Femtosecond Lasers suppliers
A femtosecond laser emits light in pulses lasting a few quadrillionths of a second (1 fs = 10⁻¹⁵ s), typically between 10 fs and 900 fs. Because each pulse ends before heat can spread into the surrounding material, femtosecond lasers remove material by direct bond-breaking rather than melting — a process usually called cold ablation. That makes them the tool of choice for cutting, drilling and structuring materials where a melted or cracked edge would be unacceptable.
32 companies · reviewed 2026-08
- Pulse duration
- 10 fs – 900 fs
- Common wavelengths
- 1030 nm (Yb), 800 nm (Ti:sapphire), 1550 nm (Er)
- Repetition rate
- 1 kHz – 100 MHz
- Pulse energy
- µJ – mJ
- Average power
- 1 W – 240 W
- Defining trait
- Minimal heat-affected zone
How it works
The useful property of a femtosecond pulse is that it is shorter than the time heat needs to diffuse out of the illuminated spot — roughly a few picoseconds in most metals. Energy is deposited into the electrons faster than they can pass it to the atomic lattice, so the illuminated material is ejected as plasma and vapour before a melt pool can form. Neighbouring material is left mechanically and thermally almost untouched, which is why edges come out sharp and free of recast layer, burr and microcracks.
That short duration also concentrates energy enormously in time. A modest 100 µJ pulse compressed into 100 fs reaches roughly a gigawatt of peak power. At those intensities materials absorb light non-linearly: a transparent material like glass or sapphire, which ignores a normal beam, will absorb several photons at once at the focus. Absorption therefore happens only where the beam is tightly focused, allowing machining inside a transparent workpiece, or on its surface, without damaging anything the beam passed through.
Producing such pulses and then amplifying them requires chirped pulse amplification (CPA), the technique that earned Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou a share of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. The pulse is deliberately stretched in time before amplification so its peak power stays low enough not to destroy the amplifier, then recompressed afterwards. Nearly every commercial femtosecond amplifier you can buy is built around this idea.
Key specifications
| Specification | Typical | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse duration | 10 fs – 900 fs | The shorter the pulse, the smaller the heat-affected zone and the cleaner the edge. Below roughly 300 fs the quality gain per femtosecond shrinks while cost and complexity keep rising, so many industrial processes settle around 200–400 fs rather than chasing the shortest available pulse. |
| Wavelength | 1030 nm, 515 nm, 343 nm (harmonics); 800 nm; 1550 nm | Shorter wavelengths focus to a smaller spot and are absorbed more strongly by many polymers and glasses, giving finer features. Harmonics are generated from the fundamental at the cost of some power, so a green or UV output means you are paying for conversion efficiency you do not get to use. |
| Repetition rate | 1 kHz – 100 MHz | Throughput. At a fixed average power, average power = pulse energy × repetition rate, so raising the rate lowers the energy available per pulse. High rates suit fast surface texturing; low rates concentrated in high-energy pulses suit deep drilling. |
| Pulse energy | 1 µJ – several mJ | Each material has an ablation threshold fluence that a pulse must exceed to remove anything at all. Too little energy and you polish the surface instead of cutting it; far too much and you reintroduce thermal damage. |
| Average power | 1 W – 240 W | Together with pulse energy this sets how quickly you can process a part. It is the specification most closely tied to price, and the one most often over-bought relative to what a given process can actually use. |
| Beam quality (M²) | < 1.3 | How tightly the beam can be focused, and therefore the smallest achievable feature. A poor M² cannot be recovered with better optics downstream. |
| Stability & lifetime | < 1 % RMS power stability | Decides whether a process stays in tolerance across a production shift. For a factory this frequently matters more than any headline performance number. |
What they are used for
Medical
Medical device manufacturing
Cutting coronary stents — particularly polymer and bioresorbable ones — where a melted edge would compromise the device. Also used for catheter and needle machining and for drilling micro-holes in drug-delivery components.
Medical
Ophthalmic surgery
Femtosecond lasers cut the corneal flap in LASIK and perform the incisions in cataract surgery. The SMILE procedure is done entirely with a femtosecond laser. This is the largest medical market for the technology by unit volume.
Consumer electronics
Glass and display processing
Cutting and drilling cover glass, sapphire and flexible OLED panels. Non-linear absorption allows the focus to be placed inside the glass, creating a cut plane that separates cleanly without chipping.
Automotive & aerospace
Precision drilling
Fuel-injector nozzle holes and turbine-blade cooling holes, where recast layer and microcracking from longer pulses shorten component life. Bosch has presented injector-hole drilling with ultrashort pulses for years.
Life sciences & research
Multiphoton microscopy
Two-photon and multiphoton imaging of living tissue, where fluorescence is excited only at the focal point — giving depth sectioning and much less photodamage than confocal illumination. A very large share of installed femtosecond lasers sit in biology labs, not factories.
Micro-manufacturing
Two-photon polymerisation
3D printing of structures with sub-micron features by curing photoresist only where the focus sits, used for micro-optics, microfluidics and biomedical scaffolds.
