RESOLV researcher Clara Saraceno of Ruhr University Bochum has been awarded a 150,000-euro Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to bring a new type of laser technology to the market.
The project, "Ultrafast 2.1 µm Holmium Lasers for GHz ablation" (Giga2u), has its basis in Saraceno's developments of femtosecond lasers in the TerAqua project, for which she has received Starting Grant funding from the ERC in 2019. The developed femtosecond lasers have a wavelength of 2.1 micrometers and a high repetition rate in the gigahertz range. Unlike conventional systems, these lasers will be faster, more efficient, less expensive and potentially more reliable. With this research funding they will evaluate the potential of the technology for industry and bring a stable laser prototype to market. Utilizing these femtosecond lasers allows for the generation of finely detailed microstructures, paving the way for prospective uses in material manipulation, with glass or polymers, as well as in the ablation of water-rich tissues.
