Ohio univ. obtains grant for femtosecond laser

Oct. 31, 2011—Wright State University, Columbus, Ohio, and Mound Laser & Photonics Center Inc., Miamisburg, Ohio, last week won a $232,918 grant to purchase a Jenoptic JenLas D2 femtosecond-pulsed laser.

The grant, awarded from the state's Non-Credit Job Training Capital Improvement Facilities Fund, will enable the university and MLPC to further a formal collaboration aimed at enhancing education in advanced manufacturing, according a state-issued news release.

“The idea is to speed commercialization of research and quickly translate ideas into products and services that will help grow Ohio’s economy,” said Jim Petro, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, which oversees higher education in the state.

The 4-W, diode-pumped, solid-state laser is said to be ideal for microfabrication, and its ultra-short pulse transfers little heat to the part being machined, which in turn produces clean features. The laser can be used with a wide range of materials.