Coherent Introduces 266 nm HyperRapid NXT Picosecond Laser for Ultraprecise Machining of OLED Displays

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Coherent Corp. (Nasdaq: COHR), a leader in industrial lasers for materials processing, today announced that it introduced its new HyperRapid NXT industrial picosecond laser, with 10 W of average output power in the deep-ultraviolet (DUV), that enables ultraprecise edge ablation around OLED displays.

The new HyperRapid NXT from Coherent is the industry’s first laser-based solution capable of ablating a microscopic channel around OLED displays while leaving adjacent areas intact. This process maximizes the active area of the display and enables the trend toward bezel-free consumer devices.

“What is so unique about the new HyperRapid NXT is the very special proprietary crystals that we grow and coat in-house. They enable the laser to operate in the deep-ultraviolet for very long periods of time in nonstop high-volume manufacturing environments,” said Dr. Christopher Dorman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Solid-State Lasers Business Unit, Europe. “A laser-based process capable of making such fine cuts is not only new, it’s also much simpler, cleaner, and lower-cost than alternatives based on mechanical or chemical processes. In fact, we estimate that our new laser could improve the profitability of a consumer product by as much as hundreds of millions of dollars over its lifecycle, easily justifying the investment.”

The new laser includes all the standard functionality of the HyperRapid NXT platform, including stable DUV power modulation, pulse on demand, and variable repetition rate. Thanks to its very short DUV wavelength of 266 nm, the laser can achieve a tightly focused beam to process features well below 10 µm.

Coherent offers a broad portfolio of lasers for state-of-the-art OLED display manufacturing, including backplane laser annealing, cutting and drilling notches and holes for sensors, and detaching flexible or foldable displays from their rigid carriers.

Coherent will showcase its differentiated laser solutions for display processing at Photonics West in San Francisco Jan. 28 to Feb. 2.