Solid-State Laser Technology · Over 30 Years in the Laser Industry

ADVANCED
PICOSECOND
LASERS

Compact, all-solid-state short picosecond lasers spanning the spectrum from 1064 nm in the IR through 532 nm in the visible range and 355 nm in the UV to 266 nm and 213 nm in the deep UV, combining high pulse energy with flexible configurations for advanced material processing, scientific research and industrial integration.

Discover the technologies enabled by short picosecond deep-UV lasers

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1064 532 355 266 213 nm
Why Passat Ltd

Engineered around your process

Why Passat Ltd Lasers
Are Different

  1. 01 Deep-UV picosecond laser emitting at 213 nm

    Commercially Unique 213 nm Ultrashort Picosecond Output

    Passat Ltd is currently the only manufacturer offering a commercially available all-solid-state 213 nm laser with 5 ps pulses. This rare combination of deep-UV wavelength and short picosecond pulse width provides exceptionally high peak intensity for precision material processing.

    Technology enabled

    Glass Microvias for Next-Generation Chip Packaging

    Arrays of micron-scale vias through transparent substrates are becoming important for advanced semiconductor packaging, chiplet interposers, MEMS and photonic devices. Passat Ltd’s 213 nm, 5 ps output can directly drill glass and fused silica. Their thermal stability, electrical-insulation properties and low dielectric loss make these materials especially attractive for high-frequency and photonic systems.

    Explore glass microvia technology See a drilled fused-silica sample
  2. 02 Laser beams at different selectable wavelengths

    One Laser Configured Around the Application

    Select from 1064, 532, 355, 266 and 213 nm, then configure the pulse width within the picosecond range. The standard repetition rate is 1,000 Hz; low-frequency operation for higher pulse energy and rates of up to 12,000 Hz are available on request.

    Technology enabled

    Metallic Microstructures

    One important example is the micro-nozzle used in modern fuel injectors. Arrays of precisely shaped micron-scale orifices meter the fuel and form a finer, more uniform spray, improving fuel–air mixing and combustion efficiency while helping reduce soot formation. Picosecond laser drilling can produce these repeatable holes in hard injector materials with limited melting, recast and thermal damage. The same microstructuring capability is also relevant to microfilters, masks and other miniature flow-control components.

    Explore metallic microstructures See high-speed metal drilling
  3. 03 Sharp-front picosecond pulse drilling a clean micro-hole

    Exceptionally Sharp Pulse Front

    Unlike the gradual leading edge typical of other laser systems, Passat Ltd lasers can provide an extremely sharp pulse front, on the order of 1010. The rapid delivery of energy initiates material removal more decisively and improves drilling performance.

    Technology enabled

    Sharper Timing for Satellite Ranging and Distance Measurement

    A steep pulse front creates a distinct timing marker that a detector can recognize more reliably than a slowly rising pulse. This supports precise time-of-flight measurements used in satellite laser ranging and other distance-sensing systems, while the same rapid energy delivery also improves drilling.

    Explore the picosecond advantage See metal-drilling results
  4. 04 Double laser pulse producing a directed ion stream

    Advanced Double-Pulse Mode

    In this special operating mode, the laser emits pairs of picosecond pulses rather than individual pulses. The two pulses in each pair arrive one after the other, separated by a short interval of a couple of dozen nanoseconds, while the pulse pairs are repeated at 1,000 Hz. This controlled sequence can increase the drilling rate and improve material removal, while also producing a cleaner ion stream—particularly valuable for applications using laser-generated ions and plasma.

    Technology enabled

    Cleaner Plasma for Advanced Thin-Film Deposition

    In Pulsed Laser Deposition, the first pulse forms an ablation plume and the second interacts with it as it expands. This increases the ionized fraction and the total amount of ablated material, creating a cleaner, more highly ionized flux for more efficient and controllable coating growth.

    Explore double-pulse PLD technology
Deep-UV Advantage
213 nm

5.82 eV
photon energy

02 · Micron-Scale Focusing

The minimum achievable focal spot is fundamentally limited by diffraction and scales with wavelength. Because 213 nm is nearly five times shorter than 1064 nm, it can produce a much smaller diffraction-limited spot with comparable beam quality and focusing optics. A near-diffraction-limited 213 nm beam can therefore be focused to a spot only a few microns in diameter; obtaining an equally small spot at longer wavelengths requires much higher numerical aperture and far more demanding optics.

The smaller focal area also concentrates the pulse energy into a higher local intensity, helping drive nonlinear absorption while limiting material removal to a very small volume. This makes 213 nm picosecond lasers particularly suitable for microdrilling, microcutting, microscribing, micropatterning and other precision processing of glass, fused silica, sapphire, ceramics, semiconductors, refractory metals and other difficult-to-process materials.

