interview
Laser technology is and will
remain a future technology
Interview with Jenoptiks President and Chairman of the Executive Board on recent market developments
and promising products for the future
LASER TECHNIK JOURNAL: How much is
physics a part of your everyday manage-
ment routine in Jenoptiks Executive Board?
Michael Mertin: Quite a bit, as a matter
of fact. Especially concerning strategic de-
cisions, directing the focus of our business
areas. You should be very familiar with the
relevant process technology in order to as-
sess whether a given technology brings true
benefit to our customers.
LTJ: Currently, in what direction are the
broad applications of laser technology de-
veloping?
Michael Mertin: In my view, we are on the
verge of a significant expansion of laser ap-
plications in a number of fields. For example,
environmental technologies such as photo-
voltaics. In spite of their momentary crisis, la-
ser technology is finding its way to the com-
plete scope of series production, e.g., in the
processing of backside contacts of silicon so-
lar cells. In addition, in the automotive indus-
try, laser technology is spreading rapidly. For
example, applications of ultra strong steel
use 3D laser machining because conven-
FIGURE 1: Processing of the Jenoptik-Laser JenLas D2.mini. (Source: Jenoptik)
30 LTJ April 2012 No. 2
tional cutting reaches its limits. Similar con-
ditions apply to the increasing number of ap-
plications in which compound materials are
processed. Further examples in consumer
electronics show that lasers are enablers for
new processes as in flat-screen manufactur-
ing. The list could be extended from medical
applications to cosmetics. Fields of applica-
tions are driven mainly by technological de-
velopments and the megatrends of energy
efficiency or the ageing society.
LTJ: You gave us a number of examples. Is
there a single application that might be driv-
ing the market as a whole?
Michael Mertin: I dont think so. The driv-
ing forces of the entire market are the mega-
trends I mentioned. They encompass all
kinds of applications. Especially the trend to
energy efficiency drives the development via
an increase in energy efficiency of the actual
beam sources as well as via applications such
as lightweight constructions in automotive
manufacturing or new materials for the avia-
tion industry.
2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
the person
michael Mertin
Dr. Michael Mertin has
been the Chairman of the
Executive Board of JEN-
OPTIK AG since July 2007.
He studied physics at the RWTH Aachen and
subsequently gained his Doctorate in Engi-
neering at the Fraunhofer Institut fr Laser-
technik (FHG-ILT) in the field of laser ma-
terials processing and surface technology.
Thereafter he started a ten-year career with
Carl Zeiss before he joined the Executive
Board of JENOPTIK AG as CEO in October
2006.
JENOPTIK AG
Carl-Zeiss-Strasse 1
07739 Jena
Germany
Tel.: +49 3641 65-2255
E-mail: pr@jenoptik.com
LTJ: What are the markets that laser technol-
ogy has tapped in recent years?
Michael Mertin: I think we have new fields
of applications in many branches of micro
material processing. This has to do with per-
formance and the price-performance ratio of
micro material processing lasers. The latter,
however, referring not only to acquisition
costs but also, of course, to reliable opera-
tion. 15 to 20 years ago, pico- or femtosec-
ond equipment was purely academic and
you could be lucky to find a system main-
taining stable operation for five minutes.
Even today, these systems are not really plug
and play, but they are in fact quite close to
operating 24-7. This enables micro material
processing applications that were definitely
not in the focus a few years ago.
LTJ: How would you predict the medium-
term market development of laser technol-
ogy, say until 2015?

Michael Mertin: This is difficult to estimate
in absolute figures. Overall, I expect a posi-
tive trend. Laser technology is and will re-
main a future technology because it is based
on substantial megatrends, improves the
quality of life, and yields energy efficiency.
Therefore, in my opinion, with laser technol-
ogy, we have a top growth segment in the
realm of high-tech industries however, nat-
urally influenced by global growth cycles.
Even in developed markets, this will at least
result in high single-digit growth, and over-
all we will witness a low double-digit growth.
LTJ: What are the most rapidly growing seg-
ments of laser technology?
Michael Mertin: For one, definitely the fi-
ber laser. In addition, a very important topic
will arise in the future: diode direct systems
where diodes emit laser light directly with-
out any detour. Optimizations in beam qual-
ity enabling direct usage in a broad scope of
processing will lead to very high energy effi-
ciency, and thus, to improved cost effective-
ness. This will surely represent a significant
trend that will foster applications requiring
the special wavelengths of far-infrared la-
sers, nowadays produced with CO2 lasers.
