A femtosecond laser printer, a method for topographical measurements in laser materials processing, and laser fired contact technology for fabricating silicon solar cells are the three finalists of this year’s Innovation Award Laser Technology. The winner will be announced on 7 May 2014 in Aachen during the International Laser Technology Congress, AKL'14.
Dr Yves Bellouard at Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands is one of the finalists with an entry called: ‘a femtosecond laser printer for three-dimensional micro- and nano-manufacturing of glass’. The entry from Dr Markus Kogel-Hollacher at Precitec Optronik, Neu-Isenburg, Germany, is titled: ‘penetration depth and topography measurement in laser materials processing using low coherence interferometry’, while Dr Ralf Preu at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany, has submitted ‘Laser Fired Contact (LFC) technology for the production of highly efficient silicon solar’.
The winner will receive €10,000 and be awarded the titles of AKL Fellow and ELI Fellow by the associations Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik and the European Laser Institute (ELI).
The Innovation Award Laser Technology is a European research prize awarded every two years by Arbeitskreis Lasertechnik and ELI. The award can be conferred on an individual researcher or on an entire project group, whose exceptional skills and dedicated work have led to an outstanding innovation in the field of laser technology. The scientific and technological projects in question must centre on the use of laser light in materials processing or the methods of producing such light, and must furthermore demonstrate commercial value to industry.
The international jury selected the three finalists among the 23 applications on the basis of merit and the published criteria.