Deep-UV picosecond operation

Why 213 nm Matters

01 · Two-Photon Absorption in Wide-Bandgap Dielectrics

Transparent dielectrics, such as fused silica, are difficult to drill with conventional lasers because they are transparent to laser light at the wavelengths commonly used for material processing. The laser beam simply passes through the material without depositing enough energy to remove it.

At 213 nm, in the deep-UV range, a different interaction mechanism becomes available: two-photon absorption. When the laser intensity and fluence are sufficiently high, the material can absorb two 213 nm photons simultaneously. Each photon carries approximately 5.82 eV, giving a combined energy of 11.64 eV—higher than the bandgap of many transparent dielectrics. Examples of such materials are provided in the table below.

Under these conditions, the material becomes effectively non-transparent to the 213 nm laser beam. Instead of passing through, the laser energy is absorbed through the two-photon process. This allows transparent dielectrics to be drilled and processed in the same way as other solid materials.

UV-grade fused silica is a particularly important example. Its high chemical purity, low thermal expansion and low dielectric loss make it valuable for photonics, semiconductor packaging, microfluidics and advanced electronics. However, the absence of impurities that could help initiate laser–material interaction makes precise drilling and ablation especially difficult.

At 213 nm, sufficiently high laser intensity and fluence activate two-photon absorption, allowing energy to be transferred directly into the material. As a result, even highly transparent UV-grade fused silica can be precisely drilled, ablated and micromachined.

Example dielectric Approx. bandgap 213 nm two-photon energy Typical applications
UV-grade fused silica (SiO2) 8.9–9.0 eV 11.64 eV DUV optics, photomasks, glass interposers and microfluidic chips
Sapphire (Al2O3) 8.8–9.0 eV 11.64 eV LED substrates, optical windows, sensors and RF electronics
Beryllium oxide (BeO) ≈10.6 eV 11.64 eV Heat-spreading substrates for high-power RF and microwave electronics
Aluminum nitride (AlN) 6.0–6.2 eV 11.64 eV Power-electronics substrates, LED modules and thermal-management components
Magnesium oxide (MgO) ≈7.8 eV 11.64 eV Insulating substrates, protective coatings and magnetic-memory tunnel barriers

Representative values; the exact bandgap depends on material composition, structure and measurement method.

1064 nm is widely used for laser drilling, but each photon carries only about 1.17 eV—far below the approximately 9 eV bandgap of high-purity fused silica. As a result, 1064 nm laser light couples poorly into this transparent material. At 213 nm, the much higher photon energy enables a two-photon absorption pathway within the focused picosecond pulse, making localized processing of wide-bandgap dielectrics substantially more practical.

Alternative Sources of Deep-UV Light

Excimer DUV lasers

ArF (193 nm) and KrF (248 nm) excimer lasers are well-established deep-UV sources. Compact excimer models are available, but their output is still generally produced by a high-voltage gas-discharge system. Excimer beams are also typically multimode and rectangular, with higher divergence and lower focusability than a single-transverse-mode solid-state beam. Specialized resonator optics can improve excimer beam brightness, but they do not represent the standard configuration.

Even compact excimer lasers have a finite laser-gas lifetime and require periodic gas refilling or replacement. Depending on the system, operation may involve premixed or individual gas cylinders, gas-handling and vacuum components, and scheduled chamber or optics maintenance. ArF and KrF mixtures contain reactive halogen-bearing gases, so proper handling and ventilation are required. These requirements add operating complexity beyond the electrical supply itself.

Why Passat Ltd is different

  • All-solid-state, gas-free platform. Passat Ltd lasers operate from a standard electrical supply and require no laser-gas cylinders, gas refills, vacuum pump or halogen-gas handling. This simplifies installation and routine operation while eliminating gas-related service and safety requirements.
  • Picosecond pulse width. Excimer lasers generate nanosecond pulses, whereas Passat Ltd lasers operate in the picosecond regime. This provides much higher peak intensity even at moderate pulse energy, enabling efficient material removal with substantially lower thermal loading.
  • Single-transverse-mode beam quality. Passat Ltd lasers provide a near-diffraction-limited single-mode beam that can be focused to a much smaller spot than a typical multimode excimer beam. The resulting higher energy density enables finer feature sizes, better dimensional accuracy and improved machining precision.
  • Lower thermal impact. The combination of ultrashort pulses, superior beam quality and higher peak intensity minimizes melting, recast layers, microcracking and the heat-affected zone during deep-UV micromachining.
Nanosecond 213 nm solid-state lasers

