Global Ultrafast Lasers Market Size, Share, Opportunities, COVID-19 Impact, And Trends By Type (Diode- Pumped Lasers, Mode-Locked Diode Lasers, Titanium- Sapphire Lasers, Fiber Lasers, Others), By Pulse Duration (Femtosecond, Picosecond), By Application (Research, Spectroscopy And Imaging, Medical Processing, Others), By Industry Vertical (Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Communication And Technology), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2022 To 2027

The global ultrafast laser market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22.51% to reach US$5,127.021 million by 2027, from US$1,238.050 million in 2020.

Ultrafast lasers are ultra-short pulses of light with a broadband optical range and have a variety of applications. The ultrafast laser market growth is primarily driven by the increasing demand for material processing and semiconductor industries that in turn find their applications in several end-user industries like automotive, communication and technology, consumer electronics, as well as healthcare.

Technological advancements in the ultrafast laser market are projected to open new avenues of applications outside its core application of micromachining.

For example, in 2019, an ultrafast pulsed laser was used to melt ceramic materials using less than 50 watts of laser power, making it an even more preferable method than the current welding methods that necessitate heating various parts in the furnace. This also sheds light on the solutions to the challenges of welding ceramics because they need an extremely high temperature to melt, which leads to cracking. Also due to the multifarious application, in which ultrafast laser has become crucial, in 2019, NKT Photonics, a leading supplier of high-performance fiber lasers, fiber optic sensing systems, and photonic crystal fibers makes its services available to markets within imaging, sensing, and material processing, expanded its facilities in Shenzhen, China, to establish a full Sales, Service, and Support Center. This strategic decision has been made with the focus on catering to the need for reliable, high-performance industrial lasers and solutions, servicing a wide range of industrial applications in precision manufacturing and marking that is an integral part of the microelectronic, semiconductor, and medical device markets.

Evolving industry standards and the growing requirement for enhanced and accurate components are expected to boost the market

Stringent amendments and regulations such as ISO and ANSI, among others, being formulated across different industries are encouraging different market players to make use of enhanced and advanced machines such as ultrafast laser machines, for cutting, welding, and machining purposes to meet the accuracy, dimensioning material, and other requirements. Thus, these factors are leading to increasing demand for ultrafast lasers.

Key developments that are contributing to the sustenance of the market for ultrafast lasers are different strategic decisions made by major players in the sector.

• In February 2020, Thorlabs, an optical equipment company acquired Crystalline Mirror Solutions, LLC. The acquisition is focused on continuing the development of UNM laser cooling technology. By thermally managing the device, the technology offers an advanced design as a solution to fully power-scale vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs).
• In October 2019, an announcement was made by Thorlabs and KMLabs, pertaining to the acquisition of Y-Fi™ portfolio - a family of high average power, high repetition rate NIR/MIR ultrafast fiber lasers, OPAs, and NOPAs. KMLabs’ ytterbium fiber lasers are known to provide short pulse durations at the microjoule level. The Y-Fi laser series finds its application in various ultrafast applications which are inclusive of ophthalmology, 2-and 3-photon imaging, and time-resolved studies in the NIR and MIR. This acquisition will also allow Thorlabs to pair the Y-Fi OPA laser with its Bergamo microscopes to offer complete 3-photon imaging solutions.
• In June 2019, Tangor 300 – a brand-new high-performance laser with a pulse width of fewer than 500 femtoseconds and power reaching 300 W was launched by Amplitude Laser, an international specialist in ultrafast lasers intended for industrial, medical, and scientific applications. Furthermore, this product is capable of supplying 1000µJ per pulse and a repetition rate of up to 40MHz and can cover a surface of 100mm² per second. This newly launched ultrafast laser is primarily intended for machining.
• With regards to the application, in 2019 the laser team of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH attained an optical power of 20 kilowatts with laser technology based on the spectral coupling of 12 fiber lasers supplied by NKT Photonics. The 12 individual beams from the laser fiber modules are coupled to form a single combined beam via a high-precision dielectric grid. Thus, as of present Rheinmetall now possesses the 20-kW beam guidance module and the 20-kW laser weapon station. All other relevant main assemblies are needed for a modular scalable 20 kW class laser weapon system suitable for ground, air, and naval battle scenarios. Furthermore, both companies are expected to produce 100 kW of volume and power-optimized laser sources within the next two years.

Therefore, from the aforesaid product launches and expansion, it is evident that there is a growing interest in the research and development of ultrafast laser technologies as well as the increasing geographical reach of developers in previously untapped markets.

COVID-19 Impact on Global Ultrafast Lasers Market

The COVID-19 epidemic slowed down the growth of the ultrafast laser market. Due to the outbreak, all production operations had been temporarily shut down to contain the coronavirus's spread and adhere to the social distance standards enforced by regional and national governmental organizations. Furthermore, supply chain problems were being caused by the shutdown of manufacturing facilities. The semiconductor industry had a huge adverse impact due to imposed lockdowns and industry shutdowns. Taiwan holds a major market share in the semiconductor industry, and the country was badly affected by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. It created a huge demand-supply gap in the ultrafast laser market. Although, with the current rising need for semiconductors in computing, healthcare, and many other sectors, the ultrafast lasers market is likely to drive growth in the anticipated period.

Global Ultrafast Lasers Market Scope:

Segmentation:

• By Type
  • Diode-Pumped Lasers
  • Mode-Locked Diode Lasers
  • Titanium- Sapphire Lasers
  • Fiber Lasers
• By Pulse Duration
  • Femtosecond
  • Picosecond
• By Applications
  • Research
  • Spectroscopy and Imaging
  • Medical Processing
  • Others
• By Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • UK
    • Germany
    • France
    • Spain
    • Others
  • The Middle East and Africa
    • UAE
    • Israel
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Indonesia
    • Taiwan
    • Others