Vector and temporal manipulation for laser processing efficiency improvement

Laser processing has revolutionized material processing with its high precision and versatility, becoming indispensable in various manufacturing sectors. Despite these pivotal advantages, laser processing remains notably energy-intensive, and the improvement of traditional laser processing capabilities requires a significant amount of energy consumption. Given current energy concerns, it is increasingly crucial to improve the efficiency of laser processing without energy enhancement. In the complex physical processes of light-matter interaction, the photon coupling and absorption efficiency has not yet approached a bottleneck; achieving optimal matching between the temporal and spatial characteristics of the optical field and the dynamic multi-physical field changes of materials is key to efficiency gains. Aimed at enhancing laser processing efficiency, this paper reviews recent advancements with a focus on temporal and spatial domains, including combined pulse laser (CPL) processing, temporal pulse shaping, vector light manipulation, and spatio-temporal light control processing. We compare the efficiency of different methods and their effects on material properties and structural morphology. Additionally, we introduce an extra control method by spatio-temporal vector light manipulation with high potential for achieving more efficiency outcomes.