972, including the Title Page, Copyright information, Table of Contents, and Conference Committee listing.

Cell selective introduction of therapeutic agents remains a challenging problem. Cavitation-based therapies including ultrasound-induced sonoporation and laser-induced optoporation have led the way for novel approaches to provide the potential of sterility and cell selectivity compared with viral or biochemical counterparts. Acoustic streaming, shockwaves and liquid microjets associated with the cavitation dynamics are implicated in gene and drug delivery. These approaches, however, often lead to non-uniform and sporadic molecular uptake that lacks refined spatial control and suffers from a significant loss of cell viability. Here we demonstrate spatially controlled cavitation instigated by laser-induced breakdown of an optically trapped single gold nanoparticle. Our unique approach employs optical tweezers to trap a single nanoparticle, which when irradiated by a nanosecond laser pulse is subject to laser-induced breakdown followed by cavitation. Using this method for laser-induced cavitation, we can gain additional degrees of freedom for the cavitation process - the particle material, its size, and its position relative to cells or tissues. We show the energy breakdown threshold of gold nanoparticles of l00nm with a single nanosecond laser pulse at 532 nm is three orders of magnitude lower than that for water, which leads to gentle nanocavitation enabling single cell transfection. We optimize the shear stress to the cells from the expanding bubble to be in the range of 1-10 kPa for transfection by precisely positioning a trapped gold nanoparticle, and thus nanobubble, relative to a cell of interest. The method shows transfection of plasmid-DNA into individual mammalian cells with an efficiency of 75%.

Cell and gene cancer therapies require ex vivo cell processing of human grafts. Such processing requires at least three steps – cell enrichment, cell separation (destruction), and gene transfer – each of which requires the use of a separate technology. While these technologies may be satisfactory for research use, they are of limited usefulness in the clinical treatment setting because they have a low processing rate, as well as a low transfection and separation efficacy and specificity in heterogeneous human grafts. Most problematic, because current technologies are administered in multiple steps – rather than in a single, multifunctional, and simultaneous procedure – they lengthen treatment process and introduce an unnecessary level of complexity, labor, and resources into clinical treatment; all these limitations result in high losses of valuable cells. We report a universal, high-throughput, and multifunctional technology that simultaneously (1) inject free external cargo in target cells, (2) destroys unwanted cells, and (3) preserve valuable non-target cells in heterogeneous grafts. Each of these functions has single target cell specificity in heterogeneous cell system, processing rate > 45 mln cell/min, injection efficacy 90% under 96% viability of the injected cells, target cell destruction efficacy > 99%, viability of not-target cells >99% The developed technology employs novel cellular agents, called plasmonic nanobubbles (PNBs). PNBs are not particles, but transient, intracellular events, a vapor nanobubbles that expand and collapse in mere nanoseconds under optical excitation of gold nanoparticles with short picosecond laser pulses. PNBs of different, cell-specific, size (1) inject free external cargo with small PNBs, (2) Destroy other target cells mechanically with large PNBs and (3) Preserve non-target cells. The multi-functionality, precision, and high throughput of all-in-one PNB technology will tremendously impact cell and gene therapies and other clinical applications that depend on ex vivo processing of heterogeneous cell systems.

Alternative high throughput transfection methods are required to understand the molecular network of the cell, which is linked to the evaluation of target genes as therapeutic agents. Besides diagnostic purposes, the transfection of primary- and stem cells is of high interest for therapeutic use. Here, the cell release of trans- or exogene proteins is used to develop immune cancer therapies. The basic requirement to accomplish manipulation of cells is an efficient and gentle transfection method. Therefore, we developed an automatized cell manipulation platform providing high throughput by using GNOME laser transfection. Herein, the interaction of moderately focused laser pulses with gold nanoparticles in close vicinity to the cell membrane mediate transient membrane permeabilization. The exact nature of the involved permeabilization effects depends on the applied particles and laser parameters. Hereinafter, we describe investigations considering the parameter regime, the permeabilization mechanism and the safety profile of GNOME laser transfection. The experimental and calculated results imply a combined permeabilization mechanism consisting of both photochemical and photothermal effects. Furthermore, paramount spatial control achieved either by laser illumination with micrometer precision or targeted gold nanoparticle binding to the cells was demonstrated, allowing selective cell manipulation and destruction. Additionally, the possibility to manipulate difficult to transfect primary cells (neurons) is shown. These results give insights in the basic mechanisms involved in GNOME laser transfection and serve as a strong basis to deliver different molecules for therapeutic (e.g. proteins) and diagnostic (siRNA) use.

