Ultrasonic Vibration of Optics in Laser Materials Processing

Abstract

Using ultrasonic vibrations in conjunction with lasers to process materials has become a popular choice due to its versatility and efficiency. Currently, this is done by vibrating the workpiece, but since each workpiece is different, each must be vibrated at a different resonant frequency. To mitigate this, preliminary research has indicated vibrating the laser optics instead, though this has only been explored with vertical vibrations along the axis of the laser beam. Here, a novel solution is developed to induce laser vibrations transverse to the axis of the laser beam through the use of piezoelectric transducers and a booster.