Appeal No. 2001-0238
Application No. 08/859,020
laser pulses wherein said laser pulses have a pulse repetition
rate greater than 10 Hz and a wavelength in the range of 750 nm
to 10.7 microns, wherein each pulse of said plurality of laser
pulses has a pulse duration of 100 picosecond or less; and
directing said pulsed laser output beam onto a workpiece
comprising metal or alloy, wherein each said pulse converts
approximately greater than 0.1 micron to 1 micron of material of
said workpiece from a solid state to a plasma state, wherein said
material is removed from said workpiece by hydrodynamic expansion
of said plasma.
2. A method for machining metals and alloys, comprising:
producing a laser beam from a solid state laser; and
directing said laser beam onto a workpiece comprising material
selected from a group consisting of metal and alloy, wherein said
laser beam comprises a plurality of laser pulses, wherein said
laser pulses have a pulse repetition rate greater than 10 Hz and
a wavelength in the range of 750 nm to 10.7 microns, wherein each
said pulse has a pulse duration within the range of 10
femtoseconds to 100 picoseconds and a focused irradiance of
greater than 1012 W/cm2, wherein each pulse of said plurality of
laser pulses converts approximately greater than 0.1 micron to 1
micron of material of said workpiece from a solid state to a
plasma state, wherein said material is removed from said
workpiece by hydrodynamic expansion of said plasma.
10. An apparatus for machining metals and alloys,
comprising:
a solid state laser for producing a pulsed laser output beam
comprising a plurality of laser pulses wherein said laser pulses
have a pulse repetition rate greater than 10 Hz and a wavelength
in the range of 750 nm to 10.7 microns, wherein each said pulse
of said plurality of laser pulses has a pulse duration of 100
picosecond or less; and
means for directing said pulsed laser output beam onto a
workpiece comprising metal or alloy, wherein each said pulse
converts approximately greater than 0.1 to 1 micron of material
of said workpiece from a solid state to a plasma state, wherein
said material is removed from said workpiece by hydrodynamic
expansion of said plasma.
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