Commercial nanosecond solid-state lasers are widely available at the first (1064 nm), second (532 nm) and third (355 nm) harmonics. At 213 nm, however, a nanosecond solid-state source is not a practical alternative to a picosecond processing laser. Reaching 213 nm requires fifth-harmonic generation through several nonlinear-conversion stages, with specialized crystals, coatings and precise alignment. Every stage reduces usable pulse energy and increases optical loading, sensitivity to alignment and long-term instability. Scaling the output therefore places severe stress on the nonlinear crystals and deep-UV optics, sharply limiting reliability and component lifetime. This is why nanosecond 213 nm sources remain predominantly low-output laboratory or research systems rather than robust high-peak-power industrial tools.

The pulse-width difference makes the limitation fundamental, not merely an optical-engineering inconvenience. Peak power is pulse energy divided by pulse width. A 5 ns pulse is 1,000 times longer than a 5 ps pulse; consequently, it requires approximately 1,000 times more pulse energy to reach the same peak power. Attempting to generate and then frequency-convert that energy to the fifth harmonic would require a much larger gain medium, pump system, cooling system and optical aperture, while exposing the conversion crystals and 213 nm coatings to extreme fluence. In practice, the optics reach their damage and lifetime limits long before a compact nanosecond 213 nm system can reproduce the peak power of the Passat Ltd picosecond platform. At equal pulse energy, the nanosecond source instead delivers roughly three orders of magnitude less peak power and deposits heat for much longer, increasing melting, microcracking, edge chipping and the heat-affected zone.

Passat Ltd Advantages

  • Commercially available 213 nm output. Unlike nanosecond solid-state systems, which are extremely difficult to implement at the fifth harmonic, Passat Ltd provides a reliable commercial 213 nm picosecond laser platform.
  • 1,000× higher peak power at the same pulse energy. A 5 ps pulse is 1,000 times shorter than a 5 ns pulse. To match its peak power, the nanosecond laser would therefore require approximately 1,000 times more pulse energy.
  • Impractical scaling at 213 nm. Generating and converting such high pulse energy requires larger, more sophisticated optics, extremely precise alignment and a bulky laser system. The intense optical loading also rapidly degrades the nonlinear crystals and deep-UV coatings, limiting reliability and service life.
See What Our Lasers Can Do
Passat Ltd Laser Systems

Two product directions

Two Laser Families.
A Broad Product Range.

Passat Compiler picosecond DPSS laser system Picosecond DPSS lasers

Compiler Family

The Compiler series covers configurable picosecond laser systems for precision processing, scientific research and industrial integration. Select the required wavelength from 1064, 532, 355, 266 or 213 nm, together with pulse-width configurations including 10, 30, 70 and 150 ps.

  • 1,000 Hz standard repetition rate; lower repetition rates are available on request when higher pulse energy is required
  • Compiler HPRR: dedicated 12,000 Hz model for higher-throughput applications
  • Wavelength and pulse configuration selected for the application

Applications: precision microdrilling, high-aspect-ratio micro-holes, microcutting, microscribing and micro-patterning; processing of dielectrics, ceramics, semiconductors and metals; drilling and micromachining of glass and fused silica; laser ablation and plasma generation; pulsed-laser deposition and thin-film coating technologies; spectroscopy, LiDAR and scientific research.

Explore Compiler Series
Compact Passat Sub-Naples sub-nanosecond laser systems Sub-nanosecond DPSS lasers

Sub-Naples Family

The Sub-Naples series consists of compact, rugged and lightweight DPSS laser platforms operating with pulse widths around 500 ps—typically approximately 0.3–0.6 ns, depending on the model and wavelength. These systems are intended primarily for applications where compact size, low weight and straightforward integration are more important than the exceptionally high peak power provided by the Compiler series.

  • Compact, lightweight and air-cooled platforms
  • Available at infrared, visible and UV wavelengths
  • Internal or external triggering with repetition rates of up to 1,000 Hz, depending on the model
  • Designed for easy integration into portable instruments and OEM systems

Applications: compact LiDAR, distance-measurement and remote-sensing instruments; portable spectroscopy and time-resolved measurement systems; field measurements and monitoring; embedded and OEM laser sources; and laboratory or scientific equipment where limited space, low weight and simple system integration are primary requirements.

Explore Sub-Nano Series

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What does your application require?

Tell us about the material, thickness, feature size and required process result. We will help identify a suitable laser configuration.

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sales@passatltd.com +1 905 695 1088 Concord, Ontario, Canada