How to choose
- 01
Start from the material, not the laser
Ablation threshold, absorption and damage behaviour differ enormously between copper, polymer, glass and silicon. The material and the feature you need decide wavelength and pulse energy; everything else follows. Ask any prospective supplier to run your actual sample before you commit.
- 02
Do not over-buy pulse duration
Sub-100 fs systems are more expensive and often more maintenance-heavy than 300–400 fs industrial systems. For most micromachining the edge-quality difference is small, while the price difference is not. Shorter pulses earn their cost in research and in the most demanding medical work.
- 03
Understand the energy/rate trade-off
Average power = pulse energy × repetition rate. Two lasers with identical average power can behave completely differently: one may deliver high-energy pulses slowly for deep drilling, the other low-energy pulses quickly for surface texturing. Match the split to the process.
- 04
Fiber, bulk solid-state or hybrid
Fiber-based systems tend to be compact, robust and maintenance-light, favouring the factory floor. Bulk solid-state systems generally reach higher pulse energies. Hybrid designs, in which a fiber oscillator seeds a solid-state amplifier, are common and try to combine both.
- 05
Buy the process, not the box
For a production line, integration — beam delivery, scanner, motion, fixturing and process recipe — usually costs more and matters more than the laser head. Many buyers work with a system integrator or job shop first, then bring the process in-house once it is proven.
Research activity
107,885 published papers mention “femtosecond laser”. Counts describe how active the field is — they are not a ranking of suppliers.
Most active research areas
- Laser Material Processing Techniques
- Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications
- Corneal surgery and disorders
- Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies
- Advanced Fiber Optic Sensors
- Terahertz technology and applications
Most-cited recent papers
- Double-slit photoelectron interference in strong-field ionization of the neon dimer8,267
- Present and Future of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering3,832
- Topological photonics3,672
- Optical vortices 30 years on: OAM manipulation from topological charge to multiple singularities2,264
Citation counts via OpenAlex.
Frequently asked questions
›What is the difference between femtosecond and picosecond lasers?
A picosecond pulse lasts 10⁻¹² s — about a thousand times longer than a femtosecond pulse. Picosecond lasers still limit heat compared with nanosecond systems and cost less, but leave a slightly larger heat-affected zone. For many industrial jobs picosecond is sufficient; femtosecond is chosen when edge quality is critical or the material is transparent or heat-sensitive.
›Why can a femtosecond laser cut glass when other lasers cannot?
Glass is transparent at typical laser wavelengths and simply passes a normal beam through. The extreme peak intensity of a focused femtosecond pulse triggers multiphoton absorption, in which the material absorbs several photons simultaneously — but only in the tiny volume at the focus, where the intensity is high enough.
›What is chirped pulse amplification?
CPA stretches a short pulse in time before amplification so its peak power stays below the damage threshold of the amplifier, then recompresses it afterwards. It is what makes high-energy femtosecond lasers possible, and it won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.
›What does 'cold ablation' actually mean?
It does not mean the process is cold. It means the pulse ends before the absorbed energy can diffuse into the surrounding lattice as heat, so material is ejected without forming a melt pool. The removed material is extremely hot; the material left behind barely warms.
›How much does a femtosecond laser cost?
Prices vary widely with pulse energy, average power and packaging. Compact industrial fiber-based systems generally start in the tens of thousands of dollars, while high-power industrial and research amplifiers run into the hundreds of thousands. Integration, scanners and motion frequently add as much again.
Suppliers
32 companies in femtosecond lasers.
AccuLasers
Fastlite
Discover Fastlite's cutting-edge solutions in ultrafast laser pulse control and measurement integrated with Amplitude's femtosecond lasers.
Fluence Technology
Fluence Technology is a Polish manufacturer of ultrafast femtosecond laser systems for industrial micromachining. Its lasers are designed for seamless integration and drift-free stability in 24/7 operation.
Light Conversion
A global leader in ultrafast technology, designing and manufacturing femtosecond lasers and laser systems.
Amplitude
Amplitude is a leading manufacturer of femtosecond lasers. We are laying the foundations for advances in science, industry, and health care.
Amplitude Laser Group
Amplitude is a leading manufacturer of femtosecond lasers. We are laying the foundations for advances in science, industry, and health care.
Menlo Systems GmbH
Menlo Systems delivers world-leading frequency combs, ultrastable lasers, and photonics solutions for quantum technology and precision metrology.
Menlo Systems Inc.
Menlo Systems delivers world-leading frequency combs, ultrastable lasers, and photonics solutions for quantum technology and precision metrology.
EKSPLA
Femtosecond, picosecond and nanosecond lasers and laser electronics for spectroscopy, micromachining, photoacoustics and OEM, tailored to precise needs.
IMRA America Inc.
Imra is a femtosecond laser company dedicated to research and innovation for industrial and commerical lasers. Our ultrafast lasers are the best on the market.