Femtosecond (fs) laser generation of submicron bubbles around plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) plays a key role in advanced laser nanosurgery applications such as cell membrane perforation and cell transfection. In this context, we have developed a pump-probe shadowgraphic ultrafast imaging technique capable of tracking transient bubbles generated by fs irradiation (λ =800 nm, τ = 45 fs) of: (a) plasmonic NPs in suspensions and (b) plasmonic NPs attached to cells. The laser fluence was systematically varied from 100 mJ/cm² to 500 mJ/cm2 to study the effect on the bubble dynamics generated around 100 nm gold NPs (Au NPs). The plasmonic bubble (PB) generation threshold as well as the NPs deformation threshold were defined. Dark field (DF) imaging and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed NP clustering when 100 nm bare Au NPs were incubated with a cancer cell culture. NP clustering was correlated with PB generation using a combined pump-probe and DF imaging approach. The clustering effect resulted in a significant 4- times decrease to the PB generation threshold compared to single NPs. The clustering effect was further investigated by evaluating bare and polyethylene glycol (PEG) functionalized NPs in terms of PB generation efficiency.

The use of ultrashort-pulsed lasers for molecule delivery and transfection has proved to be a non-invasive and highly efficient technique for a wide range of mammalian cells. This present study investigates the effectiveness of femtosecond photoporation in plant cells, a hard-to-manipulate yet agriculturally relevant cell type, specifically suspension tobacco BY-2 cells. Both spatial and temporal shaping of the light field is employed to optimise the delivery of membrane impermeable molecules into plant cells using a reconfigurable optical system designed to be able to switch easily between different spatial modes and pulse durations. The use of a propagation invariant Bessel beam was found to increase the number of cells that could be viably optoinjected, when compared to the use of a Gaussian beam. Photoporation with a laser producing sub-12 fs pulses, coupled with a dispersion compensation system to retain the pulse duration at focus, reduced the power required for efficient optical injection by 1.5-1.8 times when compared to a photoporation with a 140 fs laser output.

Varying transfection efficiencies and cytotoxicity are crucial aspects in cell manipulation. The utilization of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) has lately attracted special interest to enhance transfection efficiency. Conventional AuNP are usually generated by chemical reactions or gas pyrolysis requiring often cell-toxic stabilizers or coatings to conserve their characteristics. Alternatively, stabilizer- and coating-free, highly pure, colloidal AuNP can be generated by pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL). Mammalian cells were transfected efficiently by addition of PLAL-AuNP, but data systematically evaluating the cell-toxic potential are lacking. Herein, the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of PLAL AuNP was evaluated by transfection of a mammalian cell line with a recombinant HMGB1/GFP DNA expression vector. Different methods were compared using two sizes of PLAL-AuNP, commercialized AuNP, two magnetic NP-based protocols and a conventional transfection reagent (FuGENE HD; FHD). PLAL-AuNP were generated using a Spitfire Pro femtosecond laser system delivering 120 fs laser pulses at a wavelength of 800 nm focusing the fs-laser beam on a 99.99% pure gold target placed in ddH₂O. Transfection efficiencies were analyzed after 24h using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Toxicity was assessed measuring cell proliferation and percentage of necrotic, propidium iodide positive cells (PI %). The addition of PLAL-AuNP significantly enhanced transfection efficiencies (FHD: 31 %; PLAL-AuNP size-1: 46 %; size-2: 50 %) with increased PI% but no reduced cell proliferation. Commercial AuNP-transfection showed significantly lower efficiency (23 %), slightly increased PI % and reduced cell proliferation. Magnetic NP based methods were less effective but showing also lowest cytotoxicity. In conclusion, addition of PLAL-AuNP provides a novel tool for transfection efficiency enhancement with acceptable cytotoxic side-effects.

Flow cytometry is an optical method for studying cells based on their individual physical and chemical characteristics. It is widely used in clinical diagnosis, medical research, and biotechnology for analysis of blood cells and other cells in suspension. Conventional flow cytometers aim a laser beam at a stream of cells and measure the elastic scattering of light at forward and side angles. They also perform single-point measurements of fluorescent emissions from labeled cells. However, many reagents used in cell labeling reduce cellular viability or change the behavior of the target cells through the activation of undesired cellular processes or inhibition of normal cellular activity. Therefore, labeled cells are not completely representative of their unaltered form nor are they fully reliable for downstream studies. To remove the requirement of cell labeling in flow cytometry, while still meeting the classification sensitivity and specificity goals, measurement of additional biophysical parameters is essential. Here, we introduce an interferometric imaging flow cytometer based on the world’s fastest continuous-time camera. Our system simultaneously measures cellular size, scattering, and protein concentration as supplementary biophysical parameters for label-free cell classification. It exploits the wide bandwidth of ultrafast laser pulses to perform blur-free quantitative phase and intensity imaging at flow speeds as high as 10 meters per second and achieves nanometer-scale optical path length resolution for precise measurements of cellular protein concentration.