A trend to be continued is solid-state lasers
with high-energy efficiency replacing CO2
lasers.
the company
Jenoptiks Lasers & Material
Processing Division
Jena, Germany
The division has control over the entire
value-added chain of laser material pro-
cessing and is one of the leading pro-
viders from components up to com-
plete laser system. In the area of lasers,
Jenoptik has specialized in high-quality
semiconductor materials and reliable
high-power diode lasers as well as in-
novative solid-state and fiber lasers. In
the area of laser processing systems we
develop laser systems and machines
that are integrated in the production
facilities of our customers as part of their
process optimization and automation.
These systems enable our customers to
process plastics and metals as well as
semiconductor and thin-film materials
with maximum efficiency, precision and
safety.
www.jenoptik.com/lm
2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
LTJ: In what areas are lasers enablers for new
products?
Michael Mertin: As I said, post processing
in the automotive sector, i.e. processing of
three-dimensional sheet metal after forming
into a state of high strength, is one important
application. Here you need very fast and very
precise 3D cutting equipment. Also in the
field of flat screen manufacturing, we will see
important innovations, mostly in the various
laser-involving process steps for manufactur-
ing OLED-based displays. Also in materials
processing in the semiconductor industry,
laser technology will expand even further.
LTJ: So far, we talked about primarily civil ap-
plications. What is the situation like in the
military sector? How big a market is this?
Michael Mertin: This particular market is
not really very transparent because national
interests and national funding play a signifi-
cant role. The American military market is
quite secluded. The same applies to some Eu-
ropean projects or to China, where particu-
lar export restrictions arise. At Jenoptik, laser
rangefinders are requested strongly. Here,
high distances, high measuring accuracy,
and particularly eye-safe wavelengths are of
interest. We are the market leader in manu-
facturing such products. A second trend is
formed by experiments with high-power la-
sers, for example, fiber lasers with high beam
quality in the multi-kilowatt range used in
equipment for airborne missile defense.
Here, we have the first demonstrators show-
ing how laser beam tracking as well as sub-
sequent fighting of approaching missiles or
rockets actually work. The way in which this
will evolve is determined strongly by the de-
velopment of fiber laser technology, not only
by the beam sources themselves. Primary is-
sue are so-called single mode systems, lasers
with the highest possible beam quality and
powers in the upper 10 kW range. Civil ap-
plications such as welding etc. definitely do
not need such power levels.
LTJ: Compared to civil applications, do you
think the market for military applications will
grow stronger or rather slower?
Michael Mertin: Military developments are
rather punctual and determined by individ-
ual projects. Only few projects of the type
described above are found across the world.
So I see far more civil applications driving the
developments in laser technology.
LTJ: What current products or products in
the pipeline require further developments
in lasers? When can these developments be
interview
FIGURE 2: Dr. Michael Mertin,
CEO JENOPTIK. (Source: Jenoptik)
expected?
Michael Mertin: Currently, we see the need
for further developments in diode direct ap-
plications. This is a vast field related to beam
quality of diodes. Here we focus on subjects
such as fiber coupling, and also optical en-
hancement of laser radiation in order to
make it more applicable without having to
connect a second laser as is done in a num-
ber of disc or fiber lasers. High-power short-
pulse lasers represent the second large topic.
These, as well, cannot completely resolve
the issue of thermal influences on materials
caused by laser pulses. We know that ther-
mal interaction occurs even in many short-
pulse processes; however, they do yield very
high quality processing results with various
materials. Results are determined mainly by
the possibility to produce the beams, made
up of many subsequent ultra-short laser
pulses, in certain wavelength ranges at costs
that are competitive with, for instance, lasers
of the near infrared range. In addition, op-
tics will be an issue of increased importance.
Producing a beam is one thing, but shaping,
guiding, and modifying a laser beam over
long periods in a way that makes it appli-
cable to numerous machining applications
is quite a challenge. We profit from the fact
that precisely this know how in optics is bun-
dled in our company. This avoids the situa-
tion where a customer acquires a laser sys-
tem but needs to involve further experts to
be successful in beam shaping before being
able to optimize the quality of an application
via adaptable optics. In many applications,
even in microelectronics or biological analy-
ses, you need very complex imaging and im-
www.laser-journal.de LTJ 31
 interview
FIGURE 3: Laser processing of metal using modern fibre laser technology of Jenoptik.
