Real time investigation of the interaction of a CuBr laser beam with solid surfaces

It is demonstrated that a CuBr vapor laser with an average power of up to 7 W emitting pulses of 50 ns in duration at a repetition rate of 13 kHz may successfully be used for materials processing, especially for precision hole drilling in metals. Real time reflectivity measurements of the incident beam are used to reveal details on the evolution of the process.