In this paper, a LIBS guided smart surgical tool using a femtosecond (fs) fiber laser is investigated. This functional system includes a high energy fs fiber laser system (PolarOnyx Laser, Inc. - Uranus mJ Series) for material ablation, a 3D controllable motion stage, LIBS signal collecting fiber to a spectrometer and a computer for data analysis and process control. The laser source employed emits pulses with pulse duration of 750 fs at a repetition rate tunable from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. The centre wavelength is at 1030 nm and the pulse energy can be up to 500 μJ. General characteristics like ablation rate and LIBS signal are determined at first. Furthermore the LIBS data is processed and analyzed for material characterization and differentiation. Comparison methods to identify the different materials emissions are developed and algorithms are implemented into a real-time control system. This system allows processing of different materials with real time feedback and capability to the laser parameters (pulse energy and repetition rate) and processing parameters (speed) and provides a powerful LIBS guided smart surgical tool with fs fiber laser for delicate surgery applications.

The formation of periodical nanostructures with femtosecond laser pulses was used to create highly efficient substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). We report about the structuring of silver and copper substrates and their application to the SERS of DNA (herring sperm) and protein molecules (egg albumen). The maximum enhancement factors were found on Ag substrates processed with the second harmonic generation (SHG) of a 1-kHz Ti:sapphire laser and structure periods near the SHG wavelength. In the case of copper, however, the highest enhancement was obtained with long-period ripples induced with at fundamental wavelength. This is explained by an additional significant influence of nanoparticles on the surface. Nanostructured areas in the range of 1.25 mm² were obtained in 10 s. The surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fast Fourier Transform and Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the role of the chemical modification of the metal structures is addressed. Thin oxide layers resulting from working in atmosphere which improve the biocompatibility were indicated by vibration spectra. It is expected that the detailed study of the mechanisms of laser-induced nanostructure formation will stimulate further applications of functionalized surfaces like photocatalysis, selective chemistry and nano-biology.

A compact, high-repetition rate optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier system emitting CEP-stable, few-cycle pulses with 10 μJ of pulse energy is reported for the purpose of high-order harmonic generation. The system is seeded from a commercially available, CEP-stabilized Ti:sapphire oscillator, delivering an octave-spanning spectrum from 600-1200 nm. The oscillator output serves on the one hand as broadband signal for the parametric amplification process and on the other hand as narrowband seed for an Ytterbium-based fiber preamplifier with subsequent main amplifiers and frequency doubling. Broadband parametric amplification up to 17 μJ at 200 kHz repetition rate was achieved in two 5 mm BBO crystals using non-collinear phase matching in the Poynting-vector-walk-off geometry. Efficient pulse compression down to 6.3 fs is achieved with chirped mirrors leading to a peak power exceeding 800 MW. We observed after warm-up time a stability of < 0.5 % rms over 100 min. Drifts of the CE-phase in the parametric amplifier part could be compensated by a slow feedback to the set point of the oscillator phase lock. The CEP stability was measured to be better than 80 mrad over 15 min (3 ms integration time). The experimentally observed output spectra and energies could be well reproduced by simulations of the parametric amplification process based on a (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear propagation code, providing important insight for future repetition rate scaling of OPCPA systems. The system is well-suited for attosecond science experiments which benefit from the high repetition rate. First results for high-order harmonic generation in argon will be presented.

We report on a new source able to provide probe pulses in the UV visible range and on the demonstration of its application to hyperspectral (fluorescence lifetime) imaging measurements. The source is able to generate UV (down to 300 nm) and blue light exploiting high-order mode propagation in a microstructured fiber pumped by a Ti:Sapphire laser. We believe that further optimization of pump wavelength, fiber length and fiber zero-dispersion wavelength could generate light well below 300 nm using a simple and stable set-up and become a useful tool for biomedical imaging. We demonstrated its versatility using the source for FLIM-FRET measurement a 460 nm and hyperspectral FRET-FLIM measurements.

