激光器在太阳能行业同样出色

　　太阳能行业的激光器利用也很多；不过Miller评论这种新能源工业在激光器厂商的业务里面只占相当小的份额。

　　在生产薄膜太阳能电池的过程中要使用激光器；因为机械系统无法快速精准地在薄膜电池上进行微线和小孔的蚀刻。

　　Phillippy指出，由于政府津贴的缩减和其他原因，即使太阳能组件厂商被淘汰，像Newport这样的激光器厂商也不会受到影响。

　　激光器在科学研究中用途很广：例如基因序列分析和诊断等。在矫正视力障碍、牙齿医学移植方面，激光器的用途也将越来越大。

　　类似夜视光学技术等军事科技将在商业应用中凸现出来。

　　Phillippy指出，使激光器易用、尺寸更小、效率更高、成本更低的先进技术还在不断发展；激光器的应用领域还将扩大。

原文如下：

While known as a staple in chipmaking， lasers also are used to manufacture everything from razor blades to jet engines， and companies such as IPG Photonics （IPGP） and Newport （NEWP） see the list of applications growing.

Smaller sizes and lower costs have made lasers easier to incorporate in precision tools， replacing older technologies in factories and research labs.

“You can do things with a laser that you just can‘t do with a mechanical blade，” said Newport CEO Bob Phillippy.

A Newport engineer configures a spectra-physics laser at the company’s Santa Clara， Calif.， laboratory. View Enlarged ImageLasers aren‘t just for cutting and welding. They’re also used in scientific instruments， like those that generate images of cell membranes and what lies underneath them.

Military To Civilian

The military has long used lasers in targeting and surveillance， areas that could expand into some civilian uses， Phillippy says.

Laser makers IPG Photonics， Newport， Coherent （COHR） and Rofin-Sinar （RSTI） have been logging double- and triple-digit profit and sales growth in recent quarters， helped by a rebounding manufacturing sector and federal stimulus spending.

Fiber-based lasers and their lower operating costs also have been replacing gas-based lasers as users upgrade， says Mark Miller， an analyst with Noble Financial. Shares of IPG， which is especially known for its fiber-based lasers， have doubled this year. Coherent， Rofin-Sinar and Newport also make fiber-based lasers.

Other factors helping laser makers include a revival among their chipmaker customers and the shifting of production to China， which boosts profit margins， Miller says.

The end of stimulus spending and the cyclical nature of chipmaking are challenges， but laser makers are aided by having a diverse set of products and customers， he says.

“It limits their exposure，” Miller said.