Photonics Industries International Inc.
Supplier of diode pumped solid-state lasers in nanosecond and picosecond pulse widths for scientific and industrial use.
Active Fiber Systems GmbH
Experience cutting-edge laser technology with AFS Jena, your source for innovative solutions and expert guidance.
Applied Energetics Inc.
Ultrashort-pulse lasers defeat sensors and drone swarms at scale.
Advanced Optowave Corp.
Advanced Optowave manufactures solid-state laser sources — DPSS nanosecond, ultrafast picosecond/femtosecond, and fiber lasers spanning 266–1064 nm — plus turnkey laser micromachining, marking, engraving and welding systems (AOMarker, AONano, AOWeld and AOC series). In business ~18 years, it serves medical device, aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, display and glass/brittle-material markets, and also offers contract job-shop processing and free sample testing.
Menhir Photonics AG
Our company focuses on customer satisfaction and industrial markets, by placing the emphasis on the reliability and robustness of our products. With over 30 years of cumulative experience in the ultrafast laser industry, our team is devoted to offering cutting-edge femtosecond laser solutions allowing applications in any situation, from laboratories to harsh environment.
Cycle GmbH
FEMTOSECONd PRECISIONFiber-Optic Timing Distribution & Synchronization Cycle delivers lowest noise timing and synchronization solutions as well as unique femtosecond fiber lasers. We transfer cutting-edge research into reliable products for scientific facilities and industrial applications. Products Contact We work with Product Categories Cycle precision products All Products WAVE Timing Link Read
KMLabs Inc (Kapteyn-Murnane Laboratories)
KMLabs offers table-top, advanced ultrafast laser solutions for both ends of visible spectrum: near-IR, mid-IR, vacuum ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet, and soft x-ray
FYLA LASER SL
FYLA designs ultrafast fiber lasers, combining precision engineering and quality. Discover supercontinuum and femtosecond laser solutions.
Qubitrium
We offer advanced quantum technology solutions in cryptography, communication, and sensing. We develop and produce cutting-edge quantum products and provide services to integrate these technologies into industrial organizations.
Passat Ltd.
Passat Ltd. develops and manufactures compact diode-pumped solid-state lasers for scientific, industrial and OEM applications—from infrared through visible, ultraviolet and deep-ultraviolet wavelengths.
SOL instruments Ltd.
SOL instruments is a manufacturer of innovative instruments for optical and photometric measurements, elemental analysis and nano-scale microscopy: confocal microscopes, elemental analyzers, mocnochromator-spectrographs and spectrometers, pulsed lasers, spectrophotometers, detectors, optical control systems, OEM and special solutions.
Calmar Laser
Calmar Laser manufactures innovative, fiber based, picosecond and femtosecond lasers for the needs of scientific research and the biomedical, semiconductor, solar, and telecommunications industries.
Clark-MXR Inc.
Clark-MXR manufactures femtosecond lasers and micromachining systems, complete solutions for research, and provides micromachining services.
GMP SA
General Microtechnology & Photonics -- Your supplier for Laser & accessories, Spectroscopy, Vibration Isolation, Micropositioning & Electronic Instruments
Optoprim Germany GmbH
"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success." Henry Ford
Spark Lasers
Spark Lasers develops compact femtosecond (fs) and picosecond (ps) lasers for industrial and scientific applications.
K2 Photonics
K2 Photonics develops next-generation ultrafast lasers for precision sensing. Unlock the power of optical frequency combs.
Prospective Instruments LK GmbH & Co.
Prospective Instruments provides Multiphoton microscopes & femtosecond lasers
VIULASE GmbH
VIULASE GmbH specializes in ultrafast laser technology, offering the world's most compact and energy-efficient femtosecond Ti:sapphire lasers. Learn more about our innovative solutions for health and science.
Del Mar Photonics Inc.
I am looking for a nanosecond pulse laser system for tunable excitation in red and near IR. Pulse energy 10 – 20mJ can be sufficient with repetition 10 – 20 Hz. Wavelengths are from about 680 nm (or, better, from 560 nm) up to 900 – 1100nm. Can you propose something like a pulse laser with OPO or a Nd-YAG+Ti:sapphire set?
Irisiome Solutions
Irisiome Solutions develops innovative picosecond fiber lasers. Ideal for quantum optics, biophotonics, and advanced photonic applications.
AA Service Tech Inc.
A company specialized in Ultrafast Laser. Providing on-site and remote support to laboratories worldwide.
Sources
- RP Photonics Encyclopedia — Femtosecond lasers
- RP Photonics Encyclopedia — Ultrafast lasers
- RP Photonics Encyclopedia — Chirped-pulse amplification — the stretch–amplify–compress scheme behind every commercial fs amplifier
- RP Photonics Encyclopedia — M² factor — beam quality, and why it can't be fixed downstream
- RP Photonics Encyclopedia — Laser-induced damage
Figures are the commercially common cases, not physics records. Where sources disagree the page gives a range and says so.