Ultrashort pulses are capable of processing practically any material with negligible heat affected zone. Typical pulse durations for industrial applications are situated in the low picosecond-regime. Pulse durations of 5 ps or below are a well established compromise between the electron-phonon interaction time of most materials and the need for pulses long enough to suppress detrimental effects such as nonlinear interaction with the ablated plasma plume. However, sub-picosecond pulses can further increase the ablation efficiency for certain materials, depending on the available average power, pulse energy and peak fluence. Based on the well established TruMicro 5000 platform (first release in 2007, third generation in 2011) an Yb:YAG disk amplifier in combination with a broadband seed laser was used to scale the output power for industrial femtosecond-light sources: We report on a subpicosecond amplifier that delivers a maximum of 160 W of average output power at pulse durations of 750 fs. Optimizing the system for maximum peak power allowed for pulse energies of 850 μJ at pulse durations of 650 fs. Based on this study and the approved design of the TruMicro 5000 product-series, industrygrade, high average power femtosecond-light sources are now available for 24/7 operation. Since their release in May 2013 we were able to increase the average output power of the TruMicro 5000 FemtoEdition from 40 W to 80 W while maintaining pulse durations around 800 fs. First studies on metals reveal a drastic increase of processing speed for some micro processing applications.

We study multi-shot intensity-and-phase measurements of unstable trains of ultrashort pulses using two-dimensional spectral shearing interferometry (2DSI) [1] and self-referenced spectral interferometry (SRSI) [2] in order to identify warning signs of pulse-shape instability in these methods. 2DSI can signal instability with reduced fringe visibility, although this effect is very small when using small shears appropriate for large temporal support. SRSI can reliably indicate instability when two measured spectra are compared to an independent spectrum and a retrieved reference spectrum.

In this letter, we propose two techniques capable of spatio-temporally characterizing high-power femtosecond laser chains. We demonstrate a new implementation of SEA TADPOLE. To avoid the problems induced by the the significant spatial jittering of the focal spot on high-power laser chains, our setup is adapted to collimated beams. In addition, a fibered light source is also used to correct the phase fluctuations. This experimental setup allows identifying any spatiotemporal distortions such as the pulse front tilt for instance. In this paper, to the best of our knowledge, we present the very first spatio-temporal characterization done on a TW laser. However, a SEA TADPOLE measurement is not immediate since it requires scanning the beam over the two transverse dimensions which prevent us from studying the shot-to-shot laser fluctuations. This is why, we developed MUFFIN, a single-shot technique capable of spatio-temporally characterizing a laser pulse along its two transverse dimensions. First experimental results obtained with this technique are presented here.

The use of femtosecond lasers in industrial, biomedical, and defense related applications during the last 15 years has necessitated a detailed understanding of pulse propagation coupled with ultrafast laser-material interactions. Current models of ultrashort pulse propagation in solids describe the pulse evolution of fields with broad spectra and are typically coupled to models of ionization and laser-plasma interaction that assume monochromatic laser fields. In this work we address some of the errors introduced by combining these inconsistent descriptions. In particular, we show that recently published experiments and simulations demonstrate how this contradiction can produce order-of-magnitude errors in calculating the ionization yield, and that this effect leads to altered dimensions and severity of optical breakdown and laser-induced modifications to dielectric solids. We introduce a comprehensive treatment of multi-chromatic non-equilibrium laser-material interaction in condensed matter and successfully couple this model to a unidirectional (frequency-resolved) pulse propagation equation for the field evolution. This approach, while more computationally intensive than the traditional single rate equation for the free electron density, reduces the number of adjustable phenomenological parameters typically used in current models. Our simulation results suggest that intentionally multi-chromatic fields (i.e. strongly chirped pulses or co-propagating pulses of different frequencies) can be arranged to control ionization yields and hence ultrafast laser induced material modifications.

Integrated photonic circuits with many input and output modes are essential in applications ranging from conventional optical telecommunication networks, to the elaboration of photonic qubits in the integrated quantum information framework. In particular, the latter field has been object in the recent years of an increasing interest: the compactness and phase stability of integrated waveguide circuits are enabling experiments unconceivable with bulk-optics set-ups. Linear photonic devices for quantum information are based on quantum and classical interference effects: the desired circuit operation can be achieved only with tight fabrication control on both power repartition in splitting elements and phase retardance in the various paths. Here we report on a novel three-dimensional circuit architecture, made possible by the unique capabilities of femtosecond laser waveguide writing, which enables us to realize integrated multimode devices implementing arbitrary linear transformations. Networks of cascaded directional couplers can be built with independent control on the splitting ratios and the phase shifts in each branch. In detail, we show an arbitrarily designed 5×5 integrated interferometer: characterization with one- and two-photon experiments confirms the accuracy of our fabrication technique. We exploit the fabricated circuit to implement a small instance of the boson-sampling experiments with up to three photons, which is one of the most promising approaches to realize phenomena hard to simulate with classical computers. We will further show how, by studying classical and quantum interference in many random multimode circuits, we may gain deeper insight into the bosonic coalescence phenomenon.

