Prospects of solid state lasers for material processing

Since the invention of LASER in 1960, lasers have made a great impact in a wide range of scientific and technological applications. The first half of this paper discusses the basic differences between lasers and conventional heat sources and the second half is devoted to solid state lasers with specific reference to ‘high average power’ solid state lasers used in material processing. The various physical processes that influence their operation and the role of focusing optics are also discussed.