(Source: Jenoptik)
age acquisition equipment in order to final-
ize the actual process via laser technology.
The mutual competence of laser technology
and optics will gain in importance. The situa-
tion might be compared with the times that
brought together mechanical engineering
and laser technology.
LTJ: Do you see a particular type of laser as an
all-round talent for the multitude of applica-
tions? Are you focusing your activities to this
type of laser or continuing your strategy of
broad disposition in order to have the right
special laser for every task?
Michael Mertin: Historically, cw CO2 lasers
are considered a type of all-round talent in
technical applications. I think, two additional
all-rounders will appear. In view of absolute
numbers and volume, the high-power fiber
laser in the kilowatt range might well have
a chance to follow in these footsteps. This
is also because they are very easy to modu-
late and thus could replace classic lamp-
pumped solid-state lasers. As mentioned,
a second issue is the beam quality of diode
direct systems that promote laser technol-
ogy as a core element of volume products.
The workhorses of laser technology are not
the few fancy lasers but the volume prod-
ucts in industrial environments. We will build
lasers, on the one hand, high-tech and so-
phisticated but on the other, of course, with
the potential for a certain volume of applica-
tions. We want to be a reliable partner to our
customers. Thus, we need excellent technol-
ogy development and a combination of laser
technology and optics as well as the know
32 LTJ April 2012 No. 2
how in technologies for qualitatively high-
range production of lasers and optical com-
ponents. Finally yet importantly, it is crucial
for us to offer excellent service around the
world to our customers.
LTJ: Discussions at the stands of Photonics
West covered the topic of lasers finding their
way into lighting applications. Quantum
efficiency in some areas has outperformed
that of LEDs. To what extent is this a field of
interest to you?
Michael Mertin: This is true for todays high-
power laser diodes in the high wavelength
area between the high 700s and 1100 nm.
Here, conversion efficiencies somewhere in
the range of approximately 70 percent are
possible, a little less in LEDs. At the moment,
we do not yet have any high-power laser di-
odes operating in the visible range. So this is
primarily an issue for infrared or night-vision
lighting, etc. In the short term, I do not see
any significant volumes in lighting applica-
tions. Beam shaping will be crucial. Today,
we can already see this in the field of indus-
trial lighting on the basis of LEDs at Jenop-
tik. Many manufacturers have the ability to
produce LEDs but thermal management and
light shaping as well as guidance determine
the success of a product. It is challenging to
deliver an LED spotlight that emits into the
half-space. This is even more complicated for
high power laser diodes in the visual range.
Therefore, for us this is not a primary issue at
the moment.
2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
LTJ: Do you think the market will continue
to develop as organically as today, or do you
expect an increase in momentum?
Michael Mertin: The question is more
whether the market will continue to concen-
trate. If this is the case, what I expect, then
beam sources and applications will move
closer together, similar as has already hap-
pened in mechanical engineering. If this pre-
vails in other fields of laser applications then
the situation will be beneficial for companies
covering both aspects in their value chain:
one, applications and process technology,
and two, the beam sources themselves. If
you have neither laser diodes nor fiber or
disc technology in house, and need to in-
volve suppliers, you will be facing relatively
high costs. This is even more the case if the
lasers are delivered to third parties who use
them for their own application development
and for building machines or systems. Thus, I
expect that laser technology is facing further
concentration in the fields nowadays domi-
nated by CO2 and some classic solid-state
lasers. This applies to micro material process-
ing, 3D, thin-film structurizing for solar cells,
smart windows, and areas of health care and
life sciences. Possibly, medical technology
and cosmetics might also experience a simi-
lar development. I can imagine the market
evolving alongside with this concentration,
but not necessarily for commodity products
such as product-marking lasers. Only pro-
ducers in absolute low-wage countries can
meet the enormous price pressure in this
segment, if not the key to fully automatic
mounting technologies will be found for
these lasers also.
LTJ: Thank you very much for the interview.
The interview was conducted by Carmen
Teutsch and Oliver Dreissigacker.