The application of integrated photonic technologies to quantum optics has recently enabled a wealth of breakthrough experiments in several quantum information areas. In particular, femtosecond laser written optical circuits revealed to be the ideal tool for investigating the features of polarization encoded qubits. However, the difficulty of integrating half and quarter wave plates in such circuits avoids the possibility to perform arbitrary rotations of the polarization state of photons on chip. Femtosecond laser written waveguides intrinsically exhibit a certain degree of birefringence and thus they could be exploited as integrated waveplates. In practice, the direction of the birefringence axes of the waveguides is the same of the propagation direction of the writing femtosecond laser beam, namely perpendicular to the substrate surface. Its fine rotation in a controlled fashion, preserving the accuracy of the positioning of the laser focal spot required by the fabrication process, is extremely challenging. In order to achieve this goal, we combine a high NA (1.4) focusing objective partially filled with a reduced diameter writing beam. In this way, the translation of the beam with respect to the objective center produces a rotation of the focusing direction, without altering the focal spot position. With this method we are able to tilt the birefringence axes of the waveguides up to 45°, and thus to use them as integrated light polarization rotators. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of these components, we developed a fully integrated device capable to perform the quantum tomography of an arbitrary two-photon polarization state.

Within recent years the phenomena of so-called nanogratings induced by tightly focussed femtosecond laser pulses has gained significant interest. These self-organized structures appearing after several laser pulses show strong formbirefringence which allows, when combining with the three-dimensional freedom of the direct laser writing technique, to fabricate versatile functionalities. However, the underlying structure has been the subject of intensive debate since the discovery of the nanogratings ten years ago. In order to uncover the primary constituents of nanogratings typical visualisation techniques (e.g. SEM) rely on cleaving and subsequent etching of laser treated samples. Fine details are effectively erased by such invasive preparation methods. Recent investigations based on exclusively cleaved samples report on hollow cracks embedded within the bulk material. However, these time-consuming imaging methods only provide two-dimensional cross sections and can hardly address the evolution of cracks (size, shape) depending on various laser parameters. To overcome these limitations we performed a comprehensive study of nanopores and cracks using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) in combination with focussed ion beam milling (FIB) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By probing nanogratings inscribed in the bulk of fused silica we found nanopores with dimensions of (30x25x75)nm³ and (280x25x380)nm³. While the dimensions remain constant with ongoing laser exposure and different pulse energies the nanopore shape changes from cuboidal cracks to ellipsoidal.

Over the last decade, femtosecond lasers have been used extensively for the fabrication of optical elements via direct writing and in combination with chemical etching. These processes have been an enabling technology for manufacturing a variety of devices such as waveguides, fluidic channels, and mechanical components. Here, we present high quality micro-scale optical components buried inside various glass substrates such as soda-lime glass or fused silica. These components consist of high-precision, simple patterns with tubular shapes. Typical diameters range from a few microns to one hundred microns. With the aid of high-bandwidth, high acceleration flexure stages, we achieve highly symmetric pattern geometries, which are particularly important for achieving homogeneous stress distribution within the substrate. We model the optical properties of these structures using beam propagation simulation techniques and experimentally demonstrate that such components can be used as cost-effective, low-numerical aperture lenses. Additionally, we investigate their capability for studying the stress-distribution induced by the laser-affected zones and possible related densification effects.

A fiber-optic 3D shape, position and temperature sensor is demonstrated with femtosecond laser direct-written optical and Bragg grating waveguides that were distributed axially and radially inside a single coreless optical fiber. Efficient light coupling between the laser-written optical circuit elements and a standard single-mode optical fiber was obtained by 3D laser writing of a 1 × 3 directional coupler and fusion splicing. Coupler optimization by real-time monitoring of Bragg grating strengths is discussed. Simultaneous interrogation of nine Bragg gratings is presented through a single waveguide port to follow the Bragg wavelength shifts and thereby infer shape and temperature profile along the fiber length.

We study the application of tunable ultrafast laser pulses in micropatterning self- assembled organic monolayer (SAMs) employing non collinear optical parametric amplification (NOPA). SAMs are ultrathin organic monolayers, which can be used in a variety of ways to assemble functionalized surface structures. In our study, we investigate the characteristics of SAMs as monomolecular resists during etching of gold. NOPA is a versatile method which provides the generation of ultrafast laser pulses, with a tunable wavelength in the visible and near infrared range. Due to the noncollinear geometry, a broadened spectral range can be amplified. The NOPA delivers wavelengths in the range of 480 nm to 950 nm at laser pulse lengths in the sub- 30 femtosecond range using a prism compressor after the nonlinear conversion. The ultrashort laser technology together with the advantages of the NOPA system guarantee high precision and allows us to determine the optimum conditions of sub-wavelength patterning by studying the effects of the fluence and the wavelength. At the same time, single-pulse processing allows us to selectively remove the ultrathin organic coating, while it ensures short processing time. In our study we used thiol-based SAMs as ultrathin layers on gold-coated glass substrates with a film thickness of 1-2 nm and 40 nm respectively.

