QUASI-CW DIODE-PUMPED, SOLID-STATE UV LASER SYSTEM AND METHOD EMPLOYING SAME
A quasi-CW diode- or lamp-pumped, A-O Q-switched solid-state UV laser system (10) synchronizes timing of the quasi-CW pumping with movement of the positioning system (36) to reduce pumping while the positioning system (36) is moving from one target area (31) to the next target area (31) to form multiple vias in a substrate at a high throughput. Thus, the available UV power for via formation is higher even though the average pumping power to the laser medium (16), and thermal loading of the laser pumping diodes (14), remains the same as that currently available through conventional CW pumping with conventionally available laser pumping diodes (14). The quasi-CW pumping current profile can be further modified to realize a preferred UV pulse amplitude profile.