We investigate cutting of transparent materials using ultra short laser pulses with pulse durations in the sub to a few ps regime. All compared methods base on nonlinear absorption including ablation cutting and cleaving or selective etching supported by laser induced modification inside the bulk material. For most of the experiments samples of hardened glass (Corning Gorilla®) with thickness up to 700 μm were used, ablation cutting of sapphire is presented additionally. Absorption and modification inside the volume is analyzed in detail, aiming for tailored modifications. Besides optical microscopy a pump probe setup was used. We show results of time resolved absorption measurements of 6 ps pulses focused into the volume. We observe shielding due to the interaction region and accumulation effects influencing the modifications. First results on inscribing and cutting by using beam shaping indicate the importance of tailoring the shape and arrangement of the pulses temporally and spatially. The results presented for the different cutting methods supports an assessment of the individual potential and a selection of the applicable method based on the requirements.

Glass drilling and welding applications realized with the help of femtosecond lasers attract industrial attention , however, desired tasks may require systems employing high numerical aperture (NA) focusing conditions, low repetition rate lasers and complex fast motion translation stages. Due to the sensitivity of such systems, slight instabilities in parameter values can lead to crack formations, severe fabrication rate decrement and poor quality overall results. A microfabrication system lacking the stated disadvantages was constructed and demonstrated in this report. An f-theta lens was used in combination with a galvanometric scanner, in addition, a water pumping system that enables formation of water films of variable thickness in real time on the samples. Water acts as a medium for filament formation, which in turn decreases the focal spot diameter and increases fluence and axial focal length . This article demonstrates the application of a femtosecond (280fs) laser towards two different micromachining techniques: rapid cutting and welding of transparent materials. Filament formation in water gives rise to strong ablation at the surface of the sample, moreover, the water, surrounding the ablated area, adds increased cooling and protection from cracking. The constructed microfabrication system is capable of drilling holes in thick soda-lime and hardened glasses. The fabrication time varies depending on the diameter of the hole and spans from a few to several hundred seconds. Moreover, complex-shape fabrication was demonstrated. Filament formation at the interface of two glass samples was also used for welding applications. By varying repetition rate, scanning speed and focal position optimal conditions for strong glass welding via filamentation were determined.

Simultaneous spatially and temporally focussing (SSTF) of ultrashort pulses allows for an unprecedented control of the intensity distribution of light. It has therefore a great potential for widespread applications ranging from nonlinear microscopy, ophthalmology to micro-machining. SSTF also allows to overcome many bottlenecks of ultrashort pulse micro-machining, especially non-linear effects like filamentation and self-focussing. Here, we describe and demonstrate in detail how SSTF offers an additional degree of freedom for shaping the focal volume. In order to obtain a SSTF beam, the output of an ultrafast laser is usually split by a grating into an array of copies of the original beam, which we refer to as beamlets. The ratio of the beamlet array width to the width of the invidual beamlet is the beam aspect ratio. The focal volume of the SSTF beam can now be tailored transversally by shaping the cross-section of the beamlets and axially by choosing the right beam aspect ratio. We will discuss the requirements of the setup for a successful implementation of this approach: Firstly, the group velocity dispersion and the third order dispersion have to be compensated in order to obtain a high axial confinement. Secondly, the beamlet size and their orientation should not vary too much spectrally. Thirdly, beamlet and SSTF focus should match. We will hence demonstrate how SSTF allows to inscribe tailored three-dimensional structures with fine control over their aspect ratio. We also show how the SSTF focus can be adapted for various glasses and crystals.

In this paper we analyze the pulse front tilt (PFT) in simultaneous spatial and temporal focusing mathematically and in simulations. We apply paraxial field tracing based on the Collins integral for modeling the spatio-temporal focusing process. Using the shift theorem of the Fourier transformation, we can explain the PFT in focus for general input pulses. Next, by assuming a Gaussian lateral pulse shape, an analytical solution for the field distribution at any position in the region is obtained. Compared with previous works, we take the influence of an initial PFT into considerations as well. The theoretical calculation is valid for incoming pulses with temporally chirp and/or initial PFT. Finally with the optical modeling software VirtualLab™ we presented rigorous simulations of the SSTF to verify our mathematical conclusions.

Almost any application of ultrashort laser pulses involves focusing them in order to reach high intensities and/or small spot sizes as needed for micro-machining or Femto-LASIK. Hence, it is indispensable to be able to understand pulse front distortion caused by real world optics. Focusing causes pulse front distortion due to aberrations, dispersion and diffraction. Thus, the spatio-temporal profile of ultrashort laser is altered, which increases automatically the pulse duration and the focusing spot. Consequently, the main advantage of having ultrashort laser pulses – pulse durations way below 100 fs - can be lost in that one last step of the experimental set-up by focusing them unfavorable. Since compensating for dispersion, aberration and diffraction effects is quite complicated and not always possible, we pursue a different approach. We present a specially designed monolithic hybrid optics comprising refraction and diffraction effects for tight spatial and temporal focusing of ultrashort laser pulses. Both aims can be put into practice by having a high numerical aperture (NA = 0.35) and low internal dispersion at the same time. The focusing properties are very promising, due to a design, which provides diffraction limited focusing for 100 nm bandwidth at 780 nm center wavelength. Thus, pulses with durations as short as 10 fs can be focused without pulse front distortion. The outstanding performance of this optics is shown in theory and experimentally. Above that, such focusing optics are easily adapted to their special purpose - changing the center wavelength, achromatic bandwidth or even correcting for focusing into material is possible.

Ultrashort laser pulses provide a powerful means of processing a wide variety of materials with highest precision and minimal damage. In order to exploit the full potential of this technology, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has launched an initiative with 20 Million EUR funding about two years ago. Within 9 joint research projects, different aspects from novel concepts for robust and powerful laser sources to reliable components with high damage thresholds and dynamic beam shaping and steering are investigated. Applications include eye surgery as well as the processing of semiconductors, carbon fiber reinforced plastics and metals. The paper provides an overview on the different projects and highlights first results.

Percussion drilling is a well-established technique for several applicative markets such as for aircraft and watch industries. Lamp pumped solid state lasers and more recently fiber lasers, operating in millisecond or nanosecond regimes, are classically used for these applications. However, due to their long pulse duration, these technologies are not suitable for emerging applicative market such as fuel injectors for automotive industry. Only the ultrashort laser technology, combined with special drilling optics like trepanning head, has the potential to fulfill the needs for this new market in terms of processing quality, custom-shape capabilities and short drilling time. Although numerous papers dealing with percussion drilling have been reported in the literature, only few papers are dedicated to trepanning drilling. In this context, we present some results on the influence of pulse duration on gas-assisted laser drilling of stainless steel using a trepanning head and a high power Ytterbium doped fiber ultrafast laser (20W). The influence of pulse energy (7- 64μJ), fluence (3-25 J/cm²), drilling time (1-20s), processing gas pressure and drilling strategy will be discussed as well.

We report the use of the Diagonal Scan (D-Scan) technique to determine the ablation threshold of the AISI 1045 steel, a common engineering material that can be used as a probe for thermal effects, for superpositions ranging from single shot up to more than 10,000 pulses, for three pulses durations (25, 87 and 124 fs). It only took two hours of laboratory time to determine more than 20 ablation thresholds per pulse duration spanning 4 orders of magnitude of superpositions. The large amount of data generated shows a small deviation of the ablation threshold from the expected behavior, which can lead to the use of a model that better describes the dynamics of the ultrashort pulses ablation mechanism in metals.

A new technique is introduced to perform nanosurgery in living cells using a laser multi-nanoscapel. Irradiating plasmonics nanostructures by an ultrafast laser beam produces highly localised processes on the nanoscale in the biological surrounding medium, yielding to the nanosurgery of cells. These nanoparticles could be functionalised to target specific biological entities, thus performing multiple targeted surgeries on the nanoscale. As an example, the laser multi-nanoscapel was employed to perform gene transfection in living cell with an optoporation efficiency as high as 70%. Complete physical model was developed to determine the basic mechanism underlying this new nanosurgery process. Our laser multi-nanoscapel shows promises as an innovative tool for fundamental research in biology and medicine as well as an efficient alternative nanosurgery technology that could be adapted to therapeutic tools in the clinic.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) as a lightweight material with superior properties is increasingly being used in industrial manufacturing. Using ultrashort laser pulses can improve the quality in cutting or drilling applications, but at high power levels it is more complicated to maintain the accuracy and precision in CFRP drilling. According to the application requirements for the extent of the heat affected zone, the geometric precision and the productivity different drilling tools can be used. Therefore we report on the application of three different beam delivery systems to drilling processes of CFRP: Galvanometer scanner, trepanning head and diffractive optical elements.

The interaction between laser pulses and material surface can generate sub-wavelength surface structures named ripples. The used of ultrashort laser pulses avoid thermal effect in the lattice so the structures generated are well preserved and can be observed on various materials as metals, polymers or crystals. With increasing energy deposit, ripples grow to give cone-shape structures named spikes. All these structures are interesting to give special properties to the treated surface as coloration change, improvement of light absorption or modification of wettability properties. These structure generation process is well known for femtosecond Ti:Sa laser with a pulse duration below 100fs and repetition rates in the range of 10 kHz. However, to be relevant for industrial applications, the average power of the laser is a critical parameter. The emergence of new femtosecond Yb doped fiber lasers with pulse duration below 350fs permits an increase of the average power for a few years. We will present our latest results obtained for surface texturation on various metals such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum and copper with these up to date laser source. We study the influence of the average power and of the repetition rate up to 1000 kHz on the surface structures generated on scanned areas. We obtain light reflexion below 7% on stainless steel and below 5% on titanium from 200nm to 2000nm. The characterizations of the results are done with SEM imaging, optical profilometry and with a spectrophotometer.

We present a novel approach to manufacturing 3D microstructured composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. A thermal extrusion 3D printer – a simple, low-cost tabletop device enabling rapid materialization of CAD models in plastics – was used to produce cm-scale microporous scaffolds out of polylactic acid (PLA). The fabricated objects were subsequently immersed in a photosensitive monomer solution and direct laser writing technique (DLW) was used to refine its inner structure by fabricating a fine mesh inside the previously produced scaffold. In addition, a composite material structure out of four different materials fabricated via DLW is presented. This technique, empowered by ultrafast lasers allows 3D structuring with high spatial resolution in a great variety of photosensitive materials. A composite scaffold made of distinct materials and periodicities is acquired after the development process used to wash out non-linked monomers. Another way to modify the 3D printed PLA surfaces was also demonstrated - ablation with femtosecond laser beam. Structure geometry on macro- to micro- scales could be finely tuned by combining these fabrication techniques. Such artificial 3D substrates could be used for cell growth or as biocompatible-biodegradable implants. To our best knowledge, this is the first experimental demonstration showing the creation of composite 3D scaffolds using convenient 3D printing combined with DLW. This combination of distinct material processing techniques enables rapid fabrication of diverse functional micro-featured and integrated devices. Hopefully, the proposed approach will find numerous applications in the field of tissue engineering, as well as in microelectromechanical systems, microfluidics, microoptics and others.

We report direct laser fabrication of free-standing 3D structures in a sol-gel photo-polymer SZ2080, poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA-700) and thermo-polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) without use of two-photon absorbing photo-sensitizers. By estimating the multi-photon and avalanche ionization rates in the focal volume it is shown that bulk structuring of pure materials was achieved via a controlled avalanche. It is shown that several non-photosesitized materials can be combined for fabrication of composite material structures evoking a possibility to create non-toxic biocompatible scaffolds for tissue engineering, transparent microoptical elements and higher damage threshold photonic devices.

Laser peening has recently emerged as a useful technique to overcome detrimental effects associated to another wellknown surface modification processes such as shot peening or grit blasting used in the biomedical field. It is worth to notice that besides the primary residual stress effect, thermally induced effects might also cause subtle surface and subsurface microstructural changes that might influence corrosion resistance. Moreover, since maximum loads use to occur at the surface, they could also play a critical role in the fatigue strength. In this work, plates of Ti-6Al-4V alloy of 7 mm in thickness were modified by laser peening without using a sacrificial outer layer. Irradiation by a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser (9.4 ns pulse length) working in fundamental harmonic at 2.8 J/pulse and with water as confining medium was used. Laser pulses with a 1.5 mm diameter at an equivalent overlapping density (EOD) of 5000 cm^-2 were applied. Attempts to analyze the global induced effects after laser peening were addressed by using the contacting and non-contacting thermoelectric power (TEP) techniques. It was demonstrated that the thermoelectric method is entirely insensitive to surface topography while it is uniquely sensitive to subtle variations in thermoelectric properties, which are associated with the different material effects induced by different surface modification treatments. These results indicate that the stress-dependence of the thermoelectric power in metals produces sufficient contrast to detect and quantitatively characterize regions under compressive residual stress based on their thermoelectric power contrast with respect to the surrounding intact material. However, further research is needed to better separate residual stress effects from secondary material effects, especially in the case of low-conductivity engineering materials